Session Description

Over the course of three years, students will complete a minimum of 60 credit hours in a range of physical and creative practices and techniques, and dance studies courses. Students will also complete and present a substantial MFA Capstone project demonstrating a synthesis of craft, artistic vision, and conceptual rigor, as well as professional competence in the selected research area. The culmination of graduate study is the MFA Capstone Project. The Capstone Project is based on a choreographic/creative project usually presented in a concert, with an accompanying paper, and an oral defense of the project and paper. Creative work can take any number of forms, including proscenium performance, site-specific creation, screendance, or interdisciplinary work. At the end of the second semester of the degree program, a written proposal for the Capstone project must be presented to the graduate dance faculty. The proposal will include information on the purpose of the project, how it will contribute to personal artistic/educational growth, a timeline for activities, resources to be used, and a preliminary literature review on the topic. The faculty will evaluate the feasibility and innovation of the proposal as well as how the project will further the field of dance. Faculty can either approve the project as proposed or suggest revisions. Students will receive considered advice from faculty, but the responsibility of articulating an idea and completing the proposed work in a fashion acceptable to the faculty rests with the student. Admittance is based on an audition and interview with faculty in the dance program and acceptance into The University of Alabama Graduate School. Candidates with some professional experience are given preference, and a bachelor’s degree is required. Based on students’ experience and expertise, select graduate candidates are eligible for assistantships which are applied toward tuition, course fees, and health insurance, and provide a monthly stipend. The MFA in Dance is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD).