Visual & Performing Arts
About Visual and Performing Arts
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.
Careers
Artists, archivists, arts administrators, arts writers/critics, editors, performers, researchers, teachers, museum curators and preparators, and other positions of research and professional practice
Undergraduate Programs
- Bachelor of Arts in Visual & Performing Arts with available concentrations in Art History, Communication Studies, Dance, Film, Interdisciplinary Arts, Music, Photo-Video-Digital, Theatre, and Visual Arts
- Minor in Art History
- Minor in Communication Studies
- Minor in Dance
- Minor in Film Studies
- Minor in Music
- Minor in Performing Arts
- Minor in Theatre
- Minor in Visual Arts
Undergraduate Scholarships & Awards
- Ragen S. and Roy D. Elterman Endowed Scholarship
- Jonelle and Bryce Jordan Scholarship Fund
- The Barb and Bob Sypult Scholarship in Music
Undergraduate/Graduate Scholarships & Awards
- Dennis M. Kratz Research Fund
- Nina and Thomas Lambert Scholarship/Fellowship
- Robert S. Nelsen Scholarship in Creative Writing
Graduate Programs
- Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts
- Master of Arts in Art History
- PhD in Visual and Performing Arts
Graduate Scholarships & Awards
- Robert Plant Armstrong Fellowship
- Mabel H Bremer Travel Award (Preference given to Literature PhD students)
- Edith O’Donnell Graduate Fellowship
- Dr. Roger N. and Adrienne T. Rosenberg Graduate Fellowship
Classes
To obtain specific information about classes at The University of Texas at Dallas, visit the UT Dallas Coursebook, or for more general information, the UT Dallas Catalog.
Program Highlights
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.
Faculty
The expertise of our award-winning faculty covers the spectrum of visual and performing arts, providing multiple perspectives in courses covering a wide range of topics.
Research
Six centers and institutes affiliated with the Bass School promote interdisciplinary research:
Ensembles and Organizations
Get real-world experience and leadership opportunities by performing with our musical ensembles, dance and theatre groups and more.
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 Rd
Richardson, TX 75080-3021
Phone: 972-883-2759 or 972-883-2980
Advising
Undergraduate Advising: ahtUGadvising@utdallas.edu
Graduate Advising: ahtGRadvising@utdallas.edu