2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Dance, BFA (DANCE-BFA)

CIP Code: 500301

Program Description

The School of Fine and Performing Arts is devoted exclusively to the training and education of undergraduate students in the areas of dance and theatre. These programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

The School of Fine and Performing Arts is empowered by the Ohio Revised Code to require particular preliminary training or talent for admission to specific programs, and each of the five B.F.A. degree programs have specific criteria for admission to each level of training. Students in all areas must earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 by the end of the freshman year to continue in a theatre arts major. Students who wish to be admitted as majors in acting, acting/musical theatre, or dance must successfully pass an audition or interview. Transfer students are admitted into B.F.A. programs on the basis of a successful audition, interview, or portfolio presentation. The program has an open admissions policy for students wishing to major in the B.A. programs in theatre studies and B.F.A. programs in design/technology.

All students who return after an absence of three or more consecutive semesters must reapply to the faculty for readmission to the program, and at the discretion of the faculty they may be required to satisfy program requirements in effect at the time of readmission.

The dance program is designed to train students to become versatile professional dancers, choreographers, and teachers. This Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree combines dance technique classes with theatrical and musical training to prepare students to succeed in their specialized field of concert dance or musical theatre.

The foundation of the dance curriculum is a daily class in ballet technique with additional training in modern, jazz theatre dance, and tap, allowing the dance majors to hone their technical abilities and creativity into a wide range of successful careers.”

Classes in choreography, dance pedagogy, dance history, and pointe/men’s class are required. Seniors must complete an individually choreographed senior dance project in conjunction with a support paper. Required courses outside of dance include studies in theatre, voice, acting and music theory.

Dance majors have the opportunity to perform in the Wright State University Dance Ensemble as well as audition for musicals or plays. The dance program brings together theatrical and musical training to begin students on the path to becoming professional dancers, choreographers, and teachers. The rigorous training allows dance students unique opportunities to grow and explore multiple disciplines. Additionally, partnerships with Dayton Ballet and Dayton Contemporary Dance Company offer exceptional dance majors further opportunities for training and performance.

Program Admission Requirements

All students must successfully audition for admission into the dance program. Only selected students who demonstrate technical skill and artistry and a promise of high achievement in dance are accepted. All transfer students are required to audition for acceptance and placement. To remain in the dance program, students must demonstrate continual growth as judged by the faculty and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA in all dance courses and a 2.0 GPA overall. Dance faculty evaluate all majors at the end of each academic year; students must earn a positive recommendation before they can enroll for the next level of training. Exceptional dance majors are selected to study and to perform as members of Dayton Ballet II or Dayton Contemporary II. These dancers are eligible for scholarships from the Theatre and Dance programs.

Program Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in this program will learn to:

Technical proficiency in dance (ballet, modern, and/or jazz), as well as stylistic and artistic versatility.
Competence in the creation and production of choreography.
Knowledge of contemporary dance styles.
Programmatic understanding of the business side of the dance profession and familiarity with employment in regional, national, and international dance venues and graduate opportunities.

Program Learning Outcomes

As a result of their learning experience, graduates of this program can:

Technical proficiency in dance (ballet, modern, and/or jazz), as well as stylistic and artistic versatility.
Competence in the creation and production of choreography.
Knowledge of contemporary dance styles.
Programmatic understanding of the business side of the dance profession and familiarity with employment in regional, national, and international dance venues and graduate opportunities.

For More Information

Program Requirements

I. Wright State Core: 36 Credit Hours

As a part of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at Wright State University, all students must complete the Wright State Core, a general education curriculum. Most programs require 36 hours in the Core, some programs may require additional hours.

Specific Core classes in some of the Elements may be required by some majors. When this occurs, the specific Core courses required will be listed below. In Elements where a specific course is not required, students can choose any course from the Wright State Core Program Requirements.

First-Year Seminar: 3 Credit Hours

All students must successfully complete a First-Year Seminar during their first year. Transfer students who transfer 24 or more credit hours (post high school graduation) are exempt from this requirement and will need to satisfy three additional credit hours in the Additional Core Courses category.

LA 1020 - First-Year Seminar: College of Liberal Arts Credit Hour(s): 3

Element A - English Composition: 6 Credit Hours

First-Year Writing Course (3 credit hours)

All students must successfully complete ENG 1100.  Based on Writing Placement level, some students may be required to enroll in a corequisite course (DEV 0100). 
ENG 1100 - Academic Writing and Reading Credit Hour(s): 3
Second-Year Writing Course (3 credit hours)
ENG 2100 - Research Writing and Argumentation Credit Hour(s): 3

Element B - Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic: 3 Credit Hours

Students will select one Element B course from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements list. Based on Math Placement Level, students may need additional prerequisite or corequisite coursework in mathematics prior to enrollment in the course chosen.

Element C - Arts and Humanities: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select two Arts and Humanities courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. One course must fulfill the History requirement.

History Requirement (3 credit hours)

Choose 1 course from the list below:
HST 1100 - Western Civilizations to 1500 Credit Hour(s): 3 (GI)
HST 1200 - The West and the World since 1500 Credit Hour(s): 3 (GI)
HST 1500 - Introduction to Greek and Roman Culture Credit Hour(s): 3 (GI)
Arts and Humanities Course (3 credit hours)

Required:
TH 2140 - Theatre in Western Culture Credit Hour(s): 3

Element D - Social and Behavioral Sciences: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select two Social and Behavioral Sciences courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements.

Element E - Natural Sciences: 7 Credit Hours

Students will select two Natural Science courses, from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. At least one course must contain a laboratory.

Additional Core Courses: 5 Credit Hours

Students will select up to 5 additional credit hours from Elements A-E from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements to reach the 36 minimum hours required in the Core. Unless specified by the student’s major, these are selected by the student. When a major has required courses in this area, the specific Core course(s) required will be listed below.

Additional Core Requirements

Within the 36 credit hours of the Wright State Core students must successfully complete the following:

· One Global Inquiry (GI) course

· Two Inclusive Excellence (IE) courses

· One to two Integrated Writing (IW) courses. To meet degree requirements all students must complete a minimum of 3 IW courses by choosing either (a) 1 in the Core and 2 in the major or (b) 2 in the Core and 1 in the major. Students should check their major program requirements for courses that fulfill Integrated Writing.

Students who do not make choices within the 36 required hours of the Core to fulfill the GI, IE, and IW requirements will take additional Core hours beyond the minimum of 36.

II. Major Requirements: 70 Credit Hours

DAN 1010 - Ballet I Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 1020 - Ballet I Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 1110 - Modern Dance I Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 1120 - Modern Dance I Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2010 - Ballet II Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2020 - Ballet II Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2110 - Modern Dance II Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2120 - Modern Dance II Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2510 - Dance History I Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 2520 - Dance History II Credit Hour(s): 3 (IW)
DAN 3010 - Ballet III Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 3020 - Ballet III Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 3110 - Modern Dance III Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 3210 - Jazz/Theatre Dance III Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 3220 - Jazz/Theatre Dance III Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 3410 - Choreography I Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 3420 - Choreography II Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 3710 - Dance Kinesiology Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 3720 - Dance Pedagogy Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 4010 - Ballet IV Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 4020 - Ballet IV Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 4110 - Modern Dance IV Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 4120 - Modern Dance IV Credit Hour(s): 3
DAN 4210 - Jazz/Theatre Dance IV Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 4220 - Jazz/Theatre Dance IV Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 4910 - Senior Dance Project Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 4920 - Senior Dance Project Credit Hour(s): 1 (IW)

Two Hours from the Following:

DAN 2070 - Beginning Tap Dance I Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 2080 - Beginning Tap Dance II Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 3070 - Intermediate Tap Dance I Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 3080 - Intermediate Tap Dance II Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 4070 - Advanced Tap Dance I Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 4080 - Advanced Tap Dance II Credit Hour(s): 1

One Hour From The Following:

DAN 4310 - Pointe Class Credit Hour(s): 1
DAN 4320 - Men’s Ballet Class Credit Hour(s): 1

III. Related Major Requirements: 9 Credit Hours

TH 1000 - Musical Theatre Voice Credit Hour(s): 1 (3 credit hours required)
TH 1470 - Acting Aesthetics Credit Hour(s): 2
TH 1480 - Acting Aesthetics Credit Hour(s): 2
Students will choose one of the following:
TH 1060 - Basic Music Theory and Piano Skills for Actors I Credit Hour(s): 2
MUS 1140 - Fundamentals of Musicianship I Credit Hour(s): 3
Approved Music Classes Credit Hour(s): 2

IV. Major Electives: 3 Credit Hours

Student will select a minimum of 3 credit hours from the following:

DAN 2310 - Intermediate Jazz II Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 2320 - Intermediate Jazz II Credit Hour(s): 2
DAN 3990 - Studies In Selected Subjects Credit Hour(s): 1 to 4
TH 2380 - Movement I Credit Hour(s): 2
TH 2390 - Movement I Credit Hour(s): 2
approved courses from DAN, TH, and HPR

V. General Electives: 2 Credit Hours

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree. If the total number of credit hours in the WSU Core (general education program) and the major requirements do not total at least 120 credits, students will choose additional courses (general electives) to meet the minimum required 120 credit hours. Students may choose from any undergraduate course in the Academic Catalog for which they meet the course prerequisites and for which they do not already have earned credit.

Total: 120 Credit Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

A Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS), also known as a four-year guide, is an academic tool showing one example of how a program can be completed in a certain amount of time. All Wright State undergraduate majors can be completed in four years with careful planning. Some programs may require summer coursework. Time to degree is dependent on many factors including student placement in mathematics and writing courses, CCP and AP coursework, transfer coursework, and other variables.

This GPS is valid for this year’s Academic Catalog only and is subject to change. This GPS is a recommendation only and your actual program may vary. Students should consult with their academic advisor on a regular basis and create a personalized plan to degree completion.

Dance, BFA (GPS)