Arts and Festivals Management
Entry requirements
112 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent
Access to HE Diploma
Pass QAA Access to Higher Education course with at least 30 level 3 credits at Merit. We will normally require students have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
T Level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
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 in 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 2022).
* 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.
**If you are interested in advanced entry into Year 3 of this course, please visit the DMU website for the course details:** https://www.dmu.ac.uk/study/pre-edu-2030/arts-and-festivals-management-ba-degree/arts-and-festivals-management-ba-degree.aspx
Modules
**First year**
Block 1: Cultural Events Design
Block 2: Running and Promoting a Venue
Block 3: Cultural Leadership
Block 4: The Creative Arts Manager: Policy and Practice
**Second year**
Block 1: Programming and Planning Festival
Block 2: Audiences and Communities Project
Block 3: Select one from the list below:
International Research Visit
Digital Arts Management and Enterprise 1: Conceptualisation
Block 4: Research Methods: Dissertation and Placement
**Third year**
Block 1: Select one from the list below:
Dissertation
Creative Enterprise and Placement
Block 2: Arts Management Studio
Block 3: Music Industry Management
Block 4: Select one from the list below:
Events and Festivals Management
Digital Arts Management and Enterprise 2: Applications
Assessment methods
We want to ensure you have the best learning experience possible and a supportive and nurturing learning community. That’s why we’re introducing a new block model for delivering the majority of our courses, known as Education 2030. This means a more simplified timetable where you will study one subject at a time instead of several at once. You will have more time to engage with your learning and get to know the teaching team and coursemates. You will receive faster feedback through more regular assessment and have a better study-life balance to enjoy other important aspects of university life.
**Structure**
In the first year you will be introduced to cultural theory and policy, designing cultural events, managing people and teams, personal management, marketing (including running and promoting a festival venue as part of Leicester Comedy Festival), finance, leadership skills and academic research. The Running and Promoting a Festival module will provide you with practical experience with a professional arts organisation. In the second year the focus is on deepening your understanding of political and economic factors in the development of cultural products and services at national, regional and local levels. You can choose to focus on digital arts management to develop your knowledge of policy and trends in the production and engagement with digital arts and festivals. You will also begin preparation for your third year placement or dissertation and take part in a research trip to a major European city through DMU Global. In your third year you will complete a dissertation or placement, with a focus on developing your entrepreneurial skills. You will also undertake more specialist studies including Arts Management Studio and Music Industry Management, as well as plan and run our Cultural eXchanges festival or deliver your own large-scale event. If you choose to specialise in digital arts management, you will apply the strategic thinking gained in your second year to develop a digital business.
You will be taught through a variety of methods including lectures, talks by visiting lecturers from the creative and cultural industries, seminars, workshops, tutorials and self directed study. Practical modules are also delivered via workshops in our dedicated events office and the venues where the events are taking place. Assessment is tailored to each module and is predominantly coursework including essays, reports, critiques, business plans, finance exercises, case study analysis, group work, presentations and an optional dissertation.
**Contact hours**
In your first year, you will normally attend around 8 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 20 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
The Uni
Leicester Campus
Arts, Design and Humanities
What students say
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Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Music
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£19k
£20k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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