The Ekaterinburg Academy of Contemporary Art offers academic programs in visual and performing arts, as well as in the fields of arts management, cultural marketing and communication. Being currently the only institution of higher learning in the Ural region that is funded by a municipality through local taxes, the Academy seeks to contribute to the development of the local community, in which it is situated. Recent decades have witnessed the growing role of non-material, symbolic capitals in the development of the territories. A former stronghold of the Soviet military-industrial complex, Ekaterinburg is now turning into the center of creative economies, including architecture, art, crafts, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing and advertising. The Ekaterinburg Academy of Contemporary Art contributes to this process by training highly skilled administrators and entrepreneurs who can work effectively in public, private and non-profit sectors, thus boosting cultural and creative industries in Ekaterinburg and the Ural region.

The curriculum is constructed around core competences that emphasize flexibility and interdisciplinarity. The students are given a combination of economic competencies, managerial skills and artistic know-how. Training is highly practical, due to the ongoing system of mandatory internships at various cultural institutions in Ekaterinburg: museums, galleries, theater and dance companies, arts education centers and non-profit organizations.