Dance, M.A.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Students will refine proficiency in modern/contemporary dance movement vocabularies, enabling them to enhance their careers as educators.
2. Students will engage in theoretical inquiry and study in the dance-related areas of history, dance science, and pedagogy, enabling them to enhance their careers as educators.
3. Students will acquire practical skills in the areas of costume and lighting design.
4. Students will explore, practice, and actualize the craft of making dances to communicate a declared intention.

Criteria for Admission into the Program

Candidates must meet the following criteria for entrance into the M.A. in Dance:

1. Prerequisite Courses:
   • two courses in dance composition;
   • one course in dance history;
   • one course in anatomy/kinesiology (must be taken in the past five years);
2. Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a degree in dance or a related field with a GPA of 2.5 or above;
3. Minimum of 3-years experience teaching dance in a middle or high school with a teaching credential, or minimum of 3 years part-time or full-time experience teaching dance in a community college (exceptions will be considered for extensive part-time employment teaching dance in a middle or high school, or for an exemplary employment history of teaching dance in other venues);

Admission Process

Applicants must apply to the University via CalState Apply and the MA in Dance Program. Applicants must submit an official college/university transcript from the institution awarding the baccalaureate degree to CSULB’s Enrollment Services. The program accepts applications in Fall for admittance into the program in the following Summer term.  

1. The following supplemental materials must be submitted as part of the CalState Apply application:  

a. Curriculum Vitae, including employment, education, dance training, performance and choreography with a clear indication of relevant dates; 

b. A 1-2 page choreography statement that provides the following information: URL hyperlinks to videos of two recently produced dances choreography by the applicant and set on applicant’s students that show different aspects of applicant’s artistry and choreographic knowledge and a concise statement of each work’s intent and a compositional process; No more than 30 minutes of content; Videos should be posted to Vimeo or Youtube; 

c. Two-page Personal Statement that addresses how this graduate program will help the applicant fulfill their professional goals; 

d. Three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a supervisor or colleague, to be submitted directly by the recommender via link emailed by CalState Apply; 

e. Unofficial transcripts: when applicant’s dance coursework was completed at a/an institution other than the one awarding the baccalaureate degree; 

4. Following submission of the CalState Apply application and the official transcript to Enrollment Services, applicants will be invited to participate in a Movement audition and personal interview in the spring semester preceding the start of the program.

Following submission of all application materials and participation in the audition and interview with the faculty, admission will be granted to students who show high promise of success in graduate study based on past academic record and record of teaching experience. Based on the recommendations of the faculty, applicants will be admitted in either Classified or Conditionally Classified status. Those admitted in Conditionally Classified status will need to complete outstanding prerequisites before the second summer term of the program in order to be moved to Classified status in time for Advancement to Candidacy.  

Retention Criteria

1. Maintain a GPA of 3.0 in all graduate work completed at CSULB;
2. Continued satisfactory progress toward degree objectives. Application materials and application cycles (normally a new class of M.A. candidates begins every three years) are posted at csulb.edu/dance.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students will be advanced to candidacy upon successful completion of the following:

1. Satisfy the general university requirements for advancement to candidacy and the department’s admission criteria, including completion of all prerequisites;
2. Maintain a 3.0 GPA in all graduate coursework;
3. Complete a minimum of 21 units of coursework;
4. Removal of any incomplete grades;
5. Satisfactory completion of three artistic endeavors completed during the academic year utilizing student performers from the candidate’s school;
6. Filing of the student’s graduate program form for the Master of Arts in Dance, signed by the student’s graduate advisor, and approved by the Associate Dean for graduate accountability.

Requirements