Dance, Undergraduate, Bridgewater State University

A Dance Degree from BSU Moves You to Exciting New Heights

The field of dance is growing quickly and offers exciting opportunities for students who understand that movement is medicine. From performance to dance therapy and from dance education to choreography, Bridgewater State University’s bachelor’s degree program in dance can help you transform your love of dance into a variety of careers.

Learn from expert faculty in the Department of Dance, who boast national performance experience and in-depth knowledge of dance history and embodied learning. Choose to double major in therapeutic training or communications studies or pursue a theatre arts degree along with your bachelor’s in dance. You can also combine your dance major with a major in secondary education, making BSU the only university in Massachusetts that offers the kind of training that leads to dance teacher licensure.

Dance Program Highlights

a BSU student teaching elementary school age children how to do a dance from India

Dedication to dance education

BSU is the only public university with a dance major and minor serving southeast Massachusetts. We also offer the only dance program that when combined with a major in secondary education leads to dance teacher licensure in the state.

Professor Jodi Weber leading a modern dance class as they all dance facing a mirror

Accomplished faculty

Our expert professors are veteran dancers, performers and educators. Their expertise runs the gamut from dance education to African Diaspora dance.

3 female dancers spotlighted on a dark stage all wearing light gray cropped leggings and different colored tunic tops; 1 standing holding another whose head dips towards the floor, her left leg pointed up and the other bent in while the third dancer stands in front of them with her right arm pointed toward the ground, left arm behind her, left leg pointed up and extended, standing on her straight right leg

Real-world applications

BSU’s dance program is highly experiential.

Teach dance to children. Our Creative Dance for Children course exposes dance majors to the application of teaching, where you’ll get to instruct school children and gain firsthand experience teaching dance.
Gain performance and choreography experience. Dance students can participate in Winterdance, an annual production highlighting student choreography and dancers.
Step out on campus. Dance program students also get involved with campus organizations such as the BSU Irish Steppers, Dance Team, Hip Hop Club/Kinetic Edge, Refined Movement, Rhythm Invasion and Urban Renegades.

Networking opportunities for dance students

BSU features a chapter of the National Dance Education Student Organization that develops opportunities for you to connect with dance professionals outside the university.

State-of-the art dance facilities

We have two large studios with shock-absorbing sprung floors ideal for dance and access to BSU’s main stage for department performances.

Career-building experiences

Senior seminar dance majors get the opportunity to go into the community to form connections and gain real-world experience, serving organizations like the Boston Dance Alliance and the Dance Complex in Cambridge.

Internships at professional dance companies also provide insights into the behind-the-scenes realities of arts management and performance while also giving you resume-building credentials.

Dance students can perform or present research at regional and national conferences, gaining exposure at the American College Dance Conference and National Dance Education Organization Conference.

Program of Study for Dance Majors and Dance Minors

Ballet, jazz dance, modern dance, world dance, tap dance— our dance program will expose you to the ideas and experiences of a wide-range of dance traditions.

Among universities with dance programs, BSU also stands out for offering students a wide range of courses designed to support individual interests and talents. Explore areas like dance methodology to gain deep knowledge of diverse teaching theories and practices. Through studying dance science and technique, you’ll gain foundational skills that serve as a springboard for dance degree graduates interested in careers like dance therapy.

Other courses offer special opportunities like investigating your cultural dance heritage and examining bias and systemic racism in dances of various cultures. In addition to studying the anatomy and biomechanics of dance, courses for dance degree students include:

Dance Practicum
Theory and Practice of Dance Art and Education
World Dance
Hypersexuality: The Black & Brown Dancing Body

Click any link below to reveal each program's course detail.

Program details from 2023-2024 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

Careers in Dance

As a bachelor of arts program, BSU’s dance program combines both the academic study of dance with the study of dance performance and production, so you receive a strong intellectual and artistic dance background. You will also have the chance to gain professional experiences through internships, research and performance.

Graduates from BSU’s dance program go on to become entrepreneurs, dance educators in public or private schools and commercial dance studios, professional performers, exercise specialists, critics and writers.

Some students pursue graduate studies in dance therapy and careers in schools, community centers, rehabilitation centers, psychiatric hospitals and in programs for seniors and people with disabilities. BSU dance degree graduates hold jobs such as:

Dance Studio Owner
Dance Education Teacher
Special Education Teacher
Dance/Movement/Play Therapist

Employment for dancers and choreographers is expected to grow by more than

30%

by 2030 according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

female dancer on stage wearing light gray cropped leggings and a royal purple tunic top standing on one pointed toe with her arms up and outstretched and her left leg bending behind her in a dance

Continue your education beyond your undergraduate dance program

Your undergraduate dance degree alone or paired with a theatre arts degree or other major provides the perfect steppingstone to advanced study. BSU graduates of our programs have been accepted into graduate dance programs at NYU and Lesley University, whereas others have gone onto graduate programs in areas like dance therapy, dance education and athletic training.

View BSU Graduate Programs

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Undergraduate Degrees and Minors in Dance