Master of Arts and Entertainment Management

This master's degree is for people who want to run the business side of music, live events, festivals and screen. You'll study how arts organisations make money and stay viable: touring and venue operations, artist management, sponsorship and brand partnerships, ticketing and box office, grant writing and public funding, copyright and contracts, marketing and audience development, and producing events from the first budget line to the final settlement. Because the institute is a music school, the teaching sits close to working artists, so you're dealing with real release schedules, real gigs and real contracts rather than hypotheticals.

The Master of Arts and Entertainment Management is a two-year coursework degree at AQF level 9. Australian master's degrees run one to two years full time, and this one is at the longer end, which leaves room for core units in management, finance and law alongside electives and a substantial final project. You'll enrol in units of study, each worth a set number of credit points, across trimesters or semesters depending on how the institute timetables the year. Confirm the exact structure, unit list and credit points on the official page.

Work-integrated learning is standard in this field. Expect a placement or industry project with a promoter, venue, record label, management company, festival or arts organisation, plus a capstone where you plan and pitch a real event or release campaign. Assessment is mostly applied: budgets, marketing plans, contract reviews, business cases, presentations to a panel. Group work is common because that's how the industry actually operates.

You'll finish with skills employers ask for: reading a profit-and-loss for a tour, negotiating a fee, building a marketing plan that sells tickets, understanding APRA AMCOS and PPCA royalties, applying for Australia Council or state arts funding, and managing a crew on show day. It suits early-career arts workers moving into management, musicians who want to run their own business properly, and career changers from marketing, events or finance who want to specialise in the creative industries. International graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream; while studying, a student visa allows up to 48 hours of work per fortnight. Entry usually needs a bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience. International applicants need to meet the English requirement published for this course and the separate Department of Home Affairs threshold for the student visa. Check the CRICOS register for the current tuition figure and confirm all admission details with the institute.

• Artist manager or band manager
• Tour manager or production coordinator
• Venue or operations manager
• Festival programmer or event producer
• Promoter or booking agent
• Marketing and audience development manager
• Sponsorship and partnerships manager
• Record label or distribution coordinator
• Arts administrator in a funded organisation
• Grant writer or development officer
• Box office or ticketing manager
• Publicist or communications manager

Employers include live music venues, festivals, touring companies, artist management firms, record labels, performing arts centres, government arts agencies, screen production companies and creative agencies across Australia.