Research setting and methods

To investigate how reputation in higher education is achieved as well as the ways in which excellence is assessed and mirrored in the development of graduate programs, we examined seven internationally renowned master’s degrees offered at six different universities. Given our own academic backgrounds, our research departed with an analysis of master’s programs dealing with questions of arts management, cultural production, and cultural policy. It is important to create a relationship of trust and mutual understanding when undertaking ethnographic research, especially in interview situations.