Academic Programs

Music

Undergraduate Programs

The school offers the Bachelor of Music, a Bachelor of Arts and a minor in music. The BM program offers concentration in composition, music therapy, and performance; a second emphasis in jazz studies may be added to a performance concentration. Professional certifications in music education and music therapy are available only through the B.M.

Graduate Programs

Students may work toward a Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, or Doctor of Musical Arts. The school also offers a theory pedagogy minor and a certificate in sacred music.

Before applicants can be considered for admission to any of the graduate programs, they must submit supporting materials in their indicated area of concentration. Information about specific admission to the Graduate College and curriculum requirements for each area in the School of Music is available from the school's academic office. Read more...

Theatre

Academic Programs

Three factors create an outstanding academic program: the faculty must be excellent artists and scholars and also excellent teachers; classes must be both rigorous and exciting; and students must be talented and dedicated to learning. At Iowa you will find all of these factors.

Undergraduate Programs

Iowa's Undergraduate Program offers 75 courses and presents 25 productions a year. It offers special opportunities to study in London and New York, and a chance to take plays into schools throughout Iowa. It also offers students an opportunity to be members of a community dedicated to creativity and collaboration.

Overview of Undergraduate Programs

The Department of Theatre Arts offers the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Theatre Arts. The undergraduate major rests on the belief that the best way to develop future artists is to expose them to rigorous professional practice within the framework of a liberal arts education. Students seeking this degree should expect to satisfy the General Education Requirements of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and to take advantage of the opportunity for broadening their experience through elective courses in other disciplines. Workshop courses in acting, directing, design, and playwriting are complemented by classes in dramatic literature, history, and criticism. In our courses and in our methods of teaching, we emphasize the relationship of sound scholarship and a broad understanding of the human experience to high standards of theatrical performance.

The department is also interested in educating students who plan to enter other fields in which understanding the arts and experience with theatre skills are useful. These include teaching, business and administration, law, and many other professions. The BA degree engages students with the liberal arts and prepares them to think, write, present themselves, and be interested in the wide spectrum of human experience.
There are many opportunities for non-theatre majors to participate in the activities of the Department of Theatre Arts. These include classes in acting, playwriting, design, dramatic literature, and theatre history. Non majors are also invited to audition for all department productions and to work backstage.

Overview of Graduate Programs

Iowa's Master of Fine Arts programs are dedicated to the development of theatre artists. We offer an MFA degree with emphases in acting, design, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, and stage management. Each program has its own intensive three-year course of study, and each connects to the others through formal and informal opportunities for collaboration. We believe that the art of the theatre occurs best in the open collaboration of mutually supportive artists. This collaboration thrives in an atmosphere where the freedom to fail is linked with the challenge to experiment.

Because an advanced degree from the University of Iowa indicates that students are qualified to teach at the college level, and because we believe knowledge of dramatic literature is essential for theatre artists, all MFA students receive a thorough grounding in dramatic literature. Read more...

Dance

Overview of Academic Programs

The dance faculty and staff at The University of Iowa are committed to your education and to giving you individual guidance and support throughout your time here. Our BA, BFA, and MFA curricula offer studio courses that will challenge you to reach your highest level of achievement.

Performance opportunities abound on campus and in the community, giving you ample room to grow as a dancer. Dance theory courses enrich your understanding of dance. The University of Iowa Dance Department is host to a broad spectrum of visiting artists and companies, Division of Performing Arts events, sponsored residencies, and master classes from outstanding guest teachers. Read more...

Performing Arts Entrepreneurship Certificate

The Performing Arts Entrepreneurship certificate combines entrepreneurial coursework in accounting, marketing, and financial management with courses focused on arts management and leadership practices in both commercial and non-profit arts organizations. Read more...