Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The Dance program offers a four-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. Students have the opportunity to develop and hone dance technique that offers both experiential and theoretical dance education. A variety of dance genres and subjects are at the core of the degree, presenting students with the opportunity to study Ballet, Modern, Jazz, and Tap as well as World Dance, Choreography, Dance History, and Dance Criticism.
While emphasis is on technique and theory, performance and production opportunities, on and off campus, allow students to fully immerse themselves and experience the creative process that Dance has to offer.
The program works to enrich the overall dance education of the student instilling the importance and contributions that Dance has to offer and its place within our culture and society. Interested BA Dance students may pursue an area of emphasis in Dance Education.
The School of Theatre and Dance also offers a Dance minor for interested students.
Performance Opportunities
The School of Theatre & Dance presents a dance concert at the end of each semester that showcases student work. Participation/casting in these recitals is by audition.
The School also presents a fully produced annual dance concert, Dance Now!, in the spring semester. Featuring a blend of professional and student dancers and choreographers, Dance Now! is the School's premier dance concert for the year.
The Dance Program also participates annually in the Morgantown Dance Festival, West Virginia Dance Festival, and the American College Dance Associations' Festival.
Students may receive credit through Dance 200/300/400 for participating in these performance opportunities.
Admissions for 2025-2026
Students must meet all WVU Undergraduate Admissions entrance requirements. Prior to admission into the BA Dance program, applicants must successfully pass an audition and interview. The School of Theatre & Dance will administer auditions each semester for entrance into the program. Typically, auditions will be held in November and early spring semester in Morgantown. Additional auditions may also be scheduled. Audition information can be found on the College's website or by contacting the CCAM Office of Recruitment at (304) 293-4339.
Major Code: 3707
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 21 | |
| Dance Major Requirements | 99 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 | 19 | |
| THET 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Dance Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DANCE STUDIES | 21 | |
| Introduction to Human Anatomy | ||
| Introduction to Dance (Fulfills GEF 6) | ||
| Fundamentals of Choreography | ||
| Dance History (Fulfills Writing and Communication Skills Requirement) | ||
| Nutrition/Activity/Health | ||
| Introduction to Music | ||
or MUSC 112 | Great Composers in Performance | |
| Capstone Experience (Capstone) | ||
| PRODUCTION (one of the following): | 3 | |
| Stagecraft and Stagecraft Lab | ||
| Costuming and Costuming Lab | ||
| Fundamentals of Lighting | ||
| Theatre Makeup | ||
| DANCE TECHNIQUE (16 credits from the following): | 16 | |
| Note: The level and frequency of repeated courses shall be determined by the student's advisor and the section's instructor to ensure satisfactory progression of technique. | ||
| Fundamental Technique Courses: | ||
| Fundamentals of Dance Techniques | ||
| Fundamentals of Ballet (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Fundamentals of Jazz (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Intermediate Technique Courses: | ||
| Intermediate Ballet (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Intermediate Modern (may be repeated 3 times) | ||
| Intermediate Jazz (may be repeated 3 times) | ||
| Advanced Technique Courses: | ||
| Intermediate/Advanced Ballet (may be repeated 4 times) | ||
| Advanced Modern (may be repeated 3 times) | ||
| Advanced Jazz (may be repeated 3 times) | ||
| PRACTICUM (4 credits from the following): | 4 | |
| Dance Practicum (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Dance Practicum (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Choreography Practicum | ||
| Production Practicum (may be repeated 2 times) | ||
| Intermediate Stage Management | ||
| DANC ELECTIVES | 16 | |
| Non-DANC Electives | 12 | |
| ART Elective | 3 | |
| MUSC Elective | 3 | |
| REQUIRED MINOR (Will Fulfill GEF 8) | 15 | |
| WORLD LANGUAGES | 6 | |
| Elementary French 1 (Fulfills GEF 7) | ||
| Elementary French 2 | ||
| Skills Assessment | ||
| Total Hours | 99 | |
Skills Assessment
Each student dance major shall successfully complete a skills assessment/review at the end of each semester of their sophomore, junior, and senior years. These reviews serve to monitor and record the student's progress toward the completion of the degree. The reviews will be administered by the Director of Dance and shall include feedback from the entire dance faculty. At the discretion of the Director of Dance, students who do not successfully pass the skills assessment/review will be either put on probationary status or removed from the program.
MINOR REQUIREMENT
Students are also required to complete a minor (fifteen credit hours) for the degree. Please see the following link for a full list of minors. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors prior to declaring a minor. (Students who complete a second major or dual degree are not required to complete a minor.)
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| THET 191 | 2 | DANC 210S | 2 |
| DANC 170 (GEF 6) | 3 | DANC 220S | 2 |
| DANC 110S | 2 | FRCH 102 | 3 |
| GEF 3 | 3 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| MUSC 111 or 112 | 3 | Minor course | 3 |
| FRCH 101 (GEF 7) | 3 | Production Course | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| DANC 230S | 2 | PALM 205 | 3 |
| DANC 260S | 3 | DANC 200 | 1 |
| Dance Technique course | 2 | MUSC elective | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | DANC Elective | 2 |
| ART elective | 3 | GEF 2B Science | 4 |
| Minor course | 3 | ||
| 13 | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| HN&F 200 | 3 | DANC 370 | 3 |
| Dance Technique courses | 4 | DANC 300 | 1 |
| DANC Elective | 3 | DANC Elective | 2 |
| Minor course | 3 | Non-DANC Electives | 6 |
| GEF 4 | 3 | Minor Course | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| DANC 310S | 2 | THET 401 | 3 |
| DANC 400 | 2 | Non-DANC Elective | 3 |
| Minor Course | 3 | Non-DANC Elective | 3 |
| DANC Electives | 4 | DANC Elective | 3 |
| GEF 5 | 3 | DANC Elective | 2 |
| 14 | 14 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Dance Education Area of Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum grade of C- is required in all coursework applied to the Area of Emphasis. | ||
| C&I 365 | Dance and Movement in PK-12 Schools | 2 |
| EDUC 408 | Art Integration in the Elementary Classroom | 3 |
| EDP 301 | Learning in PreK-Adult Educational Settings | 3 |
| SPED 404 | Special Education in Contemporary Society | 3 |
| DANC 492 | Directed Study | 3 |
| or C&I 490 | Teaching Practicum | |
| Total Hours | 14 | |
Major Learning Outcomes
Dance
Upon competition of the BA in Dance, students will be able to:
- Identify and work conceptually with the elements of dance in a variety of dance genres
- Understand the choreographic processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural ideas and contexts
- Appreciate a wide selection of dance repertory, the principal eras, genres, and cultural sources
- Develop and defend critical evaluations
- Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of the body and of kinesiology as applicable to work in dance
- Show an understanding of procedures for realizing a variety of dance styles
- Perform basic through advanced dance techniques within the student’s area of interest
- Exhibit knowledge and/or skills in one or more areas of dance beyond basic coursework and performance appropriate to the individual’s needs and interests, and be consistent with the goals and objectives of the specific liberal arts degree program being followed
- Understand the place of dance as an art form and educational tool within a social context, globally and on the national level