Live your passion for art!
The international master Managing Art & Cultural Heritage in Global Markets (MAGMa) trains a new generation of professionals able to meet the challenges of a sector undergoing rapid change and strong growth on a global scale.
Designed as a resolutely international and engaged program, MAGMa offers a cross-disciplinary approach to art and heritage: it links contemporary creation with the preservation of historical works, while questioning the dominant narratives of the art world and the complex legacies of controversial collections and sites. This critical and global perspective comes with hands-on training delivered by a prestigious consortium of European institutions.
Through a one-of-a-kind track, students benefit from mobility among four major cultural cities – Lisbon, Paris, Glasgow, and Rotterdam – and from learning at the heart of the realities of the art market and heritage management on an international scale.
Program Highlights:
- Up to 2 semesters in Paris, the cultural capital par excellence
- Numerous visits and meetings with professionals in the sector
- Meet students, professors, and professionals from around the world
83%
of students would recommend that a student pursue their studies at IESA
Toluna - Harris Interactive Survey - February 2025
Key Information
| Program | Managing Art & Cultural Heritage in Global Markets (MAGMa) - Erasmus Mundus |
|---|---|
| Duration | 2 years |
| Admission | Via the University of Glasgow |
| Schedule | 4 semesters - 4 universities (IESA, Glasgow, Rotterdam, Lisboa) |
| Certification | RNCP title no. 42851 - level 6 "Cultural Project Production Manager" |
| Fees | Applicants who receive an Erasmus Mundus scholarship will not need to pay a deposit or scholarship fees. |
This collaborative two-year program combines theory and practice, allowing a better understanding of the social, economic, legal, and cultural issues affecting the art and cultural heritage sectors, through first-hand experience in settings as diverse as museums, heritage sites, auction houses, dealers, and foundations.
The international master’s Managing Art and Cultural Heritage in Global Markets offers a unique opportunity to study at four European universities over two years and obtain a multiple master’s degree, recognized by the European Commission as an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree (EMJM).
The teaching approach of the international master’s Managing Art and Cultural Heritage in Global Markets rests on a close combination of theoretical input and research, professional simulation, and fieldwork immersion, so that students acquire both the fundamental knowledge and the practical know-how essential for their future entry into heritage and art market professions.
Taught by experts in the main aspects of collection history, the art market, art and heritage law, and cultural heritage management and economics, the courses are intended for students who wish to pursue careers such as managers, teachers, curators, or marketing consultants in museums, historic sites, or private foundations; executives in cultural tourism; NGO or government executives in the field of heritage; project managers for international organizations such as UNESCO; exhibition designers; managers of auction houses, museum services, or private client services in auction houses or art consulting firms.
Year 1
- Semester 1: Lisbon (ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa/Universidade de Lisboa, Faculty of Humanities)
- Semester 2: Paris (IESA arts&culture)
Year 2
- Semester 1: Rotterdam (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
- Semester 2: Glasgow (University of Glasgow), Paris, Lisbon, or Rotterdam
The Master lasts 2 years.
- Number of in-class teaching hours and exams in semester 2 spent at IESA: 359 hrs
For students returning to IESA in semester 4, classes are organized as workshops and coaching for their exhibition project:
- Leading a project team: 2 days
- Cultural entrepreneurship: 3 days
- Cultural mediation: 3 days
- Digital marketing and e-commerce: 3 days
- Project coaching: 5 hours per student
Current-year schedule: the number of hours may vary slightly from year to year.
Career Opportunities
- Production Manager/Director
- Mediation Manager/Director
- Cultural Project Manager
- Sponsorship Manager
- Audience Development Officer
- Cultural Mediator
- Deputy for Culture
- Cultural Project Manager
- Artistic Director
1st year
1st semester
Universidade de Lisboa, Faculty of Humanities/ISCTE Instituto Universitário de Lisboa
Arts Management and Markets:
- Art Markets: Structure and Dynamics
- Cultural Entrepreneurship
- Fundamentals of Accounting and Finance
- Online - University of Glasgow: Art and Cultural Heritage in a Globalized World.
2nd semester
IESA arts&culture
- Choose one: Art Markets and Cultural Heritage or Cultural Heritage of the Future
- History of Collections and Heritage, Art Law, Digitization of the Art World
- Innovation, Culture and Industry and Project Methodology
- Online - University of Glasgow: Interdisciplinary Methodologies in Art and Cultural Heritage
During the summer: Summer school in Glasgow (optional)
2nd year
3rd semester
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Two study tracks: Heritage Economics or Tourism and Heritage, including:
- Perspective and Research in Cultural Economics
- Workshop
- Social Sciences
- Cultural Economics
- Perspective and Research
- Workshop
- Social Sciences: Cultural Heritage Economics or Cultural Tourism Economics
- Online - University of Glasgow: Provenance and Restitution.
4th semester
Glasgow, Paris, Lisbon, or Rotterdam
Independent Study, Thesis
Elective courses:
A wide range of elective courses is offered by each of the partners in Lisbon, Paris, and Rotterdam. These include the fundamentals of management, marketing in art markets, fundraising for the arts, financial investments in artworks, contemporary art history (1945 - today), corporate social responsibility and cultural management, critical heritage studies, media tourism, cultural sociology of tourism, and assessing the impact of culture and creativity on society.
Certification
This bachelor prepares students for the level 6 RNCP title:
"Cultural Project Production Manager"
| Employment rate | 75% at 6 months of graduates, including 50% in the targeted professions (class of 2024). Latest France Compétences rate – RNCP title 42851. |
|---|---|
| Certification rate | 82.4%, class of 2025. |
| RNCP Code | RNCP42851. |
Professional certification Cultural Project Production Manager from ECAD Consultants – IESA arts&culture, level 6, NSF codes 323 and 323s, registered with the RNCP under number 42851 by decision of the Director General of France Compétences dated 09/30/2026 for a period of 5 years. Learners enrolled under the previous title (RNCP39603) may be certified until 10/01/2030.
International Focus
The program, like IESA itself, is strongly international in focus, thanks to:
- A faculty that includes international speakers or speakers of foreign origin who bring their knowledge of international best practices
- Professional English courses and programs taught 100% in English, including the MAGMa program
- Whatever the program, the possibility of taking a semester of study at one of IESA’s partner universities or doing internships abroad to develop expertise or knowledge of a specific market (this does not apply to the MAGMa program)
- The presence of 20% international students at the school, fostering intercultural exchange and dialogue
How to Join the Program?
Prerequisites:
- Hold an IELTS score of 7, a level 6 certification (Bac+3), or an equivalent degree (foreign degree, etc.), or have earned 180 ECTS credits in the targeted or a related field (culture, art, project management, communication, marketing, events, etc.).
Students register online through the University of Glasgow.
For more information on admission requirements and application documents, click here.
Admission is based on the submission of an application file and an interview with the admissions committee.
To apply for a postgraduate degree, you must register online with the University of Glasgow and submit supporting documents: click here.
If you are applying for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, you must make sure your application is submitted before January.
Contact:
Program Cost
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship
Applicants who receive an Erasmus Mundus scholarship will not need to pay a deposit or scholarship fees.