Overview

Our innovative Dance BA curriculum integrates multiple disciplines and somatic practices, creating a learning environment that prioritizes a balance of body and mind knowledge with informed, creative expression. You’ll take courses in dance history, choreography, improvisation and performance, as well as a range of electives in areas such as music, theatre and film.

We emphasize the development of critical thinking and communication skills, as well as opportunities for community engagement and professional development. Many of our BA students pursue dance along with a second major, which gives you an opportunity to tailor your education to your interests and goals. No matter what you choose to do, you’ll be prepared for a wide range of careers, as well as graduate study in dance or related fields.

Special workshops and residencies are also scheduled throughout the academic year to provide opportunities for you to train with well-known guest artists and choreographers. Included in these residencies are performances and technique and repertory classes. Recent guest artists have included Jackie Lopez, Katy Pyle, Vershawn Ward, Melanie George, Kia Smith, Parijat Desai, Alfonso Cervera, Aysha Upchurch and Joe Goode.

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Faculty and Staff

Our inspirational faculty and staff make sure students feel welcome and empowered to think outside the box and explore all possibilities of making art at UWM. Visit the Peck School of the Arts directory to meet these artists, explore their biographies and engage with recent work.

Scholarships and Aid 

Financial constraints shouldn’t hinder your artistic dreams. Our comprehensive range of scholarships and aid programs is designed to empower and support artists like you.

Study Abroad

We believe that a complete education in the arts should take you beyond the classroom and the local community. By studying abroad, you’ll gain more than a change of scenery. You’ll embark on a transformative educational experience and bring a global perspective to your field of study. Explore upcoming trips offered in partnership with the Center for International Education.

Requirements 

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate applicants must meet general University admission requirements in addition to specific program requirements found on the Peck School of the Arts apply page.

Undergraduate Advising

Academic advising is a collaborative process that empowers students to realize their maximum educational potential. Students are encouraged to visit the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page to meet with your advisor prior to each semester’s registration period. Advisors provide students with individualized appointments to assist with degree requirements, course selection, campus resources, college success strategies, graduation assessment, academic policies and more.

Laptop Requirement

Preparing for a future defined by digital technology is an important step in developing artists. Our digitally integrated curriculum helps you achieve a professional level with leading art-related software and practices.

Laptop ownership is strongly recommended for all students. However, it’s required for most majors. For more information, please visit the Peck School of the Arts admission page.

Advance to Major and Retention

Each undergraduate dance major's coursework will be reviewed at the end of their sophomore year to determine continuance in the major, as part of the mid-program portfolio review. Students must maintain a 3.0+ GPA in the dance major.

All students are expected to demonstrate a strong commitment to their health and overall conditioning to fulfill the department's academic requirements. Each student's ability to undertake the demands of the dance program, including their overall physical ability to perform in classes, auditions, rehearsals, and/or performances, will be a factor in the following: grading at the end of each semester; the audition/rehearsal/performance process for department productions and outreach events; the mid-program portfolio review; determining "probation" status; and potentially removing a student from the program.

Credits and Courses

University Core

The minimum number of credits required to complete the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Fine Arts is 120. Students who need background preparation courses in math, English, foreign language, and chemistry may need additional credits.

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 Learn more about the General Education Requirements.

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 Credits may be utilized in required curriculum areas.

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Chosen from three of the following departments in PSOA: Art & Design, Fine Arts, Theatre, or Film, Video, Animation, and New Genres.

Please note: For all Dance majors and minors, dance courses with a grade C- or below will not be counted toward any departmental degree.

Dance Foundations Curriculum

Students in both the BFA and BA dance degree programs must complete the following Dance Foundations curriculum in their freshman year:

Major Requirements

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3 credits if GER-CD is desired for DANCE 122.

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Coursework involved in MPPR guidelines.

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Any dancer cast in faculty or guest artist choreography must be enrolled in DANCE 425, or at least 1 UWM Department of Dance technique class that meets at least 2 or 3 times per week during the rehearsal semester.

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Dance 490 is taken as part of the Freshman Curriculum. 

Recommended BA Course Electives

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 Any dancer cast in faculty or guest artist choreography must be enrolled in DANCE 425, or at least 1 UWM Department of Dance technique class that meets at least 2 or 3 times per week during the rehearsal semester.

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Per departmental policy, any time a student is cast in a faculty or guest artist work and is enrolled for less than 18 credits, they must enroll in DANCE 490 for 1 credit during the appropriate semester.

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Any student cast in a student work must be enrolled in at least 1 UWM Department of Dance technique class that meets at least 2 times per week during the rehearsal semester.

Sample Plan of Study

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Any dancer cast in faculty or guest artist choreography must be enrolled in DANCE 425, or at least 1 UWM Department of Dance technique class that meets at least 2 or 3 times per week during the rehearsal semester.

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Per departmental policy, any time a student is cast in a faculty or guest artist work and is enrolled for less than 18 credits, they must enroll in DANCE 490 for 1 credit during the appropriate semester.

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Coursework involved in MPPR guidelines.

Dance, BA Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with the BA in Dance will be able to: 

• Demonstrate efficient body organization, effective body and spatial awareness, and physical understanding of movement patterns within their individual dance practice. 
• Apply, articulate, and embody the social, cultural, and historical contexts expressed within diverse dance forms. 
• Demonstrate and explain the musical components of diverse dance forms finding the intersections between music and dance. 
• Utilize and integrate somatic movement practices into their dance training, teaching, and creative process.
• Develop choreographic skills through ongoing composition practices that utilize collaborative processes leading to self-expression, performance, and community building.
• Create choreographic works through individualized research that engage social, cultural, and/or artistic contexts.
• Demonstrate critical thinking by interpreting and analyzing dance through effective communication.
• Articulate the ways dance impacts and is influenced by diverse ways of knowing self and culture.

Policies and Regulations

Academic Regulations

For information on University-wide Academic Action Policy and honors for scholarship, see Academic Policies.

Auditing Courses

No studio or performance courses may be audited. 

Declaration of Submajor

In most instances, after two years of basic preparatory courses in the major, students choose an area of specialization within their respective departments, known as a submajor. Students must declare a submajor after they have accumulated 45 to 75 credits to assure completion of the appropriate curriculum requirements for graduation.

Grievance and Appeal Procedures

If you have concerns about a class or a grade, or if you’ve been dropped from a program and would like to appeal, follow the grievance procedures found under the resources section on the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page.

Independent Study

Under special conditions, juniors and seniors are permitted to take courses in independent study. For regulations on independent study, see the departmental advisor.

Program Changes

All program changes must be signed by the instructor and the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services. Certain other courses may also require this approval indicated in the semester's Schedule of Classes.

Second Bachelor's Degree Candidates

Students with good scholastic records who wish to earn a second bachelor's degree in the Peck School of the Arts must obtain the recommendation of the Peck School of the Arts department in which they wish to major before they can be accepted. Upon acceptance, students must earn in residence a minimum of 30 credits beyond the studies for the first degree and must satisfy all curriculum requirements.

Semester Credit Load

A full-time Peck School of the Arts student is one who takes a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Typically, Peck School of the Arts students are not permitted to carry more than 18 credits per semester. Students who have a 3.0+ cumulative GPA may, with the permission of the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services, carry up to 21 credits per semester.

Transfer Students

Transfer students from other universities and colleges or UWM units are accepted by the Peck School of the Arts provided they meet the UWM admissions criteria and have a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.

Honors in the Major

• Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a GPA of 3.500 or greater in the major and the academic department's recommendation.
• High Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or greater and the academic department's recommendation.
• Departmental Honors are granted to students recommended by their academic department for Honors excellence in performance not reflected in the GPA.
• Dean's Honors are granted to students with major achievements in one or more of the arts.

College of the Arts and Architecture Dean's Honor List

GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.

Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction

Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.

Commencement Honors

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).

Final Honors

Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.