Refine your art through high-level training in the rigorous curriculum within the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance. This is the ideal program for students who want to graduate ready to perform and create original choreography. You’ll study traditional and contemporary dance forms, dance theory and history, as well as have opportunities to train with choreographers and guest artists. The BFA program prepares students for graduate-level dance work.

Embrace your love of dance and teach others to express themselves through movement as well with the Bachelor of Arts in Dance. You’ll study dance history, choreography, improvisation and performance, as well as have opportunities to train with choreographers and guest artists. Many students in this program pursue dance as a second major, allowing them to tailor their UWM education to meet their goals. Like the BFA in Dance, the BA program prepares students for graduate-level dance work.

This low-residency MFA program is purposefully designed to meet the schedules of working professionals. On-campus classes are held during the summer, while spring and fall semester courses are offered on-campus and online. The Dance MFA program emphasizes contemporary choreography and individual creative research. Graduate students learn from faculty who are nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.

Students taught by faculty who are professional musicians hone their voice or principal instrument in this intensive, conservatory-style department. Studios and ensembles offer a wide variety of training and performance opportunities, and students who complete the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music leave ready for a successful career in the music industry or for graduate-level studies.

The Bachelor of Arts in Music is designed for students who want to keep music in their lives but also want to pursue a second major in something else. This condensed program allows room for students to develop their skills as musicians but also explore other disciplines. As in the Music BFA program, students perform in ensembles and recitals.

Musicians seeking intensive study with their voice or principal instrument will find the ideal setting to advance their studies with the Master of Music program. A conservatory-style department, our faculty are professional artists with strong connections within the music industry. The program is highly collaborative, and you’ll work alongside other students, guest artists and professionals from across Milwaukee.

Students who want to teach the next generation of musicians get to do so immediately in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Education program. The program provides field experiences, student teaching and other hands-on opportunities in local schools and education programs. Because music education students are musicians in their own right, the curriculum also works to develop their own performance and musical training. The music education degree also meets the certification requirements for the Music K-12 license in Wisconsin. 

Make a positive impact on the next generation of theatre artists with the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education. Students graduate prepared to earn their K-12 theatre license in Wisconsin. This program focuses on high-impact teaching practices — taught by faculty who are licensed teachers themselves. Students in theatre education are fully immersed in local schools, where they student-teach and gain the real-world perspective they need to excel as educators.

Students in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance choose between two tracks: acting or musical theatre. The acting track prepares students for work on stage and on film through vocal and acting techniques, including Stanislavski, Meisner and Viewpoints. Acting students perform throughout the year in productions that range from Shakespeare to contemporary. In the musical theatre track, students receive training across the three major musical theatre disciplines: music, dance and theatre. They also perform annually in musical theatre productions on campus, building their musical theatre skill set and professional resume.

The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Practices is ideal for students who want to gain experience across the full scope of the theatre industry but don’t want to feel limited to one area. This highly flexible program encourages students to make it their own as they explore a combination of their interests across playwriting, stage management, costuming, acting and more. Students with this degree graduate ready to forge a fulfilling artistic career in whatever direction their interests and values take them.

There’s a lot more to theatre than the performances on stage. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Production offers a great balance between specialization and broader, interdisciplinary exploration. State-of-the-art facilities include fully staffed shops and students get to use industry-standard equipment in their first year in campus productions. Faculty are professionals in the field, and many theatre production students either shadow or assist them in their work.