HEC Montreal

An incredible experience to learn about arts and cultural management while being immersed in many cultural experiences. What other program allows you to compare experiences from so many different perspectives? A truly unique offering!

Many graduate and undergraduate programs had trouble adjusting to international education during the pandemic. This program definitely falls into that category but they did an incredible job making sure we got the most out of the experience by providing alternatives for us to explore. We spent our first semester (Fall 2020) completely online with the hopes that we could be in the classroom together in the spring. The world started to open up for us in January so many of us quickly applied for our visas and quarantined in Montréal so that we could all meet in person at HEC Montréal. Now, we had no idea if we could visit any of the other locations so we did our best to be present there in Canada and have hope that we would be able to (at the very least) travel to Milano. Most of us applied for our Italian visas and found out just days before our flight that we would be studying in the classroom at SDA Bocconi. It was such an extra special experience joining the Bocconi MAMA group for lectures, group projects, consultations, and best of all, their Grand Tour of southern Italy. This final trip that we took was a replacement for our cohort that missed visiting the three other countries we were meant to visit (Colombia, India, China) and while it wasn't an equal trade in terms of international experiential learning, we had a wonderful time and experienced places and organizations I wouldn't have ever been able to visit on my own. Bocconi was an incredible host and I remain very grateful for these people and these adventures! With all of that being said, I will like to say that while I understand the difficulty of navigating ever-changing international safety protocols, I know that many of us craved better communication from our administrators. Being left "in the dark" created some unnecessary stress to our day to day decision making in this program, and I maintain the opinion that transparency is key to running a successful program of study. I additionally understand that many of our professors and lecturers were also navigating their jobs in the arts field during those unprecedented times, and many of them were successful in balancing their day to day lives as well as being present for us and our learning. But there were a couple of professors that truly left us stranded with questions and curiosities left unanswered. These things did not ruin the experience for me, they were simply a disappointing aspect of the program that I hope will continuously evolve for their betterment. I always felt as though I could speak up and give feedback that would be heard by the directors and administrators, I felt very respected for my opinions and my voice and that is the reason why I am able to leave this overall positive review. Nothing about our Masters studies was ideal, all of us had to be flexible and optimistic about the future, but we made it happen and we supported one another! I made lifelong friendships along the way and memories that will always be completely unique to us. I'm very grateful I took this risk and spent my time during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic getting my Masters in International Arts Management. I miss each of the people pictured here every single day and hope we may all be able to reunite in the near future!

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The Master in International Art Management gave me a worldwide perspective on the cultural sector and how to navigate and manage its oportunities and challenges, in addition to providing an introduction to cultural sites, theory, and field studies. Its multidisciplinary approach also provided me the tools to articulate and manage different specialties and perspectives.

I really had one of the best years of my life studying in this masters. Not only did I learned a lot in the course of one year, but I also made friends for life and had the chance to discover many great places around the world. It was great to meet many art professionals in every city that we visited and to be immersed in the local culture like we did.

I did the MMIAM program in 2017 - 2018. The structure of the program has changed since then (they've added more countries). In my time, we did one semester at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, one semester at HEC in Montreal, Quebec, three weeks at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, and one semester at SDA Bocconi in Milan, Italy. In each country we had great field trips to artistic organizations and events, met with cultural leaders, and had time to explore, travel, and dive in! It was life changing on so many levels, and my classmates and I are all still good friends. The academic expectations and rigor vary from school to school. This isn't a pass/fail semester abroad - it's a masters' degree from some of the top schools. Overall it was very enriching and I quickly got a leadership role in arts organizations after graduating - though this isn't the case with everyone. The program is pricey and moving every semester poses some challenges in terms of finding affordable accommodations that are suitable for grad students. Overall, it was totally worth it.

It was a very enlightening experience. I highly recommend the program not only for its unique structure, but also for its internationality and genuinely caring atmosphere. I had the opportunity to learn about art from all angles: artists, administrators and patrons. I am very fortunate to have been able to travel to many countries in Europe, North/South America and speak with some of the most renowned individuals in the arts world. My cohort was amazing - extremely diverse and fascinating people. The leading professor Francois was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. The curriculum was well established, not perfect but definitely a good learning path.

The MMIAM Program is a completely unique masters program. On the MMIAM you are one of an intimate cohort of intelligent, diverse, and dynamic students from all over the world. Your fellow cohort members will bring a richness of experience and perspectives that are incomparable to any other degree program. Your cohort of 7-15 becomes your family as your travel around the world to study at different prestigious universities and undertake consulting projects in the US, Canada, Colombia, Italy, and India. There is nothing like it in the world, and the amount of real world experience and dynamism gained from this program is something that can hardly be explained. Attend one of their info sessions and you will quickly know this is where you belong.

The combination of small cohort size, immersion in six countries, and the pairing of both theoretical and practical learning applications is unparalleled in an Arts Management Master's program. If considering the program, reach out to the administration, and they can connect you with alumni to share their experiences and answer questions - that is what convinced me the program was the right fit for me.