Cultural Management
Cultural Management
Course Type: Master ProgrammesThe Master’s in Cultural Management at ESAD.CR offers specialised training in cultural management, combining knowledge of contemporary artistic and cultural production with practical skills in planning, organisation, funding, communication, mediation, and the coordination of projects and cultural facilities.
The course is grounded in the learning of research methodologies, the analysis of cultural policies, and the direct observation of institutional practices. It prepares students to operate across diverse professional contexts, from public institutions to independent structures, also addressing the cultural and creative industries sector.
Being part of a school of art and design, the programme enables direct engagement with artistic practices, interdisciplinary contexts and collaborative projects, offering students a concrete experience of contemporary cultural processes. This everyday proximity to the artistic object and its production processes allows for an understanding of the specificities of cultural management compared to other areas of management, particularly in relation to creative, collaborative, and experimental dynamics that define cultural work — including those linked to the cultural and creative economy.
Goals
The Master’s in Cultural Management at ESAD.CR aims to train professionals capable of intervening in a wide range of cultural contexts, with critical thinking, autonomy and strategic awareness, combining theoretical knowledge with operational tools in the development of cultural policies, programmes and projects.
The course aims to:
- Develop a solid foundation in critical and methodological thinking, through direct contact with institutional practices and the analysis of cultural policies, enabling students to understand and act upon the diverse contexts of cultural production, mediation and circulation;
- Combine conceptual knowledge with tools for planning, organisation, funding and evaluation, preparing students to follow through cultural projects within institutions, independent organisations or public bodies;
- Foster analytical and decision-making skills through the study of case examples and the application of methodologies to real-world cultural scenarios;
- Provide exposure to professionals, networks and cultural structures through seminars, study visits and other extracurricular activities that connect students to a range of professional practices;
- Enable direct engagement with artistic creation and its specific contexts, by virtue of being located in a school of arts and design with active departments in theatre, fine arts, sound and image, and design.
These objectives do not limit the learning path, allowing each student to build their own trajectory according to their interests, motivations and professional or artistic background.
Teaching Staff
Carla Cardoso, José Marmeleira, Lígia Afonso, Luísa Arroz Albuquerque, Maria Mire Carriço, Nuno Faria, Rui Matoso, Teresa Fradique
Partner of UNESCO Chair in Arts and Culture Management, Cities and Creativity