The emphasis of the M.A. degree in Music is on research rather than applied music study. Since the M.A. degree in Music is a research-intensive program, a strong emphasis is placed on research and writing skills. Graduate students pursuing the M.A. in Music degree work closely with world-renowned educators and scholars, culminating in a significant thesis project.
Musicology
Ethnomusicology
Theory
Piano Pedagogy
Master of Music
The M.M. degree in Music is designed to promote outstanding achievement in both performance and intellectual development. For many students, the M.M. is their final professional degree. Many of our students, however, wish to pursue doctoral degrees and/or specialized diplomas after completing the M.M. At SDSU School of Music and Dance, we strive to prepare our graduate students for the highest attainments in the field of music.
The B.F.A. in Dance is a professional degree, which focuses on intensive work in the field of dance with a supporting program of general studies. It provides professional preparation for dance majors in choreography, performance, scholarship and teaching. Our graduates work as choreographers and dancers with professional modern dance companies. They serve as teachers in community and recreational programs, schools, as movement educators, and candidates for graduate work in dance scholarship.
The art, the training, and the degree – they come together in SDSU’s dance program in the School of Music and Dance. Students combine professional-level training with studies that earn them a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance.
The degree in dance is built on a program with a 25-year history of distinguished choreography and technical training.
Philosophically, the program promotes dance as a communicative and expressive medium uniquely effective in the conveyance of meaning, emotion, and cultural values. It is a program that recognizes dance as an art and encourages students to take chances and find their own voices as individual artists.
Dance is a rigorous and specialized area of the performing arts, demanding a high level of physical preparation, as well as a thorough understanding of aesthetics and academics.
Upon graduation, students find that the technical and choreographic dance training opens the door to a large variety of professional careers in dance and dance-related fields.
Modern dance, ballet and innovative choreography are at the core of the SDSU dance curriculum, long recognized for its teaching excellence and contemporary aesthetic. In addition, dance activity courses provided in the School offer experiences for the general student population in modern, jazz, ballet, ethnic, and social forms.
Students have ample opportunity to develop and polish their dance skills in classroom and public performances within the SDSU dance program. As members of the University Dance Company, students perform in choreography and repertory works set by distinguished guest artists and faculty. Each student stages original work in a senior recital.
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Accreditation Information :
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Qualifying Exams :
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Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
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Accreditation Information :
Pre Requisite Courses :
Qualifying Exams :
Tution Fees :
Financial Aid / Scholarship Offered :
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DNC 533 The Development of Advanced Skills in Dance This course includes theoretical concepts and laboratory experiences in modern dance and ballet. Course may be repeated for credit with approval of Dance Program Coordinator. Credit 3.
DNC 560 Seminar in Dance Production. An opportunity to produce all aspects of a dance concert from pre-production planning to post-production meetings. Costume design and construction, lighting design and board operation, sound recording and board operation, publicity, fund raising, box office, house management, video operation and editing, are experienced in actual production settings. Credit 3.
DNC 571 Theory of Dance. An examination is made of the component elements of dance as an art form. Credit 3.
DNC 573 Advanced Laban Movement Analysis. This course provides an overview of Laban Movement Analysis at the graduate level. It emphasizes the areas of Body, Effort, Shape, Space and the components necessary to understand and support non verbal communication. The course focuses on psychophysical connectivity to facilitate efficiency and expressivity in movement. The material will be introduced through observation, improvisation, exploration, composition, readings, group discussions, and movement assignments as both a methodology and an observation/ description of the structural and qualitative aspects of human movement. A brief history/application of LMA is included in the curriculum. Prerequisites: PHY 135 and BIO 245 or their equivalents. Credit 3.
DNC 574 Advanced Laban Movement Analysis II. This theory based movement course employs a codified means for examining human movement at the advanced graduate level. The material exemplified by the course supplies a detailed means for describing, analyzing, criticizing, and eventually prescribing movement. It can be applied to dance technique, choreography, performance, research, criticism, and other areas related to human movement. Prerequisite: DNC 573. Credit 3.
DNC 576 Contemporary Dance Composition . This course includes the analysis of various components of design and development of basic dance studies into more extended dance works. Credit 3.
DNC 577 Independent Studies. This course is adaptable to the needs and interests of the individual student. Students with specific interests are provided the opportunity to investigate and make application in theoretical, creative or field experience approaches to their area of concentration. May be repeated provided the repetition is in a different area of study. Prerequisites: Permission of Dance Program Coordinator. Credit 3.
DNC 578 Advanced Composition in Contemporary Dance. The purpose of this course is to extend understanding of dance as an art and a craft, and to improve ability to choreograph an extended dance work. Prerequisite: DNC 576 or permission of instructor. Credit 3.
DNC 585 Research Methods in Dance. Research methods specific to dance theory, choreography, and performance are introduced. Standard and electronic information resources, methods of investigation, and various means of organizing a review of literature are examined. Written and organizational skills are evaluated. Competencies and deficiencies in oral presentations are reviewed, recorded, and assessed. The course culminates with the development, refinement, and oral presentation of a written thesis proposal in dance. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of the instructor. Credit 3.
DNC 698 Thesis. This phase of the thesis development involves the selection and design of a suitable performance and/or creative project with the completion of review of related literature and research work necessary. The thesis committee must approve a pilot showing of the work-in-progress. Credit 3.
DNC 699 Thesis. The exhibition of the thesis will consist of a formal thesis concert of the student’s performance and/or creative work accompanied by a supporting paper. The written paper must comply with the specifications of the written thesis, which are available in the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The student must also pass an oral examination, testing general knowledge of dance concepts and traditions that relate to his/her thesis work. (The student must be registered in DNC 699 the semester in which he/she receives the M.F.A. degree.) Credit 3.
Theatre reflects the human condition in the study of a wide range of behavior, relationships, periods of history, social configurations and aesthetic styles. Involvement in this collaborative art form finds students growing in theatre skills and techniques, better understanding themselves, solving problems, working within a group and meeting production deadlines.
A theatre major first studies each area of the theatre to gain substantial knowledge of acting, technical theatre, costuming, lighting and scenic design, stage makeup, history, criticism, and directing. From that background, a person can specialize in one of these areas with additional coursework in theatre, and in such fields as music, dance, art, radio and television, or teacher education. Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs are available in musical theatre, acting and directing, design and technical theatre, and secondary education.
Students have the opportunity to act in shows every semester. As they develop expertise in areas of their primary interests, advanced students are chosen to stage manage, to design lights, sets, costumes, sound, makeup, and to direct major productions. Productions are staged in either the large, 396-seat proscenium theatre or the 90-seat thrust theatre. The theatres themselves, as well as the scene and costume shops are equipped with excellent technical equipment. Guest
directors and professional workshops provide students additional contacts with other people in professional theatre. The proximity to Houston also allows students exposure to many venues of professional theatre, opera, dance, film and other forms of entertainment.