New Graduate Program Name and Enhanced Curriculum to Prepare the Next Generation of Cultural Leaders

Goucher College has announced that the M.A. in Cultural Sustainability (M.A.C.S.) will evolve into the new M.A. in Cultural Leadership and Management (M.A.C.L.M.). The program launches in Fall 2026 and is now accepting applications. 

The M.A. in Cultural Leadership and Management prepares students for leadership roles in mission-driven organizations by combining cultural competence with management training and applied learning. Building on principles of cultural sustainability—working with communities through reciprocal relationships and ethical practice—the program develops students' capacity to lead with integrity while navigating organizational complexity. 

Features of the enhanced curriculum: 

• Streamlined to 36 credits while maintaining rigorous training, completed in as little as two years, and designed to be 15% more affordable 

• Strengthened management and organizational leadership training 

• Research methods grounded in community-based practice and ethnographic fieldwork 

• Partnership development and stakeholder engagement skills 

• Applied learning through real-world projects and practicum experiences 

• Career-focused capstone demonstrating leadership capacity 

Scholarships are available to qualified students, with an average of $6,000 per student for the duration of the program and total awards of up to $8,000. The program includes a signature summer residency in Baltimore and/or Washington, DC, where students engage with practitioners at leading cultural organizations that include the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress, and it offers an optional three-week international field course to South Asia. 

Graduates pursue leadership roles in museums, nonprofit organizations, cultural agencies, foundations, municipal cultural affairs offices, and advocacy organizations. With 87% of alumni working in related careers, typical positions include program directors, community engagement managers, cultural strategy consultants, policy advisors, and partnership coordinators. 

The Cultural Leadership and Management Program welcomed Melanie Lytle as its new director in Fall 2025. Lytle, an alumna of Goucher’s M.A. in Historic Preservation (M.A.H.P.) Program and its current director, brings nearly two decades of experience as a preservation consultant, educator, and advocate for community-centered heritage work. Under her direction, the program continues to emphasize working with communities through reciprocal relationships while strengthening management and leadership training. She has collaborated to create joint residency programming for the M.A.H.P. and the previous M.A.C.S., courses that are cross-listed between the programs, and the graduate study abroad course in South Asia. 

For more information on Goucher College’s M.A. in Cultural Leadership and Management, please visit http://www.goucher.edu/maclm.