Arts and Society

With a mix of theory, research approaches, and practical work, Arts and Society prepares creative thinkers and doers for a professional career on the cutting edge between art and society.

The cultural world is in a state of rapid transformation due to technological innovation, urbanisation, economic globalisation, and an increasingly unpredictable sociopolitical landscape. All facets of the arts – practice, organisation, leadership, societal relevance, and internationalisation (in Europe and beyond) – are affected by this transformation. Utrecht's Master of Arts and Society will prepare you to operate as a leading figure in the global arts, media, and cultural sectors of the future.

Our Master's programme was designed to meet the urgent need for arts professionals who possess rigorous theoretical and research skills coupled with practical abilities and an acute awareness of the current state of the sector at the local and global levels. As a student in this programme you will explore, for example, the dynamics and dilemmas within existing mainstream culture and its relationship with a growing number of “alternative” cultural practices, new models of creative production and industry, and the ever-increasing role of the arts in social justice.