The OSU Department of Dance not only reflects current national trends in dance research but also spearheads new areas of investigation in dance composition, analysis, and technology. Our graduate programs in dance afford students opportunities to study and conduct research through the synthesis of three major spheres: creative activity, theoretical inquiry and physical practice. Each degree program emerges from the studio experience, but is shaped through variation in emphasis over the three spheres. Graduate students focus on their individual areas of interest, including perspectives inside and outside the dance discipline. We locate ourselves within the active forefront of contemporary dance through choreographic and performative exploration, creative use of technologies, and re-imagining the documentation of our tradition.

degrees offered

The Ohio State University Department of Dance implemented a Master of Arts degree (no longer offered) in 1968 at the same time that the College of the Arts was formed. The MFA was first implemented in 1987. The MFA program encompasses the experiential, conceptual, and creative aspects of dance and prepares students to function as informed and skillful professionals in the major areas of study chosen. The PhD was launched in the fall of 2007. The PhD candidate applies a scholarly lens to the study of dance, including theories of composition and performance. The focus of the PhD keeps dance at its core, with theory, history and literature grounded in and emanating from this rich nucleus of human activity. Both graduate dance programs allow for an intensive exploration of dance as a major art form and field of human endeavor.

As members of the University community, students have the opportunity to combine their academic and aesthetic concerns. While dance is the focal point of the students' university experience, they may choose from a wide variety of course offerings to enrich and extend their major areas.

For further information contact graduate program coordinator Anna Reed at dance@osu.edu or
614-292-7977.