Dance, B.A.

Our undergraduate program combines a rigorous dance classroom and studio environment with the depth and breadth of an excellent liberal arts education. Dance majors are exposed to performance, technique and pedagogical experiences that support their transition into the professional dance environment and beyond. Dance students gain confidence, as well as skills in leadership, critical thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration and nonverbal communication that make them well-suited for a wide variety of professions, including arts administration, dance medicine, marketing and public relations and production management. 

Along with core courses, students have the option of developing additional competencies in either performance and choreography or dance education with K-12 certification. All majors in both emphases work together in studio, performance, choreography and dance academic coursework. Additionally, students work with professional directors, choreographers, dancers and designers from all over the world, making dance a common double-major. 

Performance and Choreography

The performance and choreography concentration is designed for those who wish to obtain a broad undergraduate liberal arts experience and grow as an artist in a disciplined dance environment. Courses stress the development of performance and choreography skills, while also building intellectual depth and scope. We offer a diverse repertory that provides opportunities to gain a sound foundation in the principles of classical ballet, contemporary, modern and jazz dance forms.  

Dance Education

Working with the College of Education, students in the dance education concentration can pursue the South Carolina K-12 teacher’s certification in addition to pursuing a degree in dance. Certification provides qualification to teach in public or private schools. The teacher certification program requires additional coursework, including a semester of student teaching.  

Learning Outcomes

Dance majors will demonstrate an advanced level of technical proficiency in ballet and / or contemporary dance. Dance majors in Performance as well as Dance Education must achieve level three by graduation.
Students will be able to write about dance in an educated manner and use critical approaches to evaluate dance.
Students will describe the principles and theories of dance artists, their theories and choreographic strengths and also the material that pertains to history and cultural dance.
Students will be able to verbally articulate the principles and theories of dance artists and their significance in terms of history and cultural dance.
Students are expected to demonstrate an appropriate level of knowledge about theoretical perspectives in dance education, instruction, assessment, dance education content, classroom management, and leadership in dance education in order to proceed to the professional program and student teaching.

Progression Requirements

At the end of each semester, dance majors will be evaluated for proficiency and progression to the next level of dance technique based on rubrics and syllabi.
All dance majors with an emphasis in dance education must fulfill admission requirements for the Professional Education Program and Internship.
To remain in the dance major, a student must make satisfactory progress towards a degree. A student who fails to make satisfactory progress may be placed on academic probation or removed from the college.

Admissions

Entrance Requirements

New freshmen who meet University admissions standards are eligible for admission to degree programs offered by the college. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another college on the Columbia campus must be in good standing and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher. A student who wishes to enter the College of Arts and Sciences from another USC campus must fulfill one of the following requirements:

Be in good standing, meet the admission requirements for a baccalaureate degree on the Columbia campus, and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
Be in good standing and have completed 30 semester hours with a GPA of 2.00 or higher on a USC campus.

Some programs in the College of Arts and Sciences have special admission requirements established by the department or committee that supervises the specific degree program, for example, Cardiovascular Technology, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Economics, Environmental Science, the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. These requirements are listed in the sections of this bulletin that describe department and special degree programs.

Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Program of Study

Program Summary
Requirements	Credit Hours
1. Carolina Core	32-44
2. College Requirements	15-18
3. Program Requirements	0-41
4. Major Requirements	32-70

Founding Documents Requirement

All undergraduate students must take a 3-credit course or its equivalent with a passing grade in the subject areas of History, Political Science, or African American Studies that covers the founding documents including the United State Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and one or more documents that are foundational to the African American Freedom struggle, and a minimum of five essays from the Federalist papers. This course may count as a requirement in any part of the program of study including the Carolina Core, the major, minor or cognate, or as a general elective. Courses that meet this requirement are listed here.

1. Carolina Core Requirements (32-44 hours)

CMW – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

any CC-CMW courses

ARP – Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving (6-8 hours)

any CC-ARP courses

SCI – Scientific Literacy (8 hours)

Two 4-credit hour CC-SCI courses

GFL – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language (0-6 hours)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

CC-GFL courses

It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

GHS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking (3 hours)

any CC-GHS course

GSS – Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences (3 hours)

any CC-GSS course

AIU – Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding (3 hours)

any CC-AIU course

CMS – Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

INF – Information Literacy¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course

VSR – Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility¹ (0-3 hours)

any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

¹: Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (15-18 hours)

Foreign Language (0-3 hours)

only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency

History (3 hours)

The College of Arts and Sciences requires one additional GHS course beyond the Carolina Core GHS requirement.

If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course.
If the Carolina Core GHS requirement is fulfilled by a non-U.S. history course, the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement must be fulfilled by a U.S. history course.

Please select the College of Arts and Sciences history requirement from the approved list of U.S. and non-U.S. history courses.

Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities (12 hours)

Social Science (3 hours)
- The College of Arts and Science requires one 3- hour Social Science Course
Fine Arts/Humanities (9 Hours)
- A Bachelor of Arts from the College of Arts and Sciences requires three 3-hour Fine Arts/Humanities Courses
  - The following must be passed with a grade of C or higher (C+ or higher for Dance Education K-12 Certification):
    - DANC 150*
    - DANC 281*
    - DANC 282*

3. Program Requirements (0-41 hours)

Cognate or Minor (12-18 hours) optional for Dance Education K-12 Certification Concentration

Students must complete a cognate (12 hours) or a minor as part of this program. In lieu of a cognate or minor, an additional major may be added to a student’s program of study. Additional majors must include all major courses as well as any prescribed courses noted (*) in the bulletin. Prescribed courses noted in the bulletin may be shared with Carolina Core, College requirements, and Program requirements in the primary program.

Cognate (12 hours)

The cognate must consist of twelve (12) hours of courses at the advanced level, outside of but related to the major. The cognate may be taken in one or more departments or programs.

Courses offered by departments and programs that are acceptable for cognate credit are outlined in the section titled Courses Acceptable for Cognate Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences. Some major programs have specific cognate requirements. It should be emphasized that the cognate is not a second set of elective courses to be chosen at random by the student. Students are urged to consult their major advisors for specific requirements in their major.

For Bachelor of Arts degrees, all cognate courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher.

Minor (18 hours)

In place of the cognate a student in the College of Arts and Sciences may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. It differs from the cognate inasmuch as the courses must follow a structured sequence.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University.

A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z.

Electives (0-29 hours)

120 (or 128) degree applicable credits are required to complete any degree at UofSC. After the cognate, minor or second major is complete, any additional credits needed to reach 120 (or 128) total credits can be fulfilled by electives. No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences.

4. Major Requirements (32-70 hours)

A minimum grade of C is required in all major courses. (C+ or higher for Dance Education K-12 Certification)

Choose one of the following concentrations:

Performance and Choreography (32 hours)

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
DANC 103	The Dancer's Body	3
DANC 160A	Dance Improvisation and Composition	3
DANC 360	Choreography I	3
DANC 490	Senior Capstone Dance Project	3
Techniques
Select either Ballet or Contemporary Dance:		15-24
Ballet:
Eight ballet techniques
Four contemporary techniques
Contemporary:
Six contemporary techniques
Four ballet techniques
Two techniques of other forms of dance
Dance Company
DANC 177	Dance Company I	5
Total Credit Hours		32-41

Note: Students must meet both the number of credits and distribution of technique requirements listed. Some techniques courses are variable credit. To graduate with a major in dance, students must successfully complete DANC 302A and DANC 312A. Students may take up to 24 hours of techniques courses toward the major.

Dance Education K-12 Certification (70 hours)

Dance majors with an emphasis in Dance Education K-12 teacher certification must meet USC and South Carolina Department of Education requirements in order to be recommended for certification (includes passing state-required examinations). An application for certification is required. Contact the College of Education, Office of Student Affairs, 803-777-6732.

Course List
Course	Title	Credits
DANC 103	The Dancer's Body	3
DANC 160A	Dance Improvisation and Composition	3
DANC 360	Choreography I	3
DANC 476	Production Design for Dance	3
Techniques
The following courses must be taken 4 times each:
DANC 202A	Ballet Technique II	4
DANC 302A	Ballet Technique III	4
DANC 402A	Ballet Technique IV	4
The following courses must be taken 4 times each:
DANC 212A	Contemporary Dance Technique II	4
DANC 312A	Contemporary Dance Technique III	4
DANC 412A	Contemporary Dance Technique IV	4
Select two hours of the following world dance forms courses:		2
DANC 111A	World Dance I
or DANC 113A	World Dance II
DANC 307	West African Dance I
or DANC 407	West African Dance II
DANC 380	Movement and Dance for Musical Theatre	3
Dance Company
DANC 177	Dance Company I	3
Professional Education
DANC 270	Introduction to Dance Education	2
DANC 370	Creative Dance	3
DANC 470	Dance Pedagogy for Middle and High School	4
DANC 471	Internship Seminar in Dance Education	1
DANC 478	Integrated Approaches in Dance Education	5
DANC 479	Teaching Internship in Dance Education	12
Education Courses
EDFI 300	Schools in Communities	3
EDPY 401	Learners and the Diversity of Learning	3
PEDU 515	Physical Education for Inclusion	3
or EDEX 523	Introduction to Exceptional Children
EDRD 500	Content Area Literacy PK-12	3

Notes:

Students must successfully complete DANC 302A and DANC 312A with a C+ or better.
Ballet and contemporary technique courses are variable credit.
Students must meet both the number of credits and distribution of technique requirements listed above.

Professional Education Program Requirements

The dance major with an emphasis in dance education supports prospective teachers in developing both in-depth content knowledge and appropriate knowledge, skills, and dispositions of teaching required in today’s classrooms.

Extensive clinical experiences in a variety of appropriate K-12 classrooms and schools are a central component of the program.

Application and admission to the Professional Program in Education (typically at 60 credit hours) and admission to Internship are required for all majors seeking teacher certification. All teacher education candidates must adhere to all education policies and procedures related to clinical experiences. Information on education applications, policies, and procedures is available from the College of Education, Advising and Student Services office at 803-777-6732.

Specific requirements in dance education for Admission to Internship II/Student Teaching include the following:

Admission to the Professional Program.
Maintenance of minimum collegiate summary grade point average as required for admission to the Professional Program.
Successful Completion of DANC 270, DANC 370, DANC 470, and DANC 478; all courses within the dance major and all performance practicum requirements.
A grade of C+ or better in all dance, dance education and education courses.
Successful completion of 100 practicum hours completed during the dance education coursework.
Satisfactory performance in the area of teacher education dispositions.
SLED clearance through fingerprinting and background check requirements.
Successful completion of the application for student teaching.

Major Map

A major map is a layout of required courses in a given program of study, including critical courses and suggested course sequences to ensure a clear path to graduation.

Major maps are only a suggested or recommended sequence of courses required in a program of study. Please contact your academic advisor for assistance in the application of specific coursework to a program of study and course selection and planning for upcoming semesters.

Dance, B.A. Performance and Choreography Concentration

Dance, B.A. Dance Education K-12 Certification Concentration

2024-2025 Academic Bulletin