Arts Marketing Graduate Certificate
For early career professionals, the Graduate Certificate in Arts Marketing is a hands-on professional program offered by the Arts Administration program in collaboration with the Department of Administrative Sciences at Boston University’s Metropolitan College (MET).
If you are looking to position yourself as an effective practitioner of arts marketing, the unique Arts Marketing graduate certificate program will equip you with a competitive advantage in an era of changing media and marketing techniques. The curriculum will help you build a sophisticated skillset in the latest approaches to arts marketing, promotion, and advertising, preparing you for a career as an arts marketing manager within an arts organization. This preparation includes advanced training in marketing techniques, data analytics, social media marketing, strategic decision-making, and marketing segmentation.
Students in the program take two Arts Administration courses and select up to two electives drawn from BU MET’s graduate programs in Advertising and Global Marketing.
Select courses from the Arts Marketing certificate can be applied to the graduate degree program in Arts Administration. Certificate students have access to all the resources of the department and Boston University, including the extensive network of visual and performing arts organizations that have employed our graduates, as well as internship and job placement services.
Students who complete the Graduate Certificate in Arts Marketing will be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to use a sophisticated toolset to analyze transactional arts organization data, discern trends, and develop strategies for reaching target goals in audience development.
- Knowledge of current effective marketing techniques employed in fields related to arts management and to apply these to arts marketing.
- The ability to market yourself effectively based on your acquired skills and knowledge gained through the certificate program.
Awards & Accreditations
Newsweek magazine ranked Boston University’s online programs #4 in the nation in its 2023 survey.
Why Choose BU’s Graduate Certificate in Arts Marketing?
- Offered through Metropolitan College’s Arts Administration program in collaboration with BU MET’s Department of Administrative Sciences, the four-course certificate in Arts Marketing provides a focused approach to arts marketing. Students gain advanced training in marketing techniques, data analytics, social media marketing, strategic decision-making, and marketing segmentation.
- Appropriate for early career professionals seeking to focus on arts-related marketing as well as those considering a career change, BU’s program is offered 100% online with asynchronous learning, as well as on campus. Boston University graduate credits earned in the program can also be transferred into the MS in Arts Administration degree program on campus.
- BU’s Metropolitan College has been offering arts administration education since 1993, with programs taught by faculty and practitioners who are actively engaged in the visual and performing arts. The Arts Marketing graduate certificate is ideal for those seeking a sophisticated skillset covering the latest arts marketing, promotion, and advertising approaches required to enter a career as an arts marketing manager within an arts organization.
Career Outlook
Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers
6% increase in jobs through 2032
$138,730 median annual pay in 2022
Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
6% increase in jobs through 2032
$125,620 median annual pay in 2022
Market Research Analysts
13% increase in jobs through 2032
$68,230 median annual pay in 2022
Public Relations Specialists
6% increase in jobs through 2032
$67,440 median annual pay in 2022
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024
Tuition & Financial Assistance
Money Matters
Boston University Metropolitan College (MET) offers competitive tuition rates that meet the needs of part-time students seeking an affordable education. These rates are substantially lower than those of the traditional, full-time residential programs yet provide access to the same high-quality BU education. To learn more about current tuition rates, visit the MET website.
Financial Assistance
Comprehensive financial assistance services are available at MET, including scholarships, graduate loans, and payment plans. There is no cost to apply for financial assistance, and you may qualify for a student loan regardless of your income. Learn more.
Curriculum
Boston University’s Graduate Certificate in Arts Marketing consists of four required online courses (16 credits). A student may take up to two courses before admission to the Arts Marketing certificate, but must apply and be accepted to the program prior to the completion of the second course.
Courses
(Four courses/16 credits)
METAR720 Marketing and Audience Development for the Arts
This course is designed to provide fundamental background in the theory and principles of arts marketing and audience development used by nonprofit performing and visual arts organizations. Case analysis will be employed to review strategies and practices currently used in the cultural sector. Students will be expected to develop their own marketing plans for an arts organization. [4 credits]
METAR721 Advanced Arts Marketing Analytics
Prerequisite: MET AR 720 - This course provides students with advanced training in the methods and best practices of data analytics for arts marketing. Through course exercises and assignments, students gain detailed knowledge of approaches to employing data analytics techniques for marketing and expanding audiences. Topics covered include use of customer surveys and demographics, working with CRMS and databases, building a data-driven organizational mindset, email marketing, social media analytics, attribution models, new-to-file audiences, customer retention, and data visualization. [4 credits]
Plus two selected from the following courses available online:
METAD601 Digital Platforms and Quantitative Marketing
This course focuses on identifying and assessing platform business practices and understanding their target consumers' attitudes and behaviors through theoretical models, case studies, and quantitative data analysis. Students will understand the effects of network and platform technology on business success and learn how to analyze platform consumer data through Python basics, text analysis, sentiment analysis, and network analysis methods. [4 credits]
Undergraduate Prerequisites: AD 500 or equivalent, stamped approval. - The course provides a detailed examination of the history of e-commerce, along with important concepts related to the ways that businesses can successfully use Internet and Web technology. Students are introduced to the concepts and problems associated with electronic commerce. Topics include comparison of e-commerce procedures, payment mechanisms, applications in different industry sectors, security, the challenges of starting and maintaining an electronic business site, as well as a comparison with traditional business practices. The development of a WordPress-themed website is a minor feature of the course. 4cr. [4 credits]
METAD654 Marketing Analytics
Prereq: METAD571
Become familiar with the foundations of modern marketing analytics and develop your ability to select, apply, and interpret readily available data on customer purchase behavior, new customer acquisition, current customer retention, and marketing mix optimization. This course explores approaches and techniques to support the managerial decision-making process and skills in using state-of-the- art statistical and analytics tools. Students will have an opportunity to gain a basic understanding of how transaction and descriptive data are used to construct customer segmentation schemas, build and calibrate predictive models, and quantify the incremental impact of specific marketing actions. Python, R, SQL, and Power BI software are used in this course. [4 credits]
METAD737 Innovative Marketing Techniques
This course will provide you with the theoretical understanding of the Internet marketplace necessary to adapt to its many changes, while also equipping you with the skills you'll need to perform vital daily functions. The course includes discussions of both B2B and B2C and looks at marketing and communications from an integrated, business-wide perspective. The goal is to appreciate principles and practice of online marketing. Topics include integrated innovative marketing strategy, search engine marketing, email marketing, and social media. 4cr. [4 credits]
METAD856 Market and Economic Research and Analysis
This course will provide a comprehensive discussion of market and economic research and analysis, their key concepts, process description, qualitative and quantitative techniques for market research and data analysis, and application scenarios. Students will gain an appreciation for some of the breadth and depth of this subject and its significance for the business enterprise -- both from start-up entrepreneurship as well as an established business organization. The structure of the course is based on the six steps of the market research process: problem definition, development of an approach to the problem; research design formulation; fieldwork and data collection; data preparation and qualitative and quantitative analysis; report preparation, and presentation. [4 credits]
METAR753 Current Trends in the Performing Arts Industry
Prerequisite: MET AR 100 Lab. Promoting a theatrical property extends beyond selling tickets to performances; be it a limited or open-ended engagement. Producers and artists continually seek new opportunities and environments for their properties. This requires strategic planning with a holistic view of a goals, implementing a methodical process of analyzing, decision-making and forecasting business activity to ensure future success. [4 credits]
Note that additional courses are available in an on-campus format. For details, visit the Arts Marketing page on the Metropolitan College website.
- MET CM 707 Writing for Media Professionals
- MET CM 719 Interactive Marketing Communications
- MET CM 726 Strategic Brand Solutions
- MET CM 739 Principles of Search Engine Marketing
- MET CM 744 Design and New Media
Upon completion of the certificate, students working in the visual or performing arts fields may apply for admission to the Master of Science in Arts Administration program. If accepted, all successfully completed credits earned toward the certificate may be applied toward degree requirements.
Associate Professor of the Practice
Director, Arts Administration
Ilana Barker
Lecturer
Director, CRM & Analytics, Flint Institute of Music
Nick Peterson
Lecturer
Director of Marketing, Central Square Theater
View All Faculty
Kim Appeltans
Lecturer, Administrative Sciences
Boston University Metropolitan College
Michael J. Dodge
Lecturer
Boston University College of Communication
Marcus Goncalves
Associate Professor of the Practice, Administrative Sciences
Boston University Metropolitan College
Geoffrey Klapisch
Lecturer
Boston University College of Communication
Jennifer Lee
Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
Boston University Metropolitan College
Gregory Page
Senior Lecturer, Administrative Sciences
Boston University Metropolitan College
Kathleen Park
Assistant Professor, Administrative Sciences
Boston University Metropolitan College
Getting Started
To learn more or to contact an enrollment advisor before you get started, request information using the button below and tell us a little about yourself. Someone will be in touch to answer any questions you may have about the program and detail the next steps in earning your degree. You can also start your application or register for a course at Metropolitan College.