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.