TU launches only dance education master’s program in Maryland

By Rebecca Kirkman on December 7, 2020

Towson University’s award-winning dance department has built upon its leading undergraduate dance education program with a new Master of Arts in Dance Education (MADE). The program — the first of its kind in Maryland — is now accepting applicants for summer 2021 with a priority deadline of Feb. 1.

The 36-unit program provides flexible, part-time graduate study for certified dance educators looking to deepen their practice and qualify for the Maryland State Department of Education's advanced professional certification.

Accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), it’s the first and only master’s program in Maryland designed specifically for dance educators.

“We have been leaders in dance teacher education in the state for over 30 years,” says Jaye Knutson, dance professor and program director. “MADE is a wonderful enhancement and extension of our teacher education legacy.”

In Maryland, teachers must enroll in graduate courses to obtain a required advanced certification. Because no dedicated dance education master’s program existed, “for three decades they had to get it in other programs not in their discipline or marginal to their discipline,” Knutson explains. 

After six years spent designing the curriculum, TU’s dance education program received its NASD accreditation in fall 2020. “We are finally able to fill this void for teachers,” she adds.

The program’s focus on existing dance education professionals sets it apart from other programs aimed at people looking to change careers or just embarking on dance education.

“It’s for professionals who have come to the limits of their practice,” Knutson says. “They know there’s more, but they want to find out what that more is or they want to reach and teach different, more diverse populations or in different settings. This program is for a professional to examine their own pedagogical practices and then place it within a more globally informed and theoretically rich context.”

Study starts from a global perspective then moves to an individualized perspective, examining the personal pedagogy of each candidate and their interests. Finally, the focus expands back to a broader application that is synthesized in an action research-based project and thesis.

The program connects students with nationally recognized, award-winning faculty mentors and access to state-of-the-art practice and performance spaces and prepares graduates for a variety of career options as teacher-leaders or doctoral candidates.

“These individual candidates come in with their own rich backgrounds and disciplines,” Knutson says. “We are creating a laboratory for teaching professionals to explore the areas and dimensions that will best allow them to achieve their research and teaching goals.”

MORE INFORMATION

Studying dance education at TU

The Master of Arts in Dance Education embraces pedagogy that is globally informed, theoretically rich and reflective of your personal interests, artistic and educational legacy and career goals.

• Learn more about the dance education program.
• Request information about Towson University.

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel’s priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.