M.F.A. in Dance

Apply Now 

Overview

Looking for the next step in your dance career? Consider pursuing an M.F.A. in Dance at the University of California, Irvine to secure your future in the dance world. You can expand your creativity while finding fresh choreographic inspiration and exploring other aspects of dance from a variety of perspectives. You will be working with fifteen full-time faculty in dance, dancing in six airy studios, and presenting your choreography in theaters or in alternative spaces, such as the Experimental Media Performance Lab (xMPL)

UCI offers funding to dynamic M.F.A. candidates with a significant dance background and a curiosity to learn more. Most M.F.A. in Dance students are awarded support, along with opportunities to work with one of the most talented undergraduate pools of dancers anywhere. Financial aid for our two-year program comes in the form of fee fellowships, non-resident tuition fellowships, and employment as teaching associates and graduate student researchers.

Graduates of the program have entered diverse job markets, securing college and university faculty positions or jobs at private studios and conservatories; starting their own dance companies; pursuing Ph.D. degrees in dance or health/wellness certificates; and increasing their opportunities for choreography with newly strengthened creative skills.

In their two years of study, students take a variety of classroom and studio courses, with attention to connecting the mind and the body, expanding dance literacy and the toolbox of skills, and fostering creativity in new choreographic work. The thesis project takes up much of the second year. Most students create a choreographic work and write a thesis paper, while others pursue thesis projects in dance education, dance history, or dance science.

We seek a diverse, enthusiastic pool of applicants with a substantial background in dance and a passion to learn. We have welcomed professional dancers, teachers, choreographers, Fulbright scholars, as well as recent graduates to our M.F.A. program. More information regarding applications for admission to the M.F.A. program can be found here.

Admission

Applicants to the M.F.A. in Dance must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate study and hold a bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.F.A. in Dance preferred) or an equivalent degree. Applicants should have preparation comparable to the undergraduate B.A. in Dance at UC Irvine. A minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) is required. Admission is offered for the fall quarter only.

Applications are submitted through the UCI Office of Graduate Studies and are due Dec. 1. All required materials, including transcripts and three letters of recommendation, must be received by this deadline. The Department of Dance also requires supplemental materials for admission. Details are outlined in the Dance Graduate Admission Packet (link coming soon).

Selected applicants will be invited to participate in an in-person audition held in February 2027 (date to be announced). The audition includes multiple dance techniques and the presentation of a choreographed work (solo or recorded). Finalists will also participate in faculty interviews and a short writing exercise.

Financial support is available through fellowships and employment as Academic Student Employees (ASEs), with opportunities in areas such as dance technique, dance history and theory, music, video production, costuming, critical issues in dance, kinesiology, and injury prevention. Most M.F.A. students in Dance receive some form of financial support.

Additional scholarship opportunities are available at the department, school, and campus levels.

For questions, contact the Department of Dance at dancemfa@uci.edu.

International Applicants

In order to be employed as an Academic Student Employee, you must also demonstrate your proficiency in spoken English with an oral English proficiency exam. This is true even if you have earned an undergraduate degree in the United States or another English-speaking country. The TOEFL iBT includes an oral English proficiency exam. See English Proficiency for Teaching Assistantships for detailed information about this requirement and contact Graduate Division if you have any questions.

Applicants should take the test early in the Fall so that that their scores will be received by the Department of Dance by the January application  deadline. The applicant must meet the Score Requirements for Admission Consideration  and that score must be received by the Dance Department by the department's January application deadline in order for the applicant to be admitted to the audition or to have his/her audition DVD viewed by the admissions committee. Applicants whose scores do not meet the UCI Score Requirements for Admission Consideration by the January deadline will not be considered for admission and will not be admitted to the audition.

How to Apply

To apply for admission to the UCI Dance Department, first visit the UCI Admissions website for complete details on application procedures and fees. You must apply online to the University of California.

In addition to submitting your application to the UC Admissions Office, you must complete a dance audition in order to be considered for the program. Please visit the Dance Auditions page for more information on audition dates and requirements for the graduate dance program.

Meet Our Current Graduate Students