Four American colleges have launched new dance degrees at a moment when arts programs are often first in line for budget cuts: Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York; Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire; Samford University outside Birmingham, Alabama; and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

Getting a new major approved is not a formality. Faculty must prove genuine student demand for more dance on campus, and they must make the case that the degree benefits the institution as a whole — its reputation and its bottom line.

Three of the four schools already had a substantial dance presence, offering technique classes, faculty- and student-run companies and clubs, and in some cases dance minors. The leap to a full degree program came from student pressure and institutional opportunity.

"We had a lot of students who wanted more," says Alisa McCool, assistant professor of dance at Samford and the architect of the school's BA in dance, which launched in 2025. "Dance isn't just pliés and tendus." McCool also saw a gap to fill: another university in Birmingham had shuttered its dance department before closing altogether, leaving aspiring college dancers in the area without an option.

Vassar's BA in dance, planned to start in fall 2026, grew out of steady expansion. About five years ago, faculty members, working with a committee of students, designed two minor tracks, which Vassar calls "correlates": one in dance performance, the other in the more cross-disciplinary dance studies. After adding new dance classes each year, "We realized we were already doing the work of a major," says Miriam Mahdaviani-Goldstone, lecturer and chair of dance. She and her colleagues took their case to the administration and received unanimous approval.

Ithaca's BFA in dance and choreography for musical theater, set to commence in fall 2026, follows a larger restructuring that created the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. "Adding a true dance major fulfills the promise of this new school," says Daniel Gwirtzman, associate professor of theater and dance performance.

Saint Anselm took a different path. Its BA in dance, which opened in fall 2024, did not evolve from an existing minor. Tap dancer Aaron Tolson was recruited to build a whole new dance department from scratch. "This was already a liberal arts school that believed strongly in the arts," Tolson says. "What was missing was a performing arts degree, and the president felt like this was the right time."

Technique, composition, history, theory, pedagogy and stagecraft form the standard core, but each school has shaped its curriculum to stand out. "Vassar values collaboration across disciplines," says Mahdaviani-Goldstone, and engaging with faculty in other departments "enhances dance students' academic experience." The Vassar BA includes a wide assortment of electives, letting students pursue individual interests within the major.

Ithaca's BFA combines a tight focus on musical theater with what Amy O'Brien, associate professor of theater and dance performance, calls a "balance between the practices of dance and choreography." The curriculum, she says, is designed "to support and uplift students who come in more as practitioners than choreographers, and vice versa."

At Saint Anselm, Tolson has built a major that allows each student to focus on a primary dance genre. "While it's important to be well-rounded, you're most likely to want to work in your best style," he says. The curriculum includes a full semester of study at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, and Tolson advises students closely: "I want to put them in the right position to achieve their unique goals."

Small cohort sizes are a draw of brand-new programs. "If a student wants to explore a certain subject or style, we can have those conversations and find the resources," McCool says. Samford's first full group of dance majors this past fall included nine freshmen, two juniors and one senior, and McCool says "our BA has so much room to grow."

A formal degree also carries weight beyond the studio. "They'll absolutely gain proficiency and knowledge that will fuel their creative ideas and broaden their opportunities," Gwirtzman says of future majors. A dance major on a transcript "reflects students' hard work," Mahdaviani-Goldstone says. "If their next step is auditioning for companies, applying to graduate school, or seeking a job in the arts, that credit shows that they're serious."

For faculty, the new degrees signal institutional commitment. Securing a major, Mahdaviani-Goldstone says, "acknowledges that we work at an institution that values dance. It says the school is proud of what we bring to the campus." With Vassar and Ithaca admitting their first majors in fall 2026, the success of these four programs may well shape how other colleges weigh dance in the years ahead.