Leadership and Artistic Direction in Music, Master's Degree
Lead artistic projects. Shape creative futures. Develop your professional practice through leadership, innovation and research.
Studies
Lead artistic projects. Shape creative futures. From wherever you are.
Leadership and Artistic Direction in Music (LEAD) is an international master’s degree for experienced music and creative industry professionals who want to expand their expertise in artistic leadership, project development and practice-based research. The programme is primarily delivered online, so you can study from your home country and develop your project in your own professional environment. You do not need to move to Finland.
Study online – Meet in Helsinki
Studies are carried out online through lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, peer learning and individual supervision. The programme includes an intensive period of 2–3 days at Metropolia’s Arabia Campus in Helsinki in the autumn [and an optional one in the spring]. The intensive periods are for what works best face to face: workshops, presentations, peer feedback, leadership development and international networking.
Your Project. Your Practice. Your Development.
You develop your own artistic or creative project throughout the studies. It becomes the practical context for your professional development and the foundation of your 30 ECTS Master’s thesis.
You do not need a finished project when you apply, but you should have an artistic perspective and a clear motivation to develop your practice. Metropolia provides the framework, expertise, mentoring and supervision, including individual online guidance. The programme does not provide a ready-made production environment: you realise the project in your own context.
Projects may include concert productions, music productions, compositions, recording and sound projects, community and participatory arts, interdisciplinary productions and development projects in the creative industries.
Who is this for?
Musicians, composers, producers, recording and music technology professionals, conductors, artistic directors, music educators and creative producers. Professionals in management or cultural organisations are also welcome when they have an artistic perspective or a real opportunity to lead a creative production.
To apply you need a relevant bachelor’s degree or equivalent, and at least two years of relevant work experience after graduation.
What You Will Learn
Artistic leadership and creative process management; creative project design and implementation; practice-based and development-oriented research; multidisciplinary collaboration; reflection, evaluation and documentation. Leadership means the ability to initiate, facilitate and guide creative processes, and you develop your own leadership identity.
Study structure (60 ECTS)
- Academic and Digital Skills, 2 ECTS
- Artistic Research and Developmental Skills, 3 ECTS
- Creative Practice and Project Planning, 6 ECTS
- Creative Practice Development and Leadership, 6 ECTS
- Project Implementation, 4 ECTS
- Artistic Research Reporting and Thesis Seminar, 4 ECTS
- Master’s Thesis, 30 ECTS
- Elective studies, 5 ECTS (Master´s level studies at Metropolia or other Finnish universities, agreed in your personal study plan)
A link to the curriculum will be added to this webpage later in 2026.
What you need for online study?
The programme follows a Bring Your Own Laptop (BYOL) principle. Students are expected to use their own laptops throughout the studies to support flexible working, digital collaboration and project-based learning. You also need a stable internet connection, a headset or a microphone and a camera connected to your laptop.
Live online teaching is held on Mondays between 15.00 and 18.00 Finnish time, and the sessions are recorded.
The live online teaching time in Finnish winter time (EET or UTC/GMT+2) corresponds to the following times:
Los Angeles 5.00-8.00 am
New York 8.00-11.00 am
Lisbon 1.00-4.00 pm
Brussels 2.00-5.00 pm
Ankara 4.00-7.00 pm
India 6.30-9.30 pm
Indonesia (Jakarta) 8.00-11.00 pm
Hong Kong / Beijing / Manila 9.00-12.00 pm
Japan (Tokyo) 10.00 pm (Monday) - 01.00 am (Tuesday)
In the autumn and at the end of the spring Finland uses summer time (EEST or UTC/GMT+3). Then the sessions start one hour earlier in India, Indonesia, Hong Kong / Beijing, Manila and Japan, for example 5.30-8.30 pm in India. In Lisbon and Brussels the online teaching time stays the same as in winter, because they also change to summer time. Turkey uses UTC+3 all year round, so in Ankara the sessions are at the same time as in Finland (3.00-6.00 pm) during Finnish summer time. In New York and Los Angeles the time is usually the same, but it can differ by an hour for a few weeks when Europe and the USA change their clocks on different dates.
Career opportunities
Graduates are prepared for advanced professional and leadership roles across music, arts and creative industries.
Possible career paths include
- Artistic Director
- Music Director
- Creative Producer
- Project Manager
- Ensemble Leader
- Conductor
- Composer and Creative Artist
- Music Entrepreneur
- Cultural Manager
- Development Specialist in Arts and Culture
- Higher Education and Professional Training Specialist
The programme provides a strong foundation for research-informed development work within creative organisations and institutions. The degree also gives eligibility to apply for doctoral studies at other universities.
Why Metropolia and Finland?
Finland is known for high-quality education and a vibrant creative sector. At Metropolia you join an international community of professionals from different countries and artistic backgrounds, with strong links to working life and a student-centred learning culture. If you want, you can also live in Finland during your studies and build your project in the Helsinki music and cultural scene.
Scholarships and tuition fees
Annual tuition fee 12 500 € for new non-EU/EEA degree students.
Questions about the programme?
Master's programmes at Metropolia - Subscribe to our newsletter
You will receive information 1–3 times a year about our Master's degree programmes, application schedules, and studying with us.
Applying
- Application period-Start of studiesautumn 2027
- Culture
Instructions for applying
In the spring 2027 Joint Application 1 to higher education, you can apply to degree programmes that start in the autumn of 2027. The application period starts on the 7 January 2027 at 8 am and ends on the 21 January 2027 at 3 pm (local time in Finland).
All the information needed to apply can be found on the national Studyinfo.fi portal. At Studyinfo.fi you can find descriptions of degree programmes, application criteria, application instructions, application forms and much more.
Application fee
Applicants who are not citizens of the EU, EEA or Switzerland are required to pay an application fee in order to apply to higher education studies. The application fee of 100 euros is collected for applicants from countries outside EU/EEA seeking education leading to a degree in higher education. The Finnish National Agency of Education will collect the application fee in connection with filling in the Studyinfo application form. There is no application fee for Finnish or EU citizens.
The application fee does not guarantee that you will be offered admission to studies. The application fee is not refunded if you cancel your application or are not offered admission.
More about application fee in Studyinfo.fi.
Questions about application fees? Contact applicationfee [at] oph.fi (applicationfee[at]oph[dot]fi)The One Study Right Rule
The One Study Right Rule refers to legislative amendments entered into force on 1 August 2026. Under these amendments, a student’s study rights at the same or lower level will be terminated if they accept a new study right leading to a degree. The rule applies only to study rights at Finnish higher education institutions.
In order to be considered for the student selection, you must fill in the joint application form at Studyinfo.fi during the application period 7 January - 21 January 2027. The pre-assignment must be submitted as an attachment to the electronic joint application form during the application period, by 21 January 2027 3:00 p.m. the latest (local time in Finland).
Pre-assignments for spring 2027 Joint Application 1 will be published by the beginning of the application period.In order to be considered for student selection, you must pass the degree programme's own entrance examination as described in Studyinfo.fi. Entrance exam invitations are sent approximately one week before the entrance exam by email to the email address provided by the applicant on the application form.
Useful links
More information on the application process
Tel. +358 9 7424 5902, Mon-Wed 10 am – 12 pm
You may also be interested
Starting studies
First, read guidelines common to all Metropolia degree students and then degree specific instruction below.
How to start studies in Leadership and Artistic Direction in Music?
Welcome to study Leadership and Artistic Direction in Music at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
The programme begins with an orientation period introducing students to the curriculum, learning environment, study practices and professional community.
Participation in orientation is an essential part of starting the studies.
Orientation
During orientation, students will become familiar with:
- Curriculum and programme structure
- Progression of studies
- Learning environments and digital platforms
- Personal study planning
- Recognition of prior learning (RPL)
- Student support services
- Networking and community building
Students will also meet programme staff and fellow students.
Study Guidance and Planning
Studying at Master’s level requires goal-oriented planning and active engagement.
Students receive support from programme staff and teacher tutors throughout their studies. Individual study planning and professional development are integrated into the programme from the beginning.
Timetable
Detailed schedules and course-specific information will be provided before the beginning of studies.
Summer Assignment
Before the studies begin, students are encouraged to identify a potential development challenge, artistic project or professional area of interest that could serve as the basis for their Master’s thesis.
Students prepare a brief concept paper describing:
- A possible project idea
- Professional relevance
- Development needs or challenges
- Potential research perspective
- Initial thoughts about implementation
The purpose of the assignment is to support a smooth start to both the artistic project and the thesis process.
Contact Information
Jukka Väisänen
+358 40 3340351
Head of Degree Programme
jukka.vaisanen [at] metropolia.fi (jukka[dot]vaisanen[at]metropolia[dot]fi)
Susanna Mesiä
Senior Lecturer
susanna.mesia [at] metropolia.fi (susanna[dot]mesia[at]metropolia[dot]fi)