Dance

Master of Arts

About the Program

Fuse dance with academia as a part of a small cohort of dancers in the Master of Arts in Dance program at Case Western Reserve University. Because of the selective nature of our program, you’ll get significant one-on-one time with our world-class faculty, who were professional dancers in New York City before joining our faculty. Graduates have launched careers as choreographers around the world, pursued teaching opportunities in higher education and even developed specialty programs for Parkinson's patients.

What to Expect

As a student in our program, you’ll begin with dance technique coursework and choreography before shifting to kinesiology for Case Western Reserve’s Dancer Wellness Program—the first graduate-level program of its kind in the U.S. Developed by the two award-winning faculty who still teach here today, the will help you build strength so your skills as a dancer are en pointe.

We accept a limited number of students each year so we can keep the program small and customizable. We strive to have diverse cohorts—which we strongly believe enhance the quality of peer-to-peer education.

As you go through this 30-credit hour program, you’ll have the option to stay on the MA track or shift to a depending on your academic and career goals. Or, like many students, you might choose to pursue a PhD in dance to set yourself up for a career in teaching.

My time at [CWRU] was a powerful experience that I think I could never have achieved in any other place. 365bet��籭 first everything felt incredibly foreign to me. I guess being 6,000 kilometers away from my home in Madrid, Spain, had something to do with this feeling, but the family that I found at Mather Dance Center helped me to overcome this homesickness.

Julia Pedron ��16

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Beyond the Classroom

365bet��籭 Case Western Reserve, we offer fellowships and assistantships to many of our incoming students. But you can also get funding to attend local and international conferences, workshops during school breaks at dance companies in NYC, or even festivals so you can see your coursework in action—or perform there yourself.

Outside of the Dancer Wellness Program coursework, you’ll get a yearly screening that you can use to more effectively customize your training regimen. You’ll practice for a career you’ll love, whether you stay in Cleveland, head to New York City, pursue an advanced degree or take another path.

By the Numbers

1st

graduate-level dancer wellness program in the U.S.

110+

years since the first dance classes were held in Mather Gym (now the Mather Dance Center)

students or fewer per cohort

1:5

faculty to student ratio

program credit hours

Admission Requirements

Our program thrives when we have students with diverse perspectives and a range of educational, professional and life experiences. We look forward to learning more about you!

The application process requires:

, including a statement of goals that explains why you aim to pursue a graduate degree and why CWRU’s program appeals to you
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution (exceptions have been made in rare instances for those who have had professional careers in dance)
Unofficial transcripts
Current resume/CV
Three letters of recommendation
International applicants: Results of TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE
Video samples of dance performance and choreography