Arts leadership micro-credential coming to USask this summer

By Chris Putnam

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Arts and Science’s first micro-credential will teach the management and administrative skills needed by effective leaders of arts organizations.

Registration is now open for Leadership in Arts Management (June 9–July 18, 2025), a six-week online course taught by Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra CEO Mark Turner. Students who complete the course will receive an official university-level digital credential.

“When I was a young musician and I was growing up, I was told, ‘You can either perform or teach,’ and so I did both,” said Turner. “And it wasn’t until I produced my first concert that I went, ‘Oh, I know what I’m actually supposed to do.’”

Management is an important and fulfilling side of the arts world, said Turner, but students of the fine and performing arts in Canada usually aren’t given much instruction in the skills to work behind the scenes.

800×800 533
300jpg

That’s something Dr. Jennifer Lang (PhD)—interim vice-dean academic of the College of Arts and Science and a professor in the School for the Arts—wants to help change. While consulting artists on campus and in the community in the lead-up to the creation of the USask School for the Arts, Lang saw an appetite among artists of all disciplines for more training in arts management. 

“And since we have an internationally recognized CEO in our very own community in the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra who believes in supporting the skills required in others for successful arts administration, it was a perfect partnership to pursue,” said Lang.

Students of the micro-credential will learn the skills to plan artistic programming and performances, manage budgets, write grant applications, and create donor engagement strategies. Online class time is scheduled for one hour each week on Mondays at 4 pm, with other opportunities during the week for feedback and coaching from the instructor.

The organizers expect the course will appeal to current leaders and staff members in arts organizations as well as students of business or the arts who are interested in arts leadership.

Turner said the landscape of arts administration—along with the arts world itself—has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. He is excited to have discussions in class about some of the changes underway and potential future directions.

“There are some really important things coming down the pipeline in our world, in our industry, that aren’t yet part of our landscape.”

These include audience-centric programming, new ways of engaging with community members, and connections between wellness and the arts.

Lang said she hopes more College of Arts and Science departments will explore offering micro-credentials—a format that is growing in popularity with learners of all backgrounds who seek quick and flexible professional development.

“It’s an opportunity for people interested in developing their knowledge and competencies that might complement their existing skillset, or it could be an opportunity to explore an area completely unique to them, but of great interest.”

Learn more about USask micro-credentials at continuing.usask.ca.

Related Articles