Visual & Performing Arts Programs
Overview of Visual and Performing Arts Degree Programs at the Bass School
At the Bass School, students pursue an interdisciplinary study of the arts by selecting courses in historical context, studio practice, creative and scholarly theory, performance ensemble, and special topics from across Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) areas of concentration.
Undergraduate VPA students can select from concentrations in Art History, Communication Studies, Dance, Film, Interdisciplinary Arts, Music, Photo Video Digital, Theater, and Visual Arts.
Graduate students pursue research and creative practice within an interdisciplinary context. They can focus on film studies, visual art, performing arts, or art history and participate in seminars in other disciplines.
Career Paths with a Degree in Visual and Performing Arts
Actor, artist, archivist, arts administrator, arts writer/critic, choreographer, dancer, editor, museum curator, museum preparator, musician, performer, researcher, teacher, theatre director, theatre stage manager, and other positions of research and professional practice
Visual and Performing Arts Undergraduate Programs
Our BA in Visual & Performing Arts is also available with concentrations in Art History, Communication Studies, Dance, Film, Interdisciplinary Arts, Music, Photo-Video-Digital, Theatre, and Visual Arts.
Fact Sheets
Visual and Performing Arts Graduate Programs
Classes
To obtain specific information about classes each semester at The University of Texas at Dallas, visit the UT Dallas Coursebook. For more general information, visit the UT Dallas Undergraduate Catalog or Graduate Catalog.
Visual and Performing Arts Faculty
Research
Six centers and institutes affiliated with the Bass School promote interdisciplinary research:
Student Organizations and Ensembles
Get real-world experience and leadership opportunities by performing with our musical ensembles, dance and theatre groups and more.
Explore theatre opportunities →
Explore Arts, Humanities, and Technology Student Organizations →
Visual and Performing Arts Program Details
Aspiring visual artists and performers can find an academic home at UT Dallas, which currently boasts more than 150 courses in music, visual arts, creative writing, film studies, dance, theatre, art history and communication studies.
At the undergraduate level, the BA in Visual and Performing Arts enhances student learning by exposing them to new interests and disciplines while they gain a deeper understanding of the arts through an interdisciplinary approach. Students are able to select courses associated with concentrations in Visual Arts, Art History, Communication Studies, Dance, Theatre, Film, Music, Photo-Video-Digital Arts, or Interdisciplinary Arts.
Students furthering their education beyond a bachelor’s degree may do so in one of our graduate programs.
Our MA in Visual and Performing Arts program equips students with advanced knowledge of key theories and methodologies for artistic production and analysis, permitting our students to pursue research and practice across a wide range of creative and academic fields such as film, visual art, performing arts, and art history. Students in this master’s program choose either a professional option (coursework only) or a research option (coursework plus a foreign language proficiency and research portfolio). The latter is especially relevant for those who plan to pursue doctoral study.
The PhD in Visual and Performing Arts program is designed primarily for individuals who wish to conduct advanced research and to teach at the college level and can lead to a wide variety of non-academic careers as well. The program is interdisciplinary in nature, so students take the majority of their coursework in Visual and Performing Arts courses, but must also take two seminars each in both History of Ideas and Literature.
The Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History presents our MA in Art History. This program introduces students to a global history of art through close engagement with artworks held in collections throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond. In their coursework, paid museum and research assistantships, funded research travel, and independent research projects, students draw on privileged access to collections, research resources, and the innovative and interdisciplinary research initiatives of O’Donnell Institute scholars to explore a broad range of material across geography, chronology and medium. Through both coursework and internships, students can tailor the focus of their degrees in areas such as art criticism, curation, provenance studies, cultural heritage practice, archaeology, and publishing.
Contact Information
Catherine Parsoneault
Visual and Performing Arts Program Head, Clinical Professor, Director of Music, and Assistant Dean for Assessment
Phone: 972-883-2140
Email: catherine.parsoneault@utdallas.edu
Office: JO 4.120
Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
The University of Texas at Dallas, JO31
800 W. Campbell Road
Richardson, TX 75080-3021
Phone: 972-883-2759 or 972-883-2980
Advising
Undergraduate Advising: ahtUGadvising@utdallas.edu
Graduate Advising: ahtGRadvising@utdallas.edu