Curriculum
BFA Core
The BFA Core provides students with a strong foundation in technique, performance and composition (approx. 25-40 studio hours per week), combined with courses in history, theory, health, music, digital media and dance management. Annual colloquiums further develop critical thinking and speaking skills. The program culminates in a senior project.
Concentrations
In the junior and senior years, students explore one of four concentrations: Dance Performance, Choreography for Stage & Screen, Dance & Music or Design Your Own. Faculty mentors and academic advisors help them select elective courses that support their artistic and professional goals. Concentrations culminate in a senior project.
GE Courses
Dancers receive a rigorous liberal arts experience through the university’s General Education and Writing program. Requirements span a variety of subjects from across the university, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical sciences and quantitative reasoning. Categories include different classes to choose from each semester.
General Electives / USC Minor
Recognizing that other disciplines inform an artist’s development, USC Kaufman has dedicated 16 units for dancers to:
- add a minor in one of 190 areas of study
- work towards a second major (will generally take more than 4 years)
- pursue a pre-professional emphasis (i.e. pre-physical therapy or pre-law)
- start a progressive degree
- sample courses from across the university
- take more concentration electives
Note: Four years of tuition covers 28 general elective units. Eligible students may take additional units at no extra cost though the university’s Academic Achievement Award.
Visit the USC Course Catalogue
Daily Schedule
A day in the life of a USC Kaufman student is filled with both dance and academic classes.
- Three hours of Dance Technique, taken Monday through Friday, begins at 9am for first- and second-year students and at 10:30am for third- and fourth-year students.
- Repertory & Performance takes place each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2pm to 4:50pm for all students. Additional rehearsals are on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons.
- First- and second-year students have an hour and a half of Improvisation & Composition on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Advanced Composition for third- and fourth-year students is held from 9am to 10:20am twice a week.
- Dance science, conditioning, history, media, entrepreneurship and other required and elective courses for first-, second- and third-year students are generally held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
- First- and second-year students will generally take one general education course each semester between 12pm and 2pm, twice a week. Third- and fourth-year students have the freedom to take General Education courses, as well as concentration electives and general electives, in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
- All students have Monday through Thursday evenings free
Learning Objectives
In pursuing a BFA from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, students will be given a variety of learning objectives designed to give them a well-rounded education in all facets of dance and intersecting industries, thus allowing them to take their training and experience and become leaders in the field of dance.
Relevant News
New Fall 2022 course Kaufman in the Community: Dance and Ability
Interested in learning about how dance can be beneficial to our neurology? USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance’s newest course explores the benefits of dance for people with Parkinson’s disease, and puts that knowledge into action with fieldwork in the community.
BFA students add minors alongside dance training
The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance is a dance conservatory in a university setting. Students in the BFA program take a myriad of dance classes along with school-wide general education requirements. This allows BFA students to explore subjects outside of dance, as well as add minors to complement their dance training.
GE Courses for USC Kaufman Students
Prospective students often wonder how USC Kaufman students engage in general education (GE) courses at USC. The following Q & A highlights some of the most frequently asked questions about GE courses:
Student Blog: Academic opportunities at USC
Functioning as a conservatory within a university, USC Kaufman enables its students to investigate other areas of academic or artistic interests within one of the world’s leading research institutions. Eli Alford (BFA ’22) talks about how his minor and general education courses influence his dance practices.
Becoming an artist scholar
One of things that separates USC Kaufman’s BFA program from conservatory dance programs is access to the rigorous and robust academic offerings of a top-tier research university. In addition to completing general education requirements, BFA dance students have the opportunity to pursue minors, second majors or even progressive degrees.
Admissions Frequently Asked: GE Courses for USC Kaufman students
Prospective students often wonder how USC Kaufman students engage in general education (GE) courses at USC. The following Q&A highlights some of the most frequently asked questions about GE courses.
Choreographic Opportunities at USC Kaufman
USC Kaufman constantly offers student choreographic opportunities, whether within or outside of the curriculum. Throughout these courses, you’ll find many opportunities to work on both your own individual work and collaborative choreography.
Curriculum in Focus: Repertory & Performance
Let’s be honest: Performance opportunities are a huge factor when deciding which dance program to attend. In fact, the number one question I get asked from prospective students is, “How many performance opportunities are there at USC?” My response: “A ton.”
Curriculum in Focus: Concentrations
The BFA Core is a sequence of courses that provides foundational insight to all dance majors. At the end of your sophomore year, you will declare your concentration, which will carry you through the last two years in the program.
Student Blog: A day in the life, from my first to my third year at USC Kaufman
As a BFA student at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, I tend to have a packed and engaging daily schedule. Even though it is sometimes hectic, I am absolutely in love with my life at USC. I get to explore and create as an artist, while also pursuing my academic goals.
Curriculum in Focus: The BFA Core
It seems appropriate that the first “Curriculum in Focus” topic is our program’s foundation: The BFA Core. The BFA Core, a series of courses you’ll take in sequence with your cohort, provides a common curriculum from which you can create your own path.
A dance conservatory in a university setting: USC Kaufman’s dual offerings
The USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance BFA program was conceived with a conservatory-style emphasis on dance, but is embedded in a top-tier university. What exactly does this mean?