The School of the Arts

The School of the Arts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is composed of 4 departments:

• Dance,
• Film and Media Studies,
• Theatre, and
• Visual Art.

The school acquaints students with the arts as an important field of a liberal culture, either as members of a discriminating public or as trained practitioners. It prepares students for careers in dance, film and media, theatre, and visual art and promotes scholarship and research in the arts. It offers curricula for teachers of art in public schools and institutions of higher education.

The school makes a substantial contribution to the cultural life of the campus, community, and state by providing a center for the best of theatre and dance performance and the exhibition of works of art and film.

Undergraduate Programs

• The Department of Dance offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and the Bachelor of Arts in Dance degree.
• The departments of Film and Media Studies and Theatre offer Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of General Studies degrees.
• The Department of Visual Art offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Arts degree, and the Bachelor of Art Education degree.
• The program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre design is offered cooperatively by the School of the Arts and the Department of Theatre.

Courses for Nonmajors

Students in other KU schools may enroll in dance, film and media studies, theatre, and visual art courses for credit, subject to the availability of instructional time and the completion of necessary prerequisites. Qualifications are determined by course instructors.

Minors in dance, film and media studies, and theatre are offered for students in other disciplines.

University Honors Program

The school encourages qualified undergraduates to participate in the University Honors Program.

Art Exhibitions

A number of exhibitions are sponsored by the Department of Visual Art. These are shown in department galleries and the Kansas Union. Each year, there are exhibitions of work by students in the school, representing the disciplines of art and design.

Performances

The University Dance Company performs a varied repertoire of ballet, modern, and jazz dance. It presents 2 major programs on campus each year as well as numerous presentations on tour.

The University Theatre gives students a chance to act in, direct, design, and crew theatre productions. Each year, the University Theatre mounts about 8 fully staged productions. Students gain experience in children’s theatre, musicals, operas, and a range of classical and contemporary plays.

The School of the Arts

The School of the Arts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is composed of 4 departments:

• Dance,
• Film and Media Studies,
• Theatre, and
• Visual Art.

The school acquaints students with the arts as an important field of a liberal culture, either as members of a discriminating public or as trained practitioners. It prepares students for careers in dance, film and media, theatre, and visual art and promotes scholarship and research in the arts. It offers curricula for teachers of art in public schools and institutions of higher education.

The school makes a substantial contribution to the cultural life of the campus, community, and state by providing a center for the best of theatre and dance performance and the exhibition of works of art and film.

Graduate Programs

The School of the Arts is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (called the College or CLAS). The College is KU’s largest academic unit with 53 departments and programs. Graduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences include disciplines in the arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and mathematical sciences, as well as many interdisciplinary degree programs where often highly diverse disciplines come together to offer students a unique graduate experience. Each graduate program’s page contains program-specific information about admission, course curriculum, and faculty mentors.

The College’s participation in graduate education reflects a long and distinguished commitment to higher learning and research across the liberal arts and sciences. The College takes full advantage of KU’s role as an international research institution to ensure that the knowledge imparted to students is current and that they learn the skills of inquiry and critical evaluation. Graduate students are central to the research and teaching missions of the College. They are also the next generation of scholars who will make contributions to our communities and the production of knowledge for many years to come.

It is the students’ responsibility to become thoroughly acquainted with all requirements for the degree programs in which they plan to participate. These include the university requirements for graduate studies at KU outlined in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog, as well as the requirements of CLAS outlined in this section. Additionally, students are responsible for understanding the requirements that are unique to individual graduate programs outlined in both the graduate handbooks of individual academic units and the Departments & Programs sections of the online catalog.

In general, the student is subject to the regulations in force at the time of admission as a degree-seeking student. If degree requirements change, the student may opt to follow the new requirements or to continue under the regulations in force at the time of admission. Any student readmitted 10 years or more after his or her initial term as a degree-seeking student must fulfill the requirements in effect on the date of readmission to the graduate program.

School of the Arts Graduate Degrees

The School of the Arts offers graduate programs in 3 departments. The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree can be earned in film and media studies, theatre, and visual art education. The Master of Fine Arts degree is offered in visual art and in theatre design with a concentration in scenography. For students whose academic and professional goals can best be achieved through investigations at the interface of 2 or more disciplines, the School of the Arts offers master’s degree programs in interdisciplinary studies.

The School of the Arts offers the Doctor of Philosophy degree in film and media studies and theatre.

Art Exhibitions

A number of exhibitions are sponsored by the Department of Visual Art. These are shown in department galleries and the Kansas Union. Each year, there are exhibitions of work by students in the school, representing the disciplines of art and design.

Performances

The University Dance Company performs a varied repertoire of ballet, modern, and jazz dance. It presents 2 major programs on campus each year as well as numerous presentations on tour.

The University Theatre gives students a chance to act in, direct, design, and crew theatre productions. Each year, the University Theatre mounts about 8 fully staged productions. Students gain experience in children’s theatre, musicals, operas, and a range of classical and contemporary plays.