B.S. in Dance

Incoming Dance Major Requirements

So you’re interested in becoming a dance major? Welcome! We are excited to welcome you into a program committed to preparing you for a career in dance education and performance. Here’s what every hopeful student  must know before officially declaring as a dance major: 

• Dance majors must register for dance technique courses immediately after declaring as a dance major. 
• All dance majors must complete all major courses with a grade of C or higher  
• Any student with a significant movement background (i.e. dance, gymnastics, etc.) may petition to register for an advanced movement and performance course. 
• Dance majors must also complete DANC 226 Introduction to Choreography with a grade of C or higher 

Undergraduate courses and program requirements

The Dance program offers a Bachelor of Science degree requiring 120 credits for graduation. We structure classes to be relatively small so dance faculty can work closely with each student. Our broad range of movement courses include: African Dance, Caribbean dance, ballet, jazz, hip hop, yoga, somatics, and contemporary dance. Our well rounded program engages students in dance studies, improvisation, choreographic practices, production, and opportunities to present dance work. 

To graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Dance, you must complete 120 credit hours. These credit hours split among: 

• General Education Requirements, or GERs  

• Required Theory courses  

• Core Movement Technique courses 

• Dance Performance courses 

• Professional Development and Internship courses 

 

Required Theory Courses (12 credits)

All dance majors must complete DANC 325 and an additional 9 credits from the following courses:  

COURSE	CREDITS	NAME
DANC 130	3	Dance Education
DANC 200	3	Dance as Art and Culture
DANC 325	3	Dance History-Dance Studies
DANC 327	3	Movement Analysis
DANC 328	3	Creative Process: Theory and Practice
DANC 499	1	Special Topics in Dance

 

Core Movement Techniques Courses (33 credits)

Dance majors must complete 33 dance technique credits. At least 16 credits of these credits must be completed at the 300 or 400 level. Students can petition for faculty approval to register for courses aligned with prior training or level of proficiency. 

Students may repeat these courses for credits toward graduation up to a maximum.

COURSE	CREDITS	NAME
DANC 101	2	Pilates I
DANC 102	3	Vinyasa Yoga
DANC 116	2	Cultural Rhythms I
DANC 118	2	Improvisation
DANC 119	2	Urban Contemporary Dance
DANC 120	2	Ballet Fundamentals I
DANC 121	2	Modern Dance Fundamentals
DANC 131	2	Authentic Movement
DANC 220	2	Ballet Fundamentals II
DANC 221	2	Modern Fundamentals II
DANC 226	3	Introduction to Choreography
DANC 227	3	Sacred Modern Dance I
DANC 228	3	Musical Theater and Jazz Dance
DANC 235	3	African Dance I
DANC 320	3	Intermediate Ballet I
DANC 321	3	Intermediate Modern Dance I
DANC 324	3	Tap Dance
DANC 440	3	Advance Ballet I
DANC 441	3	Advanced Modern Dance I

Dance Performance Courses (9 credits)

Any student, including majors and non-majors, taking a dance performance course must also register to take at least one dance technique course at the same time.   

All dance majors must complete the following courses to satisfy dance performance course requirements: 

• DANC 425 or DANC 426 

        and 

• 4 credits of 300-400 Dance Company courses from this list or through substitution as determined with your advisor: 

Please note: Dance performance courses can be repeated for credits towards graduation up to a maximum. 

COURSE	CREDITS	NAME
DANC 117	2	Cultural Rhythms Repertory I
DANC 122	1	Dance Company I
DANC 123	1	Dance Company II
DANC 222	1	Dance Company III
DANC 223	1	Dance Company IV
DANC 236	3	African Dance Repertory
DANC 322	1	Dance Company V
DANC 323	1	Dance Company VI
DANC 422	1	Dance Company VII
DANC 423	1	Dance Company VIII
DANC 425	3	Professional Outreach Workshop
DANC 426	3	Dance Production

 

Professional Development and Internship Courses (6 credits)

All dance majors must complete these courses: 

COURSE	CREDITS	NAME
DANC 329	3	Professional Outreach
DANC 427	3	Dance Internship

Remember! You must complete all major and prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher.

Repeat Course Policy for Dance Majors

As a dance major, you may repeat courses. You may be able to apply repeated major coursework toward graduation in accordance with our departmental policy: 

• 1 credit courses may be repeated for up to 3 credits towards graduation
• 2 credit courses may be repeated for up to 6 credits toward graduation
• 3 credit courses may be repeated for up to 9 credits toward graduation 
• University policy permits up to 9 credits of substitution

Dance majors can meet upper level course requirements by repeating the following courses in accordance with departmental policy:  

• DANC 320
• DANC 321
• DANC 322
• DANC 323
• DANC 325
• DANC 328
• DANC 329
• DANC 420
• DANC 421
• DANC 422
• DANC 423
• DANC 427
• DANC 440
• DNC 441
• DANC 499
• All core movement technique classes
• All performance courses
• All theory courses

Sample Degree Plan

Be sure to connect with your academic advisor to plan your semester courses. The plan below is just an example-your journey may have different requirements.