Master of Fine Arts in Arts Leadership (MFAL)

The Master of Fine Arts in Arts Leadership (MFAL) at Seattle University—the first program of its kind on the West Coast—brings together our nationally-renowned faculty in arts leadership with the essential business, management, advocacy, and community engagement skills necessary for you to lead in the arts sector. With our low student-to-faculty ratio and the program’s cohort approach, you will benefit from direct access to faculty and develop lifelong relationships and support networks. In the thriving, arts-dense Seattle region, you will gain the theoretical and practical experience necessary to successfully compete for arts leadership positions nationally and internationally. You will learn alongside a cohort from various backgrounds including community art practitioners, curators, designers, development managers, education directors, public artists, and theater directors.

At the core of our MFAL program is our institution’s commitment to social justice and professional development complemented by a deep foundation of academic rigor and applied research. A signature of our program is the final capstone Summary Project, where you use academic research and experience in the field to investigate a topic of interest such as a cultural sector, curatorial, policy, or arts management issue. Throughout our program, you will use your skills and knowledge to build a broad portfolio of practice in the arts sector of your choice to take with you into your arts leadership career.

The MFA in Arts Leadership empowers the next generation of leaders to meet the complex challenges of managing arts organizations. Our students come from around the world for our small classes, practicums in local arts organizations, and experienced directors of arts organizations among our faculty. Classes meet evenings and weekends.

Founded in 1891, Seattle University is a Jesuit Catholic university located on a beautiful campus of more than 50 acres in the dynamic heart of Seattle. Our diverse and driven population is made up of more than 7,200 students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs within eight schools and colleges.

St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus—the Jesuits, as they are commonly called—more than 450 years ago. Today, Seattle University is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the United States and more than 100 around the world. Are we successfully carrying out the Seattle University educational mission? Faculty and staff in degree and certificate programs across the university systematically assess student learning in order to answer this question.