Career Prospects - Cultural Management

Examples of organisations for which ex Queen Margaret University students work include:

• National Trust for Scotland
• Collective Gallery, Edinburgh
• Center for Contemporary Art, Boston , USA
• Historic Scotland
• Argyll & Bute Council
• British Council
• La La La Human Steps, Canada
• North Ayrshire Council
• Royal Scottish Museum
• Fife Council
• Napier University
• Edinburgh International Book Festival
• Citizen's Theatre, Glasgow
• Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh
• The Audience Business, Edinburgh
• Arts and Business
• Institute of Applied Creativity, Cologne
• Taiwan Sinfonietta & Philharmonic Orchestra
• American Embassy, Vienna
• Maltese Arts Council
• Asia Pacific Film Festival
• Scottish Book Trust
• Brighton/Hove Museum Service
• Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture, Barbados

CASE STUDIES:

Morgan Carberry
USA
MA Arts and Cultural Management – 2007-2008

Originally from San Diego, California, I received one of only 40 Marshall Scholarships awarded each year by the British government for postgraduate study in the UK. As an actress, singer and musician for most of my life, I originally took a Master of Performance in Musical Theatre at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, followed by a Masters in Classical Acting at the Drama Centre London.

I received an extension of my scholarship for an additional year of study in Scotland and came to QMU to complete an MA in Arts and Cultural Management. I especially appreciated the work placements and the flexibility that the course offered and without a doubt, Douglas Brown, the course leader, was one of the most dedicated and supportive people I have ever worked with.

Since leaving QMU, I have set up my own business, El Dorado Cabaret , which provides bespoke live entertainment for corporate and special events, and also facilitates creative approaches to corporate PR and personal development through the arts. My experience at QMU provided the platform, drive, and business skills that have led me to fulfill my dream of running my own company.

Claire Brogan
Scotland
MA Arts and Cultural Management – 2007-2008

“The best part of the course was the chance to meet people who work in the arts and learn about their experiences and make new contacts.”

Since finishing my degree, I am working as a Trainee Venue Manager, learning to manage Live Entertainment venues, in both music and theatre for Live Nation .

With a degree in Drama and English from the Manchester Metropolitan University, I wanted to gain more knowledge and experience in arts management and the MA in Cultural Management fitted my requirements.

I particularly like the various specialisms and the different modules, which offered a good overall grounding in the subject. My placement working voluntarily at the Edinburgh Playhouse, stood me in good stead when I applied for my current role, as it is owned by Live Nation. I heard about the job through working at the Playhouse and used my experience in the placement and at QMU to get the job.

Sarah Hill
Ontario, Canada
MA Arts and Cultural Management – 2007- 2008

I came to the UK in 2004 on a Working Holiday Maker Visa. I became interested in Cultural Management when I was employed with the non-profit organization, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in the UK. When my Working Holiday Maker Visa expired in 2006, I left inspired and determined to find a similar position upon my return to Canada.  Unfortunately this proved harder than expected. A s a young yet large country, attitudes in Canada are much different to those in England. Although very important to the Canadian people, Arts, Culture and Heritage are often overlooked and are not made the priority for municipal, provincial or federal governments, resulting in few employment positions. Despite my enthusiasm and motivation displayed at interviews, the organisations were looking for more experience, either educational, practical or industry related.

Hence my reason for studying for an MA in Arts and Cultural Management. The course encompassed a diverse and comprehensive range of topics that I thought were important – particularly strategy, finance and law – which also compliments my previous bachelor of commerce studies. It was important that I wasn’t duplicating what I already knew. The international case studies and student make up, especially having some classes with the MBA group – appealed to my previous studies in international business and gives a great perspective on how things work elsewhere. It also allows me to customise assignments to topics I was interested in and were relevant to me, particularly my dissertation and Canada. I have also enjoyed having industry leaders teaching some of the sessions.

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