Apply to the MFA Dance Program

M.F.A. candidates must apply to the University of Arizona prior to auditioning for the School of Dance.
(https://apply.grad.arizona.edu/users/new_account)

Within that online application are directions for submitting your three letters of recommendation, undergraduate transcripts, and Statement of Purpose.

Prior to auditioning, the School of Dance office must also receive the following application materials via email:

• Curriculum Vitae (comprehensive resume)
• Online link(s) of recent creative work (performance/choreography)

Submit via email to Trent Williams, Associate Professor and Graduate Advisor: trentw1@email.arizona.edu

An online audition is required that includes performance and teaching components, and an interview with faculty. Candidates will be invited to audition once the application, CV, and links to creative work have been received.

Once your application to the Graduate College has been processed, the School of Dance will review all application materials and consider an audition/interview. Since nearly all applicants have previously earned a B.F.A. degree in Dance, we do not encourage any applicant to apply without having already completed all prerequisites. A 2-3 year hiatus is also recommended between completion of a B.F.A. and entering the M.F.A. program to demonstrate self-motivated professional activity.

Students will be admitted to enter graduate studies who meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate College and the School of Dance including:

• Demonstrated advanced level in technique in ballet, modern dance, or jazz dance.
• Have completed at least one year of dance composition, achieving a grade
 of “B” or higher; or at least two professional compositions
 that have been publicly presented.
• Have completed at least one year of Dance or Drama Theatre Production,
 achieving a grade of “B” or higher; or at least
 2 years of professional experience.
• Have completed at least one course each in:
  • Music history/literature, music for dance, or two years of applied music study.
  • Anatomy for Dance; Kinesiology; or Biomechanics.
  • Aesthetics of dance or the arts, or in dance ethnology/anthropology
  • Dance History

All students applying for admission to the program of study must also meet qualitative standards determined by the dance faculty including:

• Review of three confidential letters of recommendation
• Review of the applicant’s performance or choreographic work
• Review of the student’s written Statement of Purpose
• Audition with personal interview

Criteria for admission to the program of study are based on the quantitative and qualitative requirements listed above, and admission will be determined according to:

• Each student’s demonstrated expertise in performance or choreography
• Evidence of self-motivated professional experience in the field
• Potential for successful completion of the degree at the University of Arizona
• Personal maturity, independence and academic and artistic integrity
• THE GRE IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CONSIDERATION

In conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies, each student is responsible for developing a written Plan of Study. This plan is to be filed with the Graduate College during the penultimate semester in residence.

Students must complete 60 units of graduate level courses. The specific Dance Graduate Curriculum for the M.F.A. in Dance is designed with the option in either Choreography and/or Performance.

Only after acceptance can the School of Dance offer graduate support in the form of Teaching Assistantships, which include an out-of-state tuition waiver, as well as the possibility of Graduate Tuition Scholarships and/or Graduate College Fellowship Awards.

See also our Financial Aid and Scholarships page.

Visit the Graduate College website for full details.