Graduate Certificate

Learn the tools you need to create, develop, facilitate and evaluate arts and cultural programs and organizations.  

This program is based in the city of Charleston, a top arts, historic and tourist destination. This program is uniquely positioned to help you study and learn in a dynamic setting. You’ll engage with professionals in the field through applied classroom experiences and guest speakers. You’ll also have access to faculty who are also arts practitioners. 

Our program is aligned with many Charleston arts and cultural institutions, which provides numerous experiential learning opportunities.  

  • Spoleto Festival USA 
  • Charleston Symphony Orchestra 
  • Charleston Jazz 
  • PURE Theatre 
  • Charleston Stage 
  • Colour of Music Festival 
  • Engaging Creative Minds 
  • The Charleston Gaillard Center 
  • The Gibbes Museum of Art 
  • The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture 
  • The Office of Cultural Affairs 
  • City of Charleston (MOJA Arts Festival and Piccolo Spoleto Festival) 
  • International African American Museum 
  • The Halsey Museum for Contemporary Art 
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The faculty and staff within the program pay close and unique attention to their students, always connecting them with opportunities and resources to further prepare them for meaningful careers.

Michaela Abbott, M.P.A. '19, Graduate Certificate in Arts and Cultural Management '20

Additional Information

Earn the 15-credit hour graduate certificate as a stand-alone or as part of another graduate program. This certificate can be completed as part of the Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.) program and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (M.F.A.) program.  

This certificate can be completed in one year. However, some students complete the certificate in two to three years, depending on their schedule.  

If you’re completing this certificate as part of the M.P.A. or M.F.A. program, these courses are spread out over a two-year period and count toward the requirements of your master’s degree program.  
While the courses are designed as either fully online or hybrid (in-person and online), our program offers flexibility for those who live outside of the Charleston area. This certificate can be completed online.  

Additional information related to tuition and application deadlines.  

Funding and Fellowships 

First, please explore the Graduate School funding opportunities. 

We also offer a graduate assistantship. This is awarded to a full-time student with a background in event planning, marketing and social media, grant writing, research and general administrative and office management skills. Graduate assistants will be required to work part-time (10 hours per week) providing support to the program director. 

We have limited stipends available for students with urgent and substantial financial need. 

You may pursue external fellowships through the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Inclusion Fellowship and the South Carolina Arts Alliance Graduate Fellowship. 

About the Graduate Certificate

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Learn through immersive experiences with diverse artists, arts and cultural institutions and their communities.

The certificate classes have equipped me with the knowledge base and skill set that I need moving forward into a meaningful career in the world of creative nonprofits.

William Greene '20, M.F.A. and Graduate Certificate in Arts and Cultural Management

Alumni Outcomes

Our alumni go on to successful careers in Charleston and around the globe. They work for organizations like Spoleto Festival USA, High Museum of Art and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. 

The skills you learn in this program will help you succeed in other areas as well. Many graduates work in hospitals and medical centers, zoos and aquaria, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, commercial business, foundations, public relations and digital media firms, government agencies, community development and social service agencies, faith-based institutions and nonprofit organizations. 

Recent Alumni 

Hannah-Marie Wayne
M.P.A., ARCM '22 
Annual Giving Coordinator at the Penland School of Craft

  • Hannah combines her skills in marketing and development with data management. 

Josh Garcia 
M.F.A., ARCM '21
Poet, Seminar Associate at Bucknell University 

  • Josh received the 2021-2022 Stadler Fellowship in Literacy Arts Administration (Bucknell University). 
  • His poetry has been featured in Arts & Letters, Image, The Massachusettes Review, Poet Lore and others. 
  • Josh combines his creativity with skills in arts management to set himself apart as a leader. 

Latesha Smith 
M.P.A., ARCM '22 
Community Engagement Coordinator at Spoleto Festival USA

  • Although she had a decade of experience in event planning, meeting management and stakeholder engagement, she developed knowledge and skills in planning, execution, data compilation, goal setting, budgeting and cost control. 

Rachel DeWyngaert Workman
ARCM '13
Finance Manager for the City of Charleston's Office of Cultural Affairs 

  • Rachel developed skills in managing finances, contracts and vendors. She does this every day in her position as finance manager as she works with Charleston-area events like Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston Farmers Market and MOJA arts festivals.