Looking to take the next step in your dance career?
Consider pursuing an M.F.A. in Dance at the University of California, Irvine, where you can expand your artistic voice and make a lasting impact across dance, the arts, education, technology, and cultural engagement.
Over two years of study, you’ll deepen your technical training in ballet, hip hop, jazz, or modern; advance your choreographic work; and engage in scholarly inquiry across many facets of dance-based research. The program supports interdisciplinary exploration, the integration of cutting-edge technologies, and inspiration drawn from diverse perspectives within and beyond the discipline. Throughout your studies, you’ll work closely with sixteen full-time faculty members, rehearse in six spacious studios, and present your choreography in traditional theaters as well as innovative spaces like the state-of-the-art Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL).
In your second year, you’ll focus on a culminating thesis project that includes a required written component and may also incorporate a choreographic work. Thesis projects may explore a wide range of areas, including, but not limited to, choreography, dance pedagogy, dance media and technology, dance training, dance science, dance studies, and arts management. This project allows you to synthesize your technical, creative, and scholarly development into a focused area of inquiry that reflects your unique interests and career goals.
We seek a diverse and enthusiastic pool of applicants with substantial dance experience and a passion for learning. Our M.F.A. program has welcomed professional dancers, teachers, choreographers, and scholars. Applications for admission are due in December, with auditions held in February.
Have questions? Contact Graduate Advisor and Associate Professor Chad Michael Hall at chall1@uci.edu for curriculum and program related inquiries. For application assistance, please reach out to the Department of Dance at dancemfa@uci.edu.
Pictured: Graduate students showcase their original choreography, New Slate 2001
Consider pursuing an M.F.A. degree in the Dance Department at UCI to secure your future in the dance world. You can expand your creativity and your potential for job security while finding fresh choreographic inspiration, presenting your work onstage, and exploring other aspects of dance from various perspectives. Read news about applying for a Fall 2022 M.F.A. in Dance.
Applicants for admission to the M.F.A. in Dance must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate studies and hold a B.A. or B.F.A. in Dance or the equivalent. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of at least a B (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) is required. Admission to the Dance M.F.A. is for Fall quarter only.
Want to know more about our graduate program? Here are answers to some questions commonly asked by prospective graduate students. Please refer to the current UCI Catalogue for complete program details and admission requirements.
The Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL) in the Contemporary Arts Center is a flexible theatrical performance space with advanced capabilities in technology and a sprung dance floor. Designed to allow any number of audience-performer configurations (including installation), the xMPL provides dance faculty and graduate students the ability to present innovative combinations of choreography and video, the Internet, lighting, or other technologies.
Substantial financial aid is available in the form of fee fellowships and non-resident tuition fellowships, and also in the form of employment as teaching assistants and graduate student researchers. Most M.F.A. in Dance students are awarded financial aid.
Applicants whose primary language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in English for admission consideration. The department prefers that the applicant take the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test (TOEFL iBT), if it is available where you live.
Learn more about what prospective students should know about the value completing the M.F.A. in Dance program.