Master in Arts Management and Administration - MAMA
Milan, Italy
Master degree
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 30,000 *
STUDY FORMAT
* to be paid in four installments
Key Summary
About: SDA Bocconi's Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA) trains managers for the arts and cultural industries. It combines a business foundation with applied seminars, insider visits and a Grand Tour in Italy. The programme ends with a final internship, field project or personal start-up. It focuses on artistic innovation, cultural development, heritage management and creative-industry entrepreneurship.
Career Outcomes: Graduates take roles such as arts manager, curator, cultural project manager, heritage manager, festival director, development officer and creative entrepreneur. They work in galleries, museums, cultural institutions, public agencies and firms in cultural policy, audience development, fundraising and cultural marketing.
The Art of Managing the Arts
Leveraging Italy’s excellence in cultural heritage and artistic production, the Specialized Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA) is a full-time 1-year program in English, offering 70 ECTS/CFU credits, designed for talented students from all over the world, with international vocation profiles and a passion for the arts.
MAMA aims to support artistic innovation and cultural development worldwide, by strengthening the leadership and management skills required for arts organizations to thrive, and for your career to flourish in a wide range of organizations operating in the arts sector.
Discover MAMA's specific qualifying goals.
Why choose us?
Well-Rounded Managerial Preparation, with a Specialized Focus
You will follow a focused training path, providing you with a specifically tailored managerial approach for the arts and the cultural industry.
Strong Theoretical Business Foundation, Plus Applied and Practical Activities
You will become part of a world-class School of Management and of MAMA's excellent network, sharing best practices and offering insights in arts management.
Seminars and Visits Culminating in the Grand Tour in Italy
You will get a managerial perspective of the greatest World Cultural Heritage sites and develop your analytical skills through several seminars and insider visits.
Final Internship or Field Project
You will get ready for different roles in the world of Art Management by applying all the knowledge and experience gained during the program and carrying out your Internship/Field Project/Personal Start-up.
Structure 12 edition 2026-2027
Opening Week
MAMA begins with the welcome of the faculty, the team, and the alumni, and with a week in which you will get to know the school, the Master, and your class, giving you a first look at your career prospects.
Core Courses
Such courses are aimed at developing the managerial and business knowledge and skills to work as a manager in the world of arts and heritage. You will address a wide range of topics, from foundational business to marketing and media-related issues, from art industry-focused to key additional topics such as fundraising, law, entrepreneurship, and consulting.
Soft Skills and Context Seminars
As a cultural manager, you need specific soft skills and knowledge to bring value and success to your organization. The MAMA seminars aim to strengthen your leadership, communication, and art market skills to support your personal and professional growth.
Concentration Track in Art Markets and Finance
The Concentration Track in Art Markets and Finance provides an overall understanding of art market dynamics, including its unique factors such as trends in taste, cultural influences, and the role galleries and auction houses play.
The art market, in particular, is subject to various legal and ethical considerations, including issues related to authenticity, provenance, copyright, and cultural heritage. Analysing the institutional and regulatory frameworks governing the art market is essential for conducting business ethically and avoiding potential legal pitfalls.
Mama Grand Tour in Italy
Immerse yourself in the world of art management by joining a unique 10-day Grand Tour Experience, aimed at offering a managerial perspective of Italian best practices in the arts sector. Hosted by some of the most relevant Italy-based cultural institutions - such as Vatican Museums, Pompei Archeological Site, Teatro San Carlo di Napoli, Museo Opera del Duomo di Firenze, etc. - the MAMA Grand Tour offers participants the opportunity to learn from managers in the field and internalize the skills and knowledge acquired throughout the year.
Internship or Your own Start-up
Through internships, companies offer you the opportunity to develop an individual field project tackling real-life, complex problems by blending knowledge and skills from different functional areas. Alternatively, you can take the opportunity to be an arts entrepreneur by implementing your start-up under the supervision of one of our faculty members.
A written report (Final Work) on your Internship/Field Project/personal Start-up will provide evidence of how your project was executed, putting into practice the experience and knowledge gained through the Program.
Learning Model
MAMA is an intense full-time program. The learning model provides class sessions and case studies together with many active methods such as assignments, simulations, company visits, etc. You will meet experienced SDA Bocconi Arts Management faculty, but also international visiting professors from leading business schools from all over Europe and the USA, as well as professionals, artists, and executives in the field. Extra-curricular activities, such as an Italian course for non-Italian speakers, or Excel courses, are also offered to students.
Arts & Culture Knowledge Center
The Knowledge Center is an international hub that addresses arts management-related topics and attracts experts from academia and professionals from this industry. It generates knowledge, skills, and attitudes in the Arts & Culture sector and offers activities, programs, as well as professional and educational projects, targeting international participants with a passion for the arts and the willingness to make a difference in the sector. The final goal is that of empowering Arts & Culture leaders, helping them to increase their effectiveness and improve their decision-making.
An Engaging Teaching Method
While in the morning you work in class, afternoons are spent in teamwork, exercises, business-case analysis, assignments, and role-playing business games. Furthermore, you will experience company visits and field projects, and attend seminars, complementary courses (such as Italian classes for non-Italian speakers, with the possibility of achieving the CILS exam - Certificazione di Italiano come to Lingua Straniera - or Excel course), and other complementary activities (cultural development seminars, skills development seminars, coaching, public speaking exercises, etc.).
Attendance is mandatory: typically Monday through Friday from 8.30 am to 2.30 pm with a break for lunch. Therefore you can expect at least 6 hours of classroom activity per day, plus a few hours of study at home or on campus with your classmates.
In addition, attending the many events taking place in Milan will give you a solid understanding of the unique challenges of managing arts and creativity.
Participants are also involved in a field project commissioned by partner institutions. The internship, which lasts at least 10 weeks, or the launch of a start-up in the arts sector, is mandatory and will enrich the learning process.
- 1st European B-schools Bloomberg Businessweek
- 6th European B-schools Financial Times
Financial Times
- #6 EU European B-School Rankings 2025
- #2 EU - #4 WW Global MBA Rankings 2025
- #1 WW Environmental impact Global MBA Rankings 2024
- #3 EU - #3 WW Custom Education Rankings 2025
- #11 EU - #12 WW Executive Education Open Rankings 2025
- #14 EU - #23 WW Executive MBA Ranking 2024
The Economist
- #2 EU Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
- #13 WW Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
- #3 EU for Faculty Quality Full-Time MBA Ranking 2022
QS - Top MBA
- #9 EU QS Global MBA Rankings 2025 - Europe
- #20 WW QS Global MBA Rankings 2025
- #1 WW Return on Investment QS Global MBA Rankings 2024
- #7 WW QS Executive MBA Rankings 2025: Joint Programmes
SDA Bocconi is making available 2 partial merit-based tuition waivers to MAMA candidates with an outstanding profile.
Scholarships/Tuition waivers are awarded by rounds on a merit basis. Please apply for the scholarship/tuition waivers through your online application even though your selection process is still in progress. If you meet more than one requirement, you can apply to multiple ones.
Admission to the program is independent of the awarding of any scholarship or tuition waiver.
Who is it for?
MAMA is the Master for you if:
- You are passionate about arts and culture and are looking for a well-rounded managerial preparation, with a specialized focus on the art world and on the cultural industries.
- You want a career as a professional, manager, consultant, or entrepreneur in artistic and cultural fields.
- You want to improve your managerial expertise in one of Europe’s leading schools of management.
- You want to get in touch with top Italian and international arts organizations and their leaders.