Cultural Management Development
Cultural Manager (Master of Culture and Arts)
Joint Application for Finnish-taught degree programmes
From 10.3.2026 at 8:00 to 24.3.2026 at 15.00
Please note that admission to these programmes requires B1 level Finnish proficiency.
The next application round for English-taught degrees is in January 2027.
Bachelor’s Degrees (in Finnish)
Master’s Degrees (in Finnish)
Transform society through culture!
The Humak Master’s degree in Cultural Management Development is designed for professionals from various fields who want to expand their expertise in the cultural sector. The programme strengthens expertise in cultural production and offers the opportunity to combine cultural sector competence with, for example, social and health care, education, or business operations.
The degree provides qualifications to work in development, expert, and leadership positions, particularly in cultural and event production, but also in many other sectors. Upon completion, graduates receive the title Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development.
The degree corresponds to a university master’s degree and enables further studies towards a doctoral degree. All Humak Master’s degrees are completed entirely online. Webinars are held on weekdays between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. All webinars are recorded.
Who is this programme for?
Cultural or event production professionals
You work in the cultural field and want to deepen your skills in leadership, development, and foresight. The studies offer a multidisciplinary environment for research-based development in the cultural sector.
Those wanting to develop your own field through culture
Your education and work experience are from a field other than culture. Your sector needs new approaches to development. The studies offer the opportunity to combine cultural sector expertise with, for example, social and health care, education, or business operations.
Supporters of diverse target groups through culture
Your education and work experience may be from the cultural sector or another field. You want to strengthen your competence in utilizing cultural methods with diverse target groups. The studies provide tools for developing encounter and participation.
Programme content
The Cultural Management Development studies consist of advanced studies, elective studies, and a thesis. The degree comprises 60 ECTS credits, typically completed in one academic year.
The advanced studies in Cultural Management Development consist of three courses, two of which provide contemporary perspectives on the cultural sector and the third covers the fundamentals of research-based development.
- Current Phenomena in the Cultural Sector (5 ECTS)
- Future Producership (5 ECTS)
- Research-Based Development (5 ECTS)
In the elective studies, students choose three 15 ECTS modules from five options:
- Promoting Participation
- Creative Solutions
- Proactive Responsibility
- Renewing Work Communities
Additionally, you can build your own module from individual courses, also utilizing offerings from other higher education institutions.
The thesis at Humak is a research-based development assignment, primarily completed as pair work. The aim of the thesis is to solve problems arising from working life practices, reform the professional field, and produce new, reliable knowledge.
RPL process, also known as Recognition of Prior Leaning at Humak means you can substitute part of your studies with previously acquired work experience or education (RPL procedure). For Master’s degree courses, it is possible to apply RPL for competence acquired through work or leisure activities up to 10 years old or through level 7 education.
What skills will you have upon graduation?
We offer students an inspiring and motivating learning environment, so that you can develop as an expert through the Humak Master programme. The goal is that after your studies you will be able to….
Lead
You can utilize understanding of the arts and culture sector in leading companies and organizations.
Develop
You will learn to utilize diverse development methods in cultural sector development.
Anticipate
You will be able to prepare for different futures in your profession.
Engage
You can engage diverse people in arts and culture and utilize arts and culture methods in engagement.
Career opportunities
The Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development degree leads to various positions within and outside the cultural sector. Our alumni work as producers, coordinators, specialists, and in leadership positions in the public, third, and private sectors.
100 %
Of those who graduated with a Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development from Humak Master, 100% were in working life.
3800 €
The average salary of those who graduated in 2020 with a Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development from Humak Master was €3,800 and the median salary was €3,800.
95 %
Of those who graduated with a Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development from Humak Master, 95% were satisfied with the degree.
88 %
Of those who graduated with a Master of Culture and Arts, Cultural Management Development from Humak Master, 88% were satisfied with their career.
Alumni titles and career paths
Producers and Coordinators
- Cultural producer,
- Producer
- Cultural secretary
- Project or event coordinator
- Community coordinator
Leadership Positions
- Cultural director
- Head of cultural unit
- Executive director, CEO
- Leisure director
- Sales and marketing director
Development and Expertise
- Development specialist
- Planner
- positions at the interface of social and cultural sectors
Education
- Teacher
- Study counselor
- Part-time teacher
- Vice principal
Frequently asked questions
Yes, the entire degree is delivered online. Webinars are scheduled between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM to make studying alongside work possible. There are typically 2–4 webinars per course. Some courses have no webinars at all.
You can soon find course descriptions on the curriculum pages. The implementation details include the name of the responsible teacher. You can contact them for more detailed information about the specific course content.
You can check your eligibility on the StudyInfo pages. If you are unsure, you can contact Humak’s applicant services at hakijapalvelut@humak.fi.
If you have strong work experience in the subject area or equivalent master’s level studies, you can have part of your studies accredited as a degree student through the RPL procedure.
Yes. You can also become a degree student through Path studies.
More information
Degree information on StudyInfo
Read more about admission criteria and upcoming application rounds.
Want to dive deeper?
Download our digital brochure (in Finnish) and read more about the degrees!
Have questions?
Contact our Admissions services via email:
admissions(at)humak.fi
Or by phone Mon-Thu from 13 to 15:
+358 20 7621 234
Our other Master’s Degrees
Learn more about our other degrees!
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Interpreter (Master’s Degree)
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European Master in Sign Language Interpreting (EUMASLI)
Interpreter (Master’s Degree)
Online studies (in English)