Degree Checklists

Bachelor of Arts - Bachelor of Fine Arts - Master of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance requires 65 semester hours s.h. in the major, including 62 s.h. in dance and 3 s.h. in a required anatomy course. In contrast to the BA, the BFA emphasizes choreography and performance through an additional 14 s.h. of choreography, performance, and technique. Students may be admitted to the B.F.A. program after they have completed a minimum of 30 s.h. at The University of Iowa. Students who have achieved the equivalent of Major II technique and who show academic and professional promise are selected by department faculty for admission to the program.

Dance Gala All BFA students must complete 027:053 Human Anatomy (3 s.h.). The required 62 s.h. in Department of Dance courses must include three semesters of 137:123 Major Ballet III, 137:124 Major Modern Dance III, or 137:130 Major Modern Dance IV with a grade of B-minus or higher. B.F.A. students are required to maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in Department of Dance courses. They also must earn at least half of the semester hours in the major at The University of Iowa. No more than 62 s.h. in Department of Dance courses may be counted toward the 120 s.h. required for the B.F.A.

Students who select cross-referenced, non-Department of Dance courses to satisfy the core course requirements must take additional dance electives to complete the required 62 s.h. in Department of Dance courses.

Courses in bold are identical credits and only one of each pair must be taken.

Core Courses

027:053 Human Anatomy 3 s.h.
137:040 Introduction to Dance Studies 1 s.h.
137:050 Dance Production 3 s.h.
137:080 Dance and Society 3 s.h.
137:147/049:108 Dance Kinesiology 3 s.h.
137:181 Dance History 3 s.h.
025:010 Fundamentals of Music 3 s.h
137:060 Music Fundamentals in Dance (preferred) 2 s.h.h.
049:045 Production: Run Crew (2 s.h. required) 1-2 s.h.
137:051 Production: Run Crew (2 s.h. required) 1-2 s.h.

Studio Courses

137:034 Beginning/Contact Improvisation 2 s.h.
137:134 Improvisation I 2 s.h.
137:070 Choreography I 2 s.h.
137:071 Choreography II 2 s.h.
137:106 Dance Performance (6 s.h. are required) 1 s.h.
137:170 Choreography III 2 s.h.

Dance Technique

Students are required to complete 12 s.h. each of ballet and modern dance courses and a total of 28 s.h. of technique, chosen from the following (all courses are repeatable).

137:103 Major Ballet I 1-3 s.h.
137:104 Major Modern Dance I 1-3 s.h.
137:113 Major Ballet II 1-3 s.h.
137:114 Major Modern Dance II 1-3 s.h.
137:123 Major Ballet III 1-3 s.h.
137:124 Major Modern Dance III 1-3 s.h.
137:130 Major Modern Dance IV 1-2 s.h.
137:133 Ballet Pointe 1 s.h.

Dance Electives

Credit earned in dance courses (prefix 137) that is not used to satisfy core, studio, or dance technique degree requirements is counted toward the dance elective requirement. Dance electives complete the 62 s.h. of dance courses required for the Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Bachelor of Fine Arts [top]

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance requires 65 s.h. in the major, including 62 s.h. in dance and 3 s.h. in a required anatomy course. In contrast to the BA, the BFA emphasizes choreography and performance through an additional 14 s.h. of choreography, performance, and technique. Students may be admitted to the B.F.A. program after they have completed a minimum of 30 s.h. at The University of Iowa. Students who have achieved the equivalent of Major II technique and who show academic and professional promise are selected by department faculty for admission to the program.

All BFA students must complete 027:053 Human Anatomy (3 s.h.). The required 62 s.h. in Department of Dance courses must include three semesters of 137:123 Major Ballet III, 137:124 Major Modern Dance III, or 137:130 Major Modern Dance IV with a grade of B-minus or higher. BFA students are required to maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of at least 3.50 in dance department courses. They also must earn at least half of the semester hours in the major at The University of Iowa. No more than 62 s.h. in Department of Dance courses may be counted toward the 120 s.h. required for the BFA.

Courses in bold are identical credits and only one of each pair must be taken.

Core Courses

027:053 Human Anatomy 3 s.h.
137:040 Introduction to Dance Studies 1 s.h.
137:050 Dance Production 3 s.h.
137:080 Dance and Society 3 s.h.
137:147/049:108 Dance Kinesiology 3 s.h.
137:181 Dance History 3 s.h.
025:010 Fundamentals of Music 3 s.h.
137:060 Music Fundamentals in Dance (preferred) 2 s.h.
049:045 Production: Run Crew (2 s.h. required) 1-2 s.h.
137:051 Production: Run Crew (2 s.h. required) 1-2 s.h.

Studio

Dance Technique

Students are required to complete 12 s.h. each of ballet and modern dance courses and a total of 28 s.h. of technique, chosen from the following (all courses are repeatable).

Dance Electives

The required number of semester hours in dance electives varies depending on whether the student completes the core with dance courses or with cross-referenced courses from another department, or has a core requirement waived.
Four-Year Graduation Plan
The following checkpoints list the minimum requirements students must complete by certain semesters in order to stay on the University's Four-Year Graduation Plan. (Courses in the major are those required to complete the major; they may be offered by departments other than the major department.)

Department of Dance course work beyond 50 s.h. for a BA and 62 s.h. for a BFA does not apply toward semester hours required for graduation. These checkpoints indicate the range of semester hours required for the BA and the BFA:

Before the third semester begins: 12-16 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-quarter of the semester hours required for graduation.
Before the fifth semester begins: 24-32 s.h. of courses in the major and at least one-half of the semester hours required for graduation.
Before the seventh semester begins: 36-48 s.h. of courses in the major and at least three-quarters of the semester hours required for graduation.
Before the eighth semester begins: 42-50 s.h. of courses in the major.

During the eighth semester: enrollment in all remaining course work in the major, all remaining General Education courses, and a sufficient number of semester hours to graduate.

Master of Fine Arts [top]

The Master of Fine Arts in dance requires a minimum of 60 s.h. of graduate credit. The program is designed to be completed in four to six semesters in residence. Students who demonstrate accomplishment in dance performance and/or choreography may apply for admission to the MFA program. Applicants select the choreography or the performance track before they are admitted.

Admission is based on a teaching and technique audition, a review of videotaped choreographic and performance work, letters of recommendation, and application materials, followed by an on-campus audition.

Advanced technique (ballet or modern) and demonstrated accomplishment in performance or choreography are prerequisites for admission to the MFA program.

Courses in bold are identical credits and only one of each pair must be taken.

Dance Core

A total of 19 s.h. of core course work is required for both the performance and the choreography track.

137:143 Elementary Ballet Pedagogy 3 s.h.
137:144 Teaching of Modern Dance 3 s.h.
137:200 Graduate Seminar in Dance 2 s.h.
137:201 Graduate Production Practicum 1 s.h.
137:202 Theories of Dance and the Body 3 s.h.
137:234 Graduate Improvisation I 2 s.h.
137:235 Graduate Improvisation II 2 s.h.
137:277 Thesis 8 s.h.

Dance Technique

The performance track requires 18 s.h. from the following, the choreography track requires 12 s.h.; courses may be repeated. Performance track students must take a minimum of 4 s.h. of modern dance and 4 s.h. of ballet.

137:103 Major Ballet I 1-3 s.h.
137:104 Major Modern Dance I 1-3 s.h.
137:213 Graduate Majors Ballet II 1-3 s.h.
137:214 Graduate Majors Modern II 1-3 s.h.
137:223 Graduate Majors Ballet III 1-3 s.h.
137:224 Graduate Majors Modern III 1-3 s.h.
137:230 Graduate Majors Modern IV 1-2 s.h.

Emphasis Courses

A total of 14 s.h. is required for both the choreography and the performance track.

Choreography Track

137:206 Graduate Dance Performance (1 s.h. each performance, 2 s.h. total) 1 s.h.
137:274 Graduate Independent Choreography (1 s.h. each project, 4 s.h. total) 1 s.h.

A total of 8 s.h. from:

137:270 Graduate Choreography I 2 s.h.
137:271 Graduate Choreography II 2 s.h.
137:272 Graduate Choreography III 2 s.h.
137:273 Graduate Choreography IV 2 s.h.
137:275 Collaborative Performance 1-4 s.h.

Performance Track

MFA performance track candidates must earn 12 s.h. in performance courses and 2 s.h. in choreography courses.

137:107 Repertory Dance Company (4 s.h. per year, 0-8 s.h. total) 0-4 s.h.
137:206 Graduate Dance Performance (1 s.h. each performance, 4-12 s.h. total) 1 s.h.
137:274 Graduate Independent Choreography (1sh each project, 2sh total) 1sh
A course from the choreography sequence (137:270-137:273) 2 s.h.

Electives

MFA candidates in performance must earn a total of 9 s.h. in elective courses numbered 100 or above. A minimum of 6 s.h. must be earned in non-dance department courses. The remaining 3 s.h. must be earned in 137:147 Dance Kinesiology, 137:181 Dance History, or 137:182 The Contemporary Dance Scene.

MFA candidates in choreography must earn a total of 15 s.h. in elective courses numbered 100 or above. A minimum of 6 s.h. must be earned in non-dance department courses; 6 s.h. must be earned in a course or courses that provide research material for the thesis. The remaining 3 s.h. must be earned in 137:147 Dance Kinesiology, 137:181 Dance History, or 137:182 The Contemporary Dance Scene.

Department Contacts:

Charlotte Adams, Undergraduate Program Director
(319) 335-2185

Armando Duarte, Graduate Program Director
(319) 335-2186.

Best wishes in your dance pursuits!