Dance PhD
The Dance PhD degree in Temple’s Boyer College of Music and Dance offers a rigorous curriculum of coursework and research, culminating in an in-depth dissertation project. Critical theory seminars in culture, history, pedagogy and philosophy are interwoven with experiential methodology studies.
PhD graduates pursue careers in artistic direction, choreography and performance, as well as advocacy, dance administration, entrepreneurship, teaching in higher education, research and writing.
Boyer’s Dance PhD degree program is one of four in the country, and its curriculum is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance.
Over four to six years, you’ll study dance as aesthetic behavior, a mode of inquiry and social communication, and a performing art. The curriculum emphasizes
- cultural, historical, and philosophical perspectives of dance and the body;
- dance learning and teaching across the life span; and
- performance theory and practice.
Boyer’s Dance faculty represent an array of research areas and specialties, including aesthetic, artistic, educational, ethnographic, historical, phenomenological and sociological modes of inquiry in dance. Faculty have performed at nationally known institutions such as Kariamu & Company: Traditions, the Martha Graham Dance Company, Metropolitan Opera Ballet and Pearl Lang Dance Company. Learn more about Dance PhD faculty members and their areas of study.