The Global Arts MBA

The Global
Arts MBA

  • 12-month MBA in Arts Innovation focused on social entrepreneurship, cultural management, sustainable impact, and community development, offered to a dynamic global cohort of 80 accomplished professionals in the creative sector.
  • Gain powerful tools through live modules with a faculty of pioneers from neuroscience to aesthetics, revenue development to operations, and cultural economics to marketing — including Nobel Prize laureates, Polar Prize recipients, Grammy winners, and TED presenters.
  • Integrated curriculum curated by world-class university institutes — including Harvard, Duke, Georgetown, NYU, Stanford, McGill, Oxford, and the London School of Economics — provides market-oriented skills tailored to real-world opportunities.
  • Practical, industry-focused approach designed for the busy lives of arts professionals, featuring modules enhanced by creative substreams – from storytelling to neuro-arts, applied technology, and digital community-building.
  • Weeklong elective Innovation Summits in Europe and Patagonia, guided by international faculty, offer transformative experiences alongside Cohort peers, Harvard faculty, and regional entrepreneurs.
  • Personalized Industry Immersives with global organizations, aligning individualized professional goals with tangible, real-world impact.
  • Limited to a select Cohort of 80 global arts changemakers.
  • Aug 2026 | Orientation Week
  • Sep 2026 | Courses Begin
  • Apr 2027 | Patagonia Summit
  • Jun 2027 | Europe Summit
  • Aug 2027 | Courses Complete
  • Oct 2027 | MBAs Granted
  • Dec 2027 | Graduation Week
 
  • Tuition for the 12-month MBA is $11,500 USD, following the automatic award of a $10,000 USD fellowship bursary to all accepted participants. This bursary reduces the total program cost from $21,500 USD to $11,500 USD per fellow.
  • Flights are an additional expense for those electing to travel for an Innovation Summit. However, international travel is optional and not required to meet graduation requirements.
  • 52-week Arts MBA broken into 13 core modules, six substreams, two leadership development and reflective collaboration labs, and two semester-long team assignments — a Case Study and the Capstone Enterprise Challenge — culminating in the Firebird Roadmap graduation project.
  • The Arts MBA also includes a one-week Innovation Summit and an Industry Immersive, which can be completed internationally, locally, or remotely, based on each Cohort Member’s travel availability and preference. International travel is not required to complete any component of the program.
In addition to a fully accredited MBA in Arts Innovation diploma awarded on summative completion of The Global Arts MBA curriculum, as sub-components within the learning journey, Cohort Members receive a range of individual module certificates signed by curating institutions confirming mastery of a given unit’s critical concepts and learnings.

Industry-focused

Supercharge your arts enterprise with an MBA toolkit and action plan, ready to solve critical challenges & develop value-added opportunities.

Learn robust problem-based processes, methods, and frameworks from diverse disciplines that generate high-impact results.

Drive the performance of your arts endeavors through strategic decisions that effectively engage internal & external stakeholders.

Become a transformative social entrepreneur, changemaker, and creative manager – delivering innovation to the world around you.

  • Return to your organization with a well-honed action plan for prototyping solutions around a business challenge you currently face.
  • Learn how to lead reflectively and authentically by leveraging your innate talents while addressing areas for personal growth.
  • Deliver critical value at work with cutting-edge strategies and practical tactics designed to ensure strong outcomes.
  • Build high-performing teams that collaborate to develop innovative solutions, testable ideas, executable processes, and measurable results.
  • Overcome adversity by harnessing agile thought that responds dynamically to challenges in the face of uncertainty.
  • Acquire wide-ranging perspectives and a comprehensive framework to diagnose and remedy organizational challenges.
  • Apply proven methodologies that promote an effective working culture centered on collaboration, initiative, creativity, and accountability.
  • Drive key results and benchmarks to successfully enroll internal and external stakeholders.
  • Develop capacities that differentiate and connect your organization’s vision to clear outcomes.
  • Supercharge innovation within your organization by cultivating an opportunity-oriented entrepreneurial mindset.

Participant Profile

The GLI Arts Innovation MBA is designed for creative leaders seeking an enhanced toolkit to drive accelerated career growth and sustainable impact. Cohort Members range from cultural agents, arts entrepreneurs, and industry executives to concert presenters, theater managers, event producers, museum curators, education leaders, career artists, and more.

Fellow career pathways

  • Artistic/Creative Director
  • CEO/General Director
  • COO/CFO
  • Development Director
  • Founder/Co-Founder
  • Freelance Arts Entrepreneur
  • Culture/Heritage Minister
  • Marketing Lead
  • Operations Manager
  • Presenter/Cultural Agent
  • Education/Community Manager
  • Career Artist/Teaching Artist
  • Gallery Owner/Tour Manager
  • 600+ Past Participants from over 40 countries have benefited from the GLI
  • Graduates occupy leading positions globally
  • Participant salaries increase 32% in two years
  • Fieldwork in 40+ countries
  • Graduate entrepreneurs have launched hundreds of thriving initiatives worldwide
  • Graduate intrapreneurs have transformed hundreds of organizations across five Continents
Cohort by Numbers

44

Nations

The 2026 Cohort brings together a robust network of dynamic change-makers in the arts across six continents, connecting the best and the brightest.

Roles

32%

Job growth

By generating more value for their organizations, Cohort Members increase average income by 18% & 32% in the first and second years after the MBA.

Curriculum

The MBA journey empowers creative industry professionals in multidimensional roles who seek social science-based, entrepreneurial, and operational tools for enhanced impact and leadership.

Participants learn to effectively navigate the evolving landscape of the cultural sector through the curriculum’s unique balance of foundational coursework, tailored substreams, immersive field assignments, applied learnings, case studies, reflective labs, and growth-oriented retreats — all curated by top academic institutions to foster practical skills and actionable insights.

Academic Curators

The Global Arts MBA curriculum addresses the complex challenges of today’s creative impact landscape through a sequence of curated modules, substreams, and collaborative team labs, each building on the last. Combining the flexibility of distributed learning with the immersive power of in-person retreats, this program delivers a growth experience that is both highly efficient and profoundly transformative.

Get Invited

Step 1

Global candidates register interest in applying by sharing key educational achievements, current professional roles, relevant background accomplishments, and future career objectives.

Step 2

TOP CANDIDATES
INVITED TO APPLY

The most highly qualified registrants are invited to apply based on merit. Registrants who are invited to apply receive detailed application instructions and info session dates.

Step 3

LIVE COMMITTEE
INTERVIEWS

The MBA Selection Committee & Advisory Council requests follow-up interviews with select candidates after receiving and evaluating their applications.

Step 4

GLI FELLOWSHIPS
AWARDED

80 MBA Fellowships are carefully awarded on a rolling basis as the deadline approaches to exceptional applicants from wide-ranging cultural backgrounds.

To register, candidates must meet the following requirements:

  • English Proficiency: Strong spoken, written, and comprehension skills.
  • Five-ten years of leadership experience in the creative sector.

Participants should also have flexibility for:

  • Attending live 2-hour seminars on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00 PM ET.
  • Attending a live seminar on Thursdays from 10:00AM-12:00 PM ET.
  • Optional live 2-hour seminars on Fridays from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM ET.
  • Asynchronous Participation: Available for those unable to attend live sessions

Qualified registrants are invited to submit the following materials:

  1. A motivational video articulating your goals for joining The Global Arts MBA.
  2. One writing sample.
  3. Two reference letters.
  4. A resume, short bio, and headshot.

Applicants are notified of their status on a rolling basis. While most receive a response within two weeks of submitting their application, processing may take up to four weeks during high-volume periods closer to the application deadline. As spaces in the program fill before the deadline, early submission is strongly encouraged.

Accepted MBA Fellows must submit a tuition deposit to secure their place in the Cohort. Enrollment is confirmed only upon receipt of this payment, which can be made via credit card, check, or wire transfer. All tuition payments are nonrefundable.

Download Brochure

Include country code, e.g., US: +1 202 555 0123

Special Equivalency for Career Artists

The Global Arts MBA recognizes that across the sector, many of the highest-level career creatives (music prodigies, professional dancers, and others) have pursued their craft from a young age and therefore may not possess a conventional academic background.

The Admissions Committee acknowledges these exceptional career experiences where relevant as serving in place of the bachelor’s degree otherwise required for admission to The Global Arts MBA.

Candidates with this profile should select "Other" for Highest Academic Degree.

FAQs

  • Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) completed before the program start date.
  • In rare cases, The Global Arts MBA admits highly accomplished artists without a bachelor’s degree, based on at least a decade of elite-level professional experience.
  • Minimum Age: 21 by the program start date.
  • English Proficiency: Strong spoken, written, and comprehension skills.
  • Availability to attend live 2-hour seminars on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00-5:00 PM ET.
  • Availability to attend a live 2-hour seminar on Thursdays from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM ET.
  • Optional live 2-hour seminars on Fridays from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM ET.

Invitations to apply for The Global Arts MBA are extended following a screening of each registrant’s academic and professional experience. Additional background information may be requested to ensure a thorough assessment before an invitation is issued.

Yes. Cultural entrepreneurs, managers, administrators, educators, presenters, producers, and public officials working in the arts are encouraged to apply regardless of specific training in the arts.

In most cases, a bachelor’s degree is required. However, in exceptional circumstances, the Academic Admissions Board may grant a Special Degree Exemption to accomplished dancers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and other career artists who began working professionally at a young age and have at least a decade of elite-level experience. This highly selective pathway acknowledges that many of the world’s most celebrated artists forgo formal education to pursue their craft at the highest levels. Exemptions are granted on a limited, case-by-case basis, reflecting The Global Leaders Institute’s commitment to recognizing and advancing the leadership potential of top creative professionals.

Data from The Global Arts MBA graduates indicates that Fellows typically dedicate 10–12 hours per week to their studies. The curriculum is intentionally designed with working arts professionals in mind, offering a structure that enhances – rather than disrupts – their ongoing professional commitments.

In fact, the Admissions Committee values full-time employment as a strength in an application, recognizing it as an opportunity for Fellows to directly apply program insights in real time, creating measurable value within their organizations and advancing their professional impact throughout the year.

This weekly commitment encompasses live seminars, collaborative team projects, and individual coursework. It does not, however, account for two key experiential components: an Industry Immersive, a flexible field assignment tailored to individual professional goals, and the Innovation Summit, an intensive, elective week-long experience with international faculty. Both components are designed to integrate seamlessly into a Fellow’s schedule, with options for remote or in-person participation and time requirements concentrated within specific, limited periods.

  • Fellowships announced: Rolling basis
  • Orientation: August 2027
  • Courses Begin: September 2027
  • Innovation Summit (elective): April & June 2027*
  • Graduation: December 2027

Tuition for the 2027 Cohort is $11,500 USD. Beyond tuition, if opting to travel for either of the two Innovation Summits, participants are responsible for purchasing flights.

The complete cost of administering The 2027 Global Arts MBA is $21,500 USD per participant. A network of GLI partners and sponsors subsidizes the program, allowing all accepted participants to automatically be awarded a $10,000 USD fellowship bursary thus reducing tuition to $11,500 USD.

If you are invited to The Global Arts MBA, your place in the Cohort is only confirmed upon receipt of your tuition payment. 

The terms, timetables, and conditions of tuition payments are outlined in the acceptance package.

All tuition payments are non-refundable.

The Global Arts MBA serves as a professional development resource for arts professionals, including managers, entrepreneurs, and leaders across the cultural sector. Many Cohort Members secure partial or full sponsorship from their home organizations, recognizing the tangible value they bring back to their workplaces throughout the program. GLI provides each Fellow’s sponsoring organization with regular progress updates to support this institutional backing, highlighting learning milestones and professional growth.

In addition to a fully accredited MBA in Arts Innovation diploma awarded on summative completion of The Global Arts MBA curriculum, as sub-components within the learning journey, Cohort Members receive a range of individual module certificates signed by curating institutions confirming mastery of a given unit’s critical concepts and learnings.

Include country code, e.g., US: +1 202 555 0123

Special Exemption for Career Artists

The Global Arts MBA recognizes that across the sector, many of the highest-level career creatives (music prodigies, professional dancers, and others) have pursued their craft from a young age and therefore may not possess a conventional academic background.

The Admissions Committee acknowledges these exceptional career experiences where relevant as serving in place of the bachelor’s degree otherwise required for admission to The Global Arts MBA.

Candidates with this profile should slect "Other" for Highest Academic Degree.