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UW-Madison is awaiting approval of this new academic program by the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) before we are able to accept prospective F-1 students into this program or issue a Form I-20 for this program. International students may apply for this program but will only be considered for admission if or when the program is approved.

The Dance MFA Creative Research, Culture, and Practice named option is a 60-credit, two-year program with a summer term in between academic years. 

This terminal degree program is designed for experienced dance artists seeking a critically and culturally focused academic program within a multidisciplinary international community. Creative artists admitted to this program will gain the critical, aesthetic, technical, and interdisciplinary tools needed to innovate, create, and lead in the rapidly evolving global dance field.

The program welcomes dance artists with professional experience and with varied backgrounds and approaches to dance, spanning culturally rooted practices, popular, and contemporary forms, who are prepared for graduate-level inquiry, and driven by innovation and leadership in the dance field. Students will develop and refine their teaching and creative research while exploring their unique contribution to the dance and contemporary performance.

This in-residence, on campus MFA program has intentionally small cohorts and is highly selective. Students entering the UW–Madison MFA in Dance program are offered tuition remission, generous monthly stipends, access to UW–Madison health benefits, and other annual funding opportunities. 

Admissions

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.

Fall Deadline December 1
Spring Deadline This program does not admit in the spring.
Summer Deadline This program does not admit in the summer.
GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not Required.
English Proficiency Test Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241.
Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) n/a
Letters of Recommendation Required 2

Application Checklist

Applicants must submit the following to the online application:

  1. Two Letters of recommendation
  2. Unofficial transcripts of prior undergraduate and graduate course completion
  3. Samples of prior work (choreographic/performance work or screendance work)
  4. Artist statement
  5. Resume or CV

Funding

Graduate School Resources

The Bursar’s Office provides information about tuition and fees associated with being a graduate student. Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

On This Page

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Review the Graduate School minimum degree requirements and policies, in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Named Option Requirements

Mode of Instruction

Face to Face Evening/Weekend Online Hybrid Accelerated
Yes No No No No

 Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

 Curricular Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement 60 credits
Minimum Residence Credit Requirement 54 credits
Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement 30 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/W-1244.
Overall Graduate GPA Requirement 3.00 GPA Required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203.
Other Grade Requirements No other specific grade requirements.
Assessments and Examinations Students must complete an MFA thesis.
Language Requirements No language requirements.

Required Courses 

Core Courses Requirement
Students must complete the following courses for 28 credits.
DANCE 455 Dance Composition III3
DANCE 466 Curating the Practice4
DANCE 665 Dance History and Theory3
DANCE 675 Dance and Community3
DANCE 762 Research Methods3
DANCE 776 Dance Curriculum and Teaching Practices (Students complete this one-credit course three times)3
DANCE 990 Creative Project for Research (Students complete this three-credit course three times)9
Creative Research, Culture, and Practice Courses Requirement
Students must complete the following courses for 6 credits.
DANCE/​AFROAMER/​MUSIC  318 Cultural Cross Currents: West African Dance/Music in the Americas3
DANCE 679 Dance Field Work3
Choreography / Performance / Production Courses Requirement
Students must complete 9 credits from the following courses.9
DANCE 345
 Screendance Production
DANCE 355
 Dance Composition II
DANCE 440
 Advanced Production Laboratory
DANCE 451
 Dance Repertory Theater
DANCE 452
 Dance Repertory Theater
DANCE 551
 Advanced Dance and Repertory Performance I
DANCE 552
 Advanced Dance Repertory and Performance II
Existing Movement Courses Requirement
Students must complete 8 credits from the following courses. Students may also use directed study courses (DANCE 699) to satisfy this requirement.8
DANCE 311
 Contemporary Dance Technique and Theory V
DANCE 312
 Contemporary Dance Technique and Theory VI
DANCE 325
 Ballet Technique III
DANCE 326
 Ballet Technique III-B
Elective Courses Requirement
Students must complete 9 credits of electives. These must be graduate-level dance (DANCE) courses numbered 300 and above and/or research-related areas of study as agreed upon by the advisor. Note: Students will select as related to research interests within and outside of the department.9
Total Credits60

Policies

Graduate School Policies

The Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures serve as the official document of record for Graduate School academic and administrative policies and procedures and are updated continuously. Note some policies redirect to entries in the official UW-Madison Policy Library. Programs may set more stringent policies than the Graduate School. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Named Option-Specific Policies

Prior Coursework

Graduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions

Coursework from a previous graduate program completed within the past five years may be considered for transfer. Credit transfers will not be granted if the student fails to disclose their intent to transfer credits within their first semester of study. The student must schedule a meeting with the faculty advisor and provide a transcript from the previous institution, who will take the request to the department MFA Committee for approval. Students must maintain the minimum credit load of 12 credits per semester as required by the MFA in Dance. During summer term, the minimum enrollment is 6 credits. No more than 6 transfer credits may be accepted toward the MFA degree.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No undergraduate credits earned at other institutions or UW-Madison are allowed to transfer toward the degree.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credit for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special student at UW-Madison

With program approval, coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW-Madison University Special student may be considered for transfer. Coursework earned five or more years prior to admission to the MFA program will not qualify.

Probation

Refer to the Graduate School: Probation policy.

Advisor / Committee

Refer to the Graduate School: Advisor policy.

Credits Per Term Allowed

15 credits per semester maximum. Refer to the Graduate School: Maximum Credit Loads and Overload Requests policy.

Time Limits

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

School of Education Grievance Policy and Procedures

The following School of Education Student Grievance Policy and associated procedures are designed for use in response to individual student grievances regarding faculty or staff in the School of Education.

Any individual student who feels they have been treated unfairly by a School of Education faculty or staff member has the right to file a grievance about the treatment and receive a timely response addressing their concerns. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, may use these grievance procedures, except employees whose complaints are covered under other campus policies. The grievance may concern classroom treatment, mentoring or advising, program admission or continuation, course grades (study abroad grade complaints are handled through International Academic Programs), or issues not covered by other campus policies or grievance procedures. 

For grievances regarding discrimination based on protected bases (i.e., race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, etc.), contact the Office of Compliance (https://compliance.wisc.edu/eo-complaint/).

For grievances or concerns regarding sexual harassment or sexual violence (including sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, stalking, and sexual exploitation), contact the Sexual Misconduct Resource and Response Program within the Office of Compliance.

For grievances that involve the behavior of a student, contact the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards in the Dean of Students Office at https://conduct.students.wisc.edu/).

For grievances about, or directed at, faculty or staff in a School of Education department, unit, or program, students should follow these steps:

  1. Students are strongly encouraged to first talk with the person against whom the concern is directed. Many issues can be settled informally at this level. If students are unable to resolve concerns directly or without additional support, step 2 or 3 should be pursued.
  2. If unresolved after taking or considering step 1:
    1. If the concern is directed against a teaching assistant (TA), and the student is not satisfied, the student should contact the TA's supervisor, who is usually the course professor. The course professor will attempt to resolve the concern informally.
    2. If the concern involves a non-TA instructor, staff member, professor, academic department, or School of Education office or unit, the student should contact the chair of the department or the director of the office or unit, or their designee. The chair or director, or their designee, will attempt to resolve the concern informally. If the concern is about the department chair or office/unit director, the student should consult the School of Education Senior Associate Dean for guidance.
  3. If the concern remains unresolved after step 2, the student may submit a formal grievance to the chair or director in writing within 30 business days1 of the alleged unfair treatment. To the fullest extent possible, a formal written grievance shall contain a clear and concise statement of the issue(s) involved and the relief sought.  
  4. On receipt of a written grievance, the chair or director will notify the person at whom the grievance is directed with a copy of the written grievance. The person at whom the complaint is directed may submit a written response, which would be shared with the student.
  5. On receipt of a written grievance, the chair or director will refer the matter to a department, office, or unit committee comprised of at least two members. The committee may be an existing committee or one constituted for this purpose. The committee, or delegates from the committee, may meet with the parties involved and/or review any material either party shares with the committee.  
  6. The committee will provide a written description of the facts of the grievance and communicate recommendations to the department chair or office/unit head regarding how the grievance should be handled.
  7. The chair or director will offer to meet with the student who made the grievance and also will provide a written decision to the student, including a description of any related action taken by the committee, within 30 business days of receiving the formal grievance.
1

For the purpose of this policy, business days refers to those days when the University Offices are open and shall not include weekends, university holidays, spring recess, or the period from the last day of exams of fall semester instruction to the first day of spring semester instruction. All time limits may be modified by mutual consent of the parties involved.

If the grievance concerns an undergraduate course grade, the decision of the department chair after reviewing the committee’s recommendations is final. 

Other types of grievances may be appealed using the following procedures:

  1. Both the student who filed the grievance or the person at whom the grievance was directed, if unsatisfied with the decision of the department, office or unit, have five (5) business days from receipt of the decision to contact the Senior Associate Dean, indicating the intention to appeal.   
  2. A written appeal must be filed with the Senior Associate Dean within 10 business days of the time the appealing party was notified of the initial resolution of the complaint.
  3. On receipt of a written appeal, the Senior Associate Dean will convene a sub-committee of the School of Education’s Academic Planning Council. This subcommittee may ask for additional information from the parties involved and/or may hold a meeting at which both parties will be asked to speak separately (i.e., not in the room at the same time).
  4. The subcommittee will then make a written recommendation to the Dean of the School of Education, or their designee, who will render a decision. The dean or designee’s written decision shall be made within 30 business days from the date when the written appeal was filed with the Senior Associate Dean.  For undergraduate students, the dean or designee’s decision is final.

Further appealing a School of Education decision – graduate students only

Graduate students have the option to appeal decisions by the School of Education dean or designee by using the process detailed on the Graduate School’s website.

Questions about these procedures can be directed to the School of Education Dean's Office, 377 Education Building, 1000 Bascom Mall, 608-262-1763.

Resources

Other

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Professional Development

Graduate School Resources

Take advantage of the Graduate School's professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career.