M.F.A. Dance

To apply for admission to the M.F.A. in Dance program, please follow these steps: 

1) Complete and submit the UMD Graduate School application. 

• Review the Graduate School’s step-by-step guide to the application process.
• Upload all required application materials through the application portal.
• Further information is available in the Apply to the UMD Graduate School section below.
• Application deadline (domestic and international):  Friday, January 23, 2026

2) Complete and submit the audition registration, including all required audition materials. 

• The audition for Fall 2025 admission is a two-day virtual event held on Thursday and Friday, January 22–23, 2025.
• Detailed information about the audition process can be found in the Audition section below. 

For additional information, please contact: 

• Crystal Gaston, TDPS Graduate Services Coordinator: cgaston@umd.edu OR
• Kendra Portier, TDPS Head of M.F.A. in Dance: portier1@umd.edu

The Graduate School Application

We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences. As a public institution, the University of Maryland is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive graduate community and providing equal opportunity in higher education. Our graduate students go on to become artists, educators, scholars, and professionals across the performing arts, and we place high value on admitting and supporting students who are both exceptional and diverse in experience and perspective.

The University of Maryland’s Graduate School accepts applications through its online application system. Before applying, please review the admissions requirements for specific instructions.

To be considered, all application components must be submitted and received by the deadline for your application to be reviewed.

As required by the Graduate School, all materials must be submitted electronically, including: 

1. Graduate Application 

2. Transcripts 

3. Current CV 

Your CV should thoroughly reflect your educational background and all professional and related experiences to date. It plays a critical role in fellowship nominations, so be comprehensive. 

4. Statement of Purpose 

This essay helps us get to know you—both as an individual and as a prospective graduate student. Pursuing a graduate degree requires focused, sustained effort, independent research, and original thought. It demands time, patience, discipline, and clarity of purpose. In your statement, describe your preparation and motivation for graduate studies in dance and how your background and goals align with the M.F.A. in Dance program.

The admissions committee is interested in your academic, professional, and artistic journey and goals. Consider the following prompts in relation to your full application:

• Motivation: Why are you interested in graduate study? Describe your motivation and passion for pursuing a graduate degree.
• Preparation: Describe the academic, professional, and/or lived experiences that have prepared you for graduate study.
  • This may include relevant coursework, employment, exhibitions, fieldwork, language proficiency, independent projects, internships, laboratory work, presentations, publications, studio practice, teaching, or travel/study abroad.
  • You are also welcome to share experiences such as community involvement, service, leadership or mentorship roles, or the ways in which navigating social, economic, educational, or physical challenges has shaped your perspective and strengthened your readiness for graduate study.
  • Please note: This prompt is not intended to require the disclosure of traumatic experiences. Rather, it is meant to highlight how your unique path has prepared you to thrive in a rigorous graduate program.
• Research and Professional Goals: Outline your areas of interest, potential subfields or specializations, and your artistic and professional objectives.
• Fit with the Program: Explain how your experiences and goals align with the resources and focus of the graduate program at UMD. In other words, what is driving you? What do you hope to gain? How has your experience prepared you? Why are you pursuing graduate studies now? And why UMD?

Length: 1–2 pages (single-spaced) or 3–4 pages (double-spaced).Upload as a Word or PDF file.

5. Artist Statement Bio

Provide a brief narrative (biographical and/or artistic) statement of your creative research. Include a general description, context, sensibilities, intentions, and/or underlying concepts. You may also include relevant professional experience, as well as key opportunities or achievements. The statement should clearly identify the artistic goals shaping the next phase(s) of your creative research.

Length: 750 word max.

6. Work Samples 

Submit three web links to videos featuring your choreography and/or performance with timestamps that frame 10–15 minutes total across all samples. Each work sample should include:

• Basic information:
  • Title
  • Names of performers and collaborators
  • Role(s) (e.g., choreographer, performer). If performing in the video, please identify yourself.
  • Date of performance
  • Time Stamps
• A brief description of why you chose to include this work sample as part of your application. Consider briefly describing relevant connections to your research goals and interests, etc. (100 words recommended).
• Work samples may be submitted as links to Vimeo, YouTube, or your professional website. Enter these into the Multimedia Requirements section of the application. Ensure the link is specific to one work sample (not a portfolio) and is accessible, including a password where applicable.
• (Optional) Additional Work Sample: Option to submit one or a combination of the following: professional or scholarly writing; a teaching philosophy statement; interdisciplinary, administrative, production, dramaturgical, or design work. Where applicable, provide an excerpt for review (750 words or 3 minutes). 

Prepare to submit work samples to both the Graduate School Application and Audition Registration.

7. Letters of Recommendation 

Provide the names and email addresses of three recommenders who will submit electronic letters of recommendation. 

8. Non-refundable Application Fee 

• A $75 fee is required for each program application.
• Fee Waiver Eligibility: https://gradschool.umd.edu/feewaiverinformation

The audition is a required part of the application process for the M.F.A. in Dance at the University of Maryland, College Park. For Fall 2026 admission, the virtual audition will be held over two days: January 22–23, 2025 (Eastern Time). A detailed schedule will be provided upon registration, but applicants should expect to be available from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM ET on both days.

Important Details:

• Participation: Full participation in all scheduled audition events is expected. If you have a scheduling conflict or are unable to attend part of the audition, please reach out to the Head of the M.F.A. in Dance program as early as possible to discuss an alternative.
• Admission Contingency: Acceptance into the M.F.A. in Dance program is contingent upon admission to the University of Maryland Graduate School.
• Notifications: Admission decisions will be communicated by late February, with official offer letters sent by April.

Register to Audition:

You must REGISTER TO AUDITION by January 20, 2026. Registration includes the following:

1. Work Samples: Combine your work samples, as submitted in your Graduate School Application, into a single PDF file for upload.
2. Teaching Experience: Briefly describe your teaching interests and goals. Include a summary of your previous teaching experience and what you are currently prepared to teach. Note: Prior teaching experience is not required for admission. Upload as a PDF.
3. Interview schedule request: You will be able to request a preferred interview timeframe during the audition process. 

Upon completing registration, you will receive an email with audition access information, instructions, and a detailed schedule of events.

Audition Events:

All audition events are held virtually. Required components include a modern-based movement practice, improvisation and/or creative process, seminar discussion (with a brief written response), and a 10-minute interview with faculty. Additional (non-required) components provide opportunities to gain insight into the program and research being conducted here, including, but not limited to, meeting with faculty and current graduate students. Audition events are subject to change.

You must have earned a 4-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited U.S. institution, or an equivalent degree earned at a non-U.S. institution with at least a 3.0 GPA. 
 
For potential graduate students who DO NOT have an UNDERGRADUATE MAJOR IN DANCE: You may still apply and audition—however, you may be required to take additional coursework at the undergraduate level in order to meet prerequisites for some graduate courses. (These courses include: Improvisation, Dance History, Modern Movement Analysis and Teaching Dance.)

For prospective graduate students with expertise in non-Modern dance forms, the program welcomes your knowledge and your capacity to foster connections through your embodied research. While accommodations will be made to support your learning, we encourage you to review the curriculum and facilities to better understand how your practice can engage with the resources offered.
 
The M.F.A. in Dance program does not require the GRE but does require an audition and interview.
 
All international students must meet the English language proficiency requirements, which includes a minimum TOEFL score. Additional information and support for international students and scholars can be found on the International Educational Services website.
 
Upon time of enrollment, your final official transcript, with degree earned included, should be sent by your previous institution to UMD at the following address:

University of Maryland College Park
Enrollment Services Operation – Attn: Graduate Admissions
Room 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742
DANC is the program code for the M.F.A. in Dance
 
The electronic submission of application materials helps expedite the review of an application. Completed applications are reviewed by an admissions committee in each graduate degree program. The recommendations of the committees are submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, who will make the final admission decision. Students seeking to complete graduate work at the University of Maryland for degree purposes must be formally admitted to the Graduate School by the Dean.
 

The University of Maryland is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant international graduate student community. The office of International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) is a valuable resource of information and assistance for prospective and current international students. International applicants are encouraged to explore the services they offer and contact the office with related questions.

The University of Maryland Graduate School offers admission to international students based on academic information; it is not a guarantee of attendance. Admitted international students will then receive instructions about obtaining the appropriate visa to study at the University of Maryland which will require submission of additional documents. Please see the Graduate Admissions Process for international applicants for more information. To ensure the integrity of the application process, the University of Maryland authenticates submitted materials through TurnItIn for Admissions.

The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is committed to fully funding all graduate students accepted into its programs and makes every effort to meet that goal. Assistantships are available for graduate study and are awarded by the TDPS graduate program only after a successful audition and Graduate School acceptance. 

Competitive support from TDPS for workshops, conference presentations, summer study and other projects is also available. In addition to assistantships, there are opportunities for awards and fellowships through the College and University. To find more opportunities outside of TDPS offerings, please visit the ARHU website page for financial support.

For questions related to the admissions process, prospective students may contact the Graduate School.

Please direct questions about the M.F.A. in Dance program or application to the Head of M.F.A. in Dance, Kendra Portier (portier1@umd.edu).
 

M.F.A. in Dance Program Requirements

Candidates for the M.F.A. in Dance must meet the following requirements:

• Full-Time Enrollment: Maintain full-time status throughout the three-year program.
• Academic Performance: Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 across 60 graduate-level credits.
• Coursework Completion: Successfully complete all required coursework and curriculum components. (View the two-page overview of course and curriculum requirements for the M.F.A. in Dance program.)
• Thesis Project: Successfully complete all components of the thesis research project, including:
  • Thesis proposal presentation
  • Creative research and production, resulting in a 20–30 minute choreographic work
  • Written thesis (50–75 pages) and video documentation of the choreographic project
    Thesis presentation (10–15 minutes), followed by an oral defense

Coursework includes:

• DANC600: Graduate Dance Research
• DANC604: Graduate Studies in Dance Pedagogy
• DANC608: Graduate Choreography I: Creative Process
• DANC611: Dance Technology & Media
• DANC648/649: Modern Dance Technique I and II
• DANC679: Graduate Dance Performance
• DANC698: Independent Study in Dance
• DANC708: Graduate Choreography II: Collaboration
• DANC719: Graduate Choreography III: Projects
• DANC766: Graduate Movement Observation and Analysis
• DANC784: Dance in Global Context
• DANC788: Graduate Tutorial
• DANC799: Master’s Thesis Project in Dance
• Electives in TDPS, such as Playwriting, Sound Design, Aesthetics of Collaboration, Immersive and Digital Interfaces for Dance, Subversive Cultures and Performance, and Theatre History, and graduate-level courses outside of TDPS, such as Creative Writing, Anthropology, Ethnography, Visual Arts, and Immersive Media Design.

M.F.A. in Dance candidates develop and present their creative research through both a choreographic project and written scholarship. These thesis projects are the culmination of a comprehensive, multi-month, four-stage process encompassing concept development, design, integration, and implementation. The written component merges traditional scholarship with choreographic research, incorporating artistic methodologies, movement analysis, and relevant visual materials—such as research images and production photographs—that provide context and depth to the project. For the final thesis assessment, candidates deliver an oral presentation synthesizing their written and choreographic work, offering an account of their creative research—including choreographic inquiry, methodology, artistic process, guiding questions, and conclusions—designed to engage an audience unfamiliar with the performance.

The M.F.A. Dance Handbook is available here. It is recommended that all M.F.A. in Dance candidates are familiar with the program’s handbook.

The UMD Graduate Catalog can be found on their website.