RESOURCES & TOOLS: Online Courses for Cultural Managers
A special selection of 20 online courses for arts managers and creatives at all levels
Online learning platforms are a valuable ally for lifelong learning and they also offer many opportunities for cultural managers. Are you a senior manager looking for inspiration or innovative solutions for your organisation? A creative who wants to develop management or education skills? An arts management student seeking for a wider understanding of the field? Check this special selection* of 20 online courses in areas such as “strategy & fundraising”, “cultural heritage”, “cultural diplomacy”, “engagement” and more. And good news: almost all of them are available for free!
Here you will find the direct links to courses and a short description with basic information about their estimated duration { } and their fees $ if any. All the courses are held in English, but a few of them have transcripted videos in Spanish, Portuguese or other languages.
Stay curious, keep learning!
Strategy & Fundraising
1. Culture & Creativity — Online Courses for Cultural Managers
https://www.culturepartnership.eu/en/publishing/online-learning
The Culture and Creativity website was created in 2015 within the framework of an EU Programme aiming to promote cultural contribution to the social and economic development of Eastern European countries. Since then, the website has become a popular and useful resource for professionals of the cultural and creative industries. In their website they offer a dozen of short courses, divided in lectures, in which international cultural experts share their experience. Among the topics, there is “Project management in Culture”, “Cultural Strategy”, “ Strategic Planning”, “Crossovers & Fundraising”, and more.
{ }: In average 30 minutes
$: For free
2. The Cycle: Management of Successful Arts and Cultural Organizations
https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-cycle
“The Cycle” is a management theory created by the arts manager Michael Kaiser (Chairman of DeVos Institute, former director of John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and author of “The Art of the Turnaround”) which supports thriving arts and cultural organizations. The course is offered by the DeVos Institute and the University of Maryland and led by Kaiser and Brett Egan. The Cycle explains how great art and strong marketing can create a family of supporters, who in turn help the organization to produce the revenue required to support even more great art the next year.
{ }: 11h
$: Free access do lectures and texts / Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
3. Arts & Culture Strategy
https://www.coursera.org/learn/arts-culture-strategy
Offered by the University of Pennsylvania and National Arts Strategies, the course is designed to help leaders at any level to succeed at their tough but rewarding task: creating and leading sustainable organizations that deliver real social value.
{ }: 15h
$: Free access do lectures and texts/ Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
4. Effective Fundraising and Leadership in Arts and Culture
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/fundraising-arts-culture
Developed by the University of Leeds and promoted by Cause4 and Arts and Marketing Association, this course focus on the importance of developing organisational resilience through effective leadership and management, and on how to diversify income streams by becoming more entrepreneurial. You will have access to different leadership styles and content on change management and entrepreneurship.
{ }: 8h
$: Free access for 4 weeks/ Unlimited access to course, tests, and certificate cost €89
5. Arts and Heritage Management
https://www.coursera.org/learn/arts-heritage
Offered by the University Luigi Bocconi, the course has been conceptualized to address the need for skills and techniques to help professionals and managers in running art and cultural institutions. The course is divided into six sections. Five sections are dedicated to specific aspects and themes of managing cultural institutions, while the sixth section is dedicated to individual interviews of prominent cultural institution managers on specific topics
{ }: 13h
$: Free access do lectures and texts/ Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
6. Strategic Planning for Public Libraries
https://www.edx.org/course/strategic-planning-for-public-libraries
Offered by the University of Michigan, this course is part of the Public Library Management Professional Certificate program. You will earn how to develop, implement, and adopt a strategic plan to fit the needs of a variety of library types.
{ }: 12h
$: Free access to lectures and texts / Participation with certificate costs $49 USD (The whole Public Library Management Programme costs $352,80 USD)
Innovation & Digital Transformation
7. Leading Innovation in Arts and Culture
https://www.coursera.org/learn/arts-culture-innovation
Developed by David Owens at Vanderbilt University and customized for the cultural sector with National Arts Strategies, this course is designed to help arts and culture leaders create an environment where new ideas are constantly created, shared, evaluated and the best ones are successfully put to work.
{ }: 27h
$: Free access do lectures and texts / Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
8. Culture in the Digital Age
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/culture-in-digital-age
How has the cultural sector been affected by technology? Has tech created new opportunities? This course developed by the European University Institute explores how digital technology creates new opportunities in international cultural relations. You will learn about new trends in the cultural economy, regulatory challenges, and emerging threats. You will also be introduced to tools to build a digital strategy in order to reach an international audience and establish global networks.
{ }: 9h
$: Free access for 5 weeks/ Unlimited access to the course and certificate cost €49
Cultural Heritage
9. Exploring Culture and Heritage
https://www.futurelearn.com/programs/cultureandheritage
The European University Institute (EUI) developed this program with three non-sequential courses: Culture and Identities in Europe; Cultural Diversity and the City and; and Cultural Heritage and the City. The courses are flexible and explore practices, at local, national and transnational level. You will also work on case studies to illustrate how culture and cultural diversity can offer innovative solutions to many challenges.
{ }: 9 weeks (whole programme)
$: Free access do lectures and texts / Unlimited access with certificate costs €147 (per course)
10. Cultural Heritage in Transformation
https://www.edx.org/course/cultural-heritage-in-transformation
Developed by RWTH Aachen University, this course addresses these themes by providing participants with the skills to define, explore, conserve, utilize and manage cultural heritage. Through case studies drawn from the City of Aachen and beyond, you will explore examples at a range of spatial scales; from landscape and city scale to individual buildings and artifacts.
{ }: 30h
$: Free access do lectures and texts / Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
Creative Industries
11. Cultural and creative industries
https://www.coursera.org/learn/cultural-creative-industries
Developed by the National Research University Higher School of Economics, this course aims to trace the development of the Cultural and Creative Industries as an idea and as a concept and to identify the key points of changes within it in relations with contemporary digital connected world.
{ }: 13h
$: Free access do lectures and texts/ Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
12. Inside Opera: Why does it matter?
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/inside-opera
How does opera work? How has it changed over 400 years? And most importantly, is opera relevant today? The course, developed by Kings College London, Royal Opera House and V&A Museum, is for anyone interested in opera and how it works musically and theatrically, whether or not you’ve experienced opera before.
{ }: 8h
$: Free access
13. The Business of Film
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/business-of-film
Explore the intriguing world of film production and find out about the complexities of development, distribution, and finance in this course created by The Open University and Pinewood Studios — the leading provider of studio services to the global screen-based industries. Using the value chain concept and independent film case studies, it provides a practical, in-depth exploration of key business decisions.
{ }: 18h
$: Free access for 8 weeks/ Unlimited access to the course and certificate cost €64
14. Inside the Music & Video Tech Industry
https://www.kadenze.com/courses/inside-the-music-video-tech-industry/info
Learn how the music and video technology industry operates behind the scenes, and get career advice directly from industry professionals. In six 50-minute video sessions, meet over fifteen mentors who share their experiences of working at Pandora, LANDR, Sonos, Native Instruments, and more. Access to exclusive product case studies and engage renowned music tech industry experts and entrepreneurs in online AMA’s and one-on-one office hours.
{ }: 36h
$: Free access/ Certificate available for Kadenze members ($20 USD/month)
15. Introducing Entrepreneurship for Musicians
https://www.kadenze.com/courses/introducing-entrepreneurship-for-musicians-v/info
This course will explore the distinct mindset and essential knowledge base vital to the establishment and success of any music-related entrepreneurial endeavor. This course is composed of select modules from MMI 530 Entrepreneurship for Musicians, a popular course at the Frost School of Music.
{ }: 36h
$: Free access/ Certificate available for Kadenze members ($20 USD/month)
Cultural Diplomacy
16. Cultural Diplomacy
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/cultural-diplomacy
What does cultural diplomacy mean? How does it work in practice? What effect does it have in today’s world? In this course, developed by the European University Institute, you will consider the role of state actors and international organisations as well as that of non-state actors (including types of cultural and educational institutions).
{ }: 9h
$: Free access
17. E-Learning Programs in Cultural Diplomacy
http://www.ccds-berlin.de/index.php?en_e-learning_dates-tuition-application-procedure
The Center for Cultural Diplomacy Studies (CCDS) is the world’s leading institute for the study of Cultural Diplomacy. They offer different categories of education programs on Cultural Diplomacy among them there are e-learning courses on topics such as International Relations & Cultural Diplomacy; Global Governance & Cultural Diplomacy; Cultural Diplomacy, Sustainable Development & the Global Markets; and more.
{ }: 8 weeks
$: 1200 euros/ Selection process
Engagement & Outreach
18. Contemporary Museum Education
https://www.kadenze.com/courses/contemporary-museum-education/info
This course provides a theoretical and practical understanding of the growing field of contemporary museum education. Developed by Pratt Institute, it includes an examination of the changes occurring in art and design educational paradigms within the museum world, the evolving nature of museums as institutions with educational missions, along with learning and interpretive theories unique to the museum context.
{ }: 50h
$: Free access/ Certificate available for Kadenze members ($20 USD/month)
19. Art and Activity: Interactive Strategies for Teaching with Art
https://www.coursera.org/learn/art-activity
Developed by Museum of Modern Art of New York (MoMA) and intended for primary and secondary teachers of all disciplines, this course can be a good inspiration for art institutions that want to expand their educational programs using digital strategies. The course builds upon the inquiry-based approaches of Art and Inquiry: Museum Teaching Strategies for Your Classroom, while delving into activity-based strategies that can turn students into empowered participants.
{ }: 9h
$: Free access do lectures and texts / Participation with certificate costs $49 USD
20. Teaching Artists, Audiences and Communities
https://www.kadenze.com/courses/teaching-artists-audiences-and-communities/info
The course features case studies from the work of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (Queensland, Australia) and introduces different approaches and knowledge required to work with multiple and diverse contexts and communities. Areas covered include building projects and activities to deepen engagement with works of art, commissioning new work, understanding the transferability of teaching artist skill sets, connections with audiences and communities and an examination of collaboration and co-creation.
{ }: 40h
$: Free access/ Certificate available for Kadenze members ($20 USD/month)
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*This is an exclusive selection prepared with the sole intention to share free and useful information for the arts and cultural community. Feel free to copy, use, share, and edit this list. Credits are appreciated.
Use the comments to share suggestions for other courses or your evaluation about a course you have taken.
