Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Arts and Festivals Management De Montfort University, UK

Arts and Festivals Management is the longest-running degree course of its kind in the UK and boasts enviable industry links.

Whilst deepening your understanding of academic debates, our course will equip you with the practical tools and skills needed to become a leader in key areas of the cultural arena, including theatres, music venues, galleries, museums and festivals.

You will develop a range of interdisciplinary skills such as teamwork, marketing and management theory, fundraising, business planning, licensing, health and safety, programming and cultural policy.

In your final year, you will have the opportunity either to produce a large-scale arts event of your choice or be part of the team producing, programming and running the high-profile annual Cultural eXchanges Festival. Previous events have featured inspiring guests such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Grayson Perry and Meera Syal.

We will teach you to become an adept problem solver, with the ability to provide dynamic solutions within this continually changing and diversifying sector. You can choose to specialise in digital arts management and get practical experience of online event delivery, tackling the real-life challenges of engaging audiences in increasingly new and innovative ways.

Key features

• Arts and Festivals Management at DMU is ranked number one in the UK in the ‘Hospitality, event management and tourism’ subject area (Guardian University Guide, 2023).
• You will study a range of topics, including running and promoting a venue, cultural leadership, arts and communities, engaging audiences and digital arts management.
• 100% of students were satisfied overall with the course (National Student Survey, 2022).
• Links with the Leicester Comedy Festival have provided students with the opportunity to organise and run a venue, manage the acts and promote events. The festival founder is DMU alumnus Geoff Rowe.
• The city of Leicester has thriving creative industries and a vibrant cultural scene, providing opportunities to gain professional experience. Students have worked with the Tour de Moon festival, Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre, Curve theatre, Serendipity and Soft Touch Arts.
• Benefit from top-quality teaching by industry experts, thanks to excellent links with leading organisations such as Universal Music and London’s Southbank Centre.
• Gain real-life experience through a placement module with a professional organisation. Students have previously worked with the Joseph Papp Public Theatre in New York, Universal Music, HQ Recording, Ministry of Sound and Glastonbury Festival.
• Our graduates are highly practical individuals who are equipped with business planning, engagement and delivery skills, which are hugely attractive in the arts sector. Graduates hold key positions across a wide range of industries and roles, including The Barbican, Ballet Rambert, Wembley Arena and the BBC.
• Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.