The Department of Dance provides comprehensive training in dance technique, performance, choreography, and theoretical studies at the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Master of Fine Arts levels. Integrating dance studies with the liberal arts and sciences, the dance degree programs promote creative and intellectual growth in an environment that develops young artists and advances the art of dance.

The undergraduate major prepares students for careers as performers, choreographers, and educators as well as for graduate studies in dance and related fields. 

The department offers up to 10 concerts each year, providing dance students with numerous opportunities to perform and/or to present their choreography; visit the Performance Opportunities web page. The department's annual Dance Gala on campus, performed by dance students, presents original faculty choreography as well as work by a special distinguished guest artist. UI Dance Company, the department's student repertory company, performs across Iowa and surrounding states.

All dance faculty members regularly present and/or publish their choreography or scholarship nationally and internationally. Students have ample opportunities to work with faculty on their creative and/or scholarly research. Periodic master classes with noted guest teachers, choreographers, and touring companies introduce students to contemporary artists and provide opportunities for professionalization and networking.

Students have the opportunity to earn a major in dance and a second major in another of the University's colleges, or in one of the other units within the division—music or theatre arts. The dance faculty supports students pursuing a second major with the understanding that supplemental studies, in addition to a degree in dance, is preparation for a wide range of professional careers in fields such as arts administration and production, education, the health sciences, law, and engineering.

The Department of Dance also participates in offering the Certificate of Public Digital Arts. The Department of Dance is one of the academic units in Performing Arts at Iowa.