Where can I major in STEM and minor in dance?

College Search & Selection
1

Throughout highschool I have found that my two biggest interests are science and dance. In college I want to major in biology or biomedical engineering, but I also really want to minor in dance. After college I don’t plan on being a dancer, but I would like to do small performances on the side. I am currently creating a list of colleges to apply to and I only want to apply to schools where I can follow both of my passions.

Does anyone know of colleges with good academics in the STEM field, but also opportunities to minor in dance? Also if you know could you explain how hard it is to audition into the dance minors at said colleges?

So far I know of:
Boston Univerity
William and Mary

2

My daughter was looking for a similar combination - although also is considering double majoring - some schools from her list - vast majority do not require an audition to minor

Duke - no audition needed
Washington University in St Louis - no audition needed
University of Rochester - no audition needed
Case Western Reserve - no audition needed
University of Southern California - no audition
University of Richmond - no audition - note no engineering
University of Iowa - audition required
University of South Carolina - no audition

These are all programs with significant ballet - which my daughter was looking for - if you’re interested in contemporary or modern the list is LONG.

3

Johns Hopkins University

4

Darcy123 thatwas very helpful! Thank you so much!

5

University Of Utah

minor available in Modern Dance, certificate available in Ballet

6

Williams College also has strong STEM departments as well as a very innovative dance program with a minor. The application includes submission of your recent performances and dance resume. Your well rounded background (arts and STEM) would be a good fit for Williams.

7

@total1096 Is University of Utah offering ballet outside of the BFA now? Previously you couldn’t take the upper level ballet classes if you weren’t majoring.

8

If a strong biology (in contrast to biomedical engineering) program would suffice, consider, especially, colleges with notably flexible curricula such as Smith (if female) and Hamilton.

9

@Darcy123 I jumped the gun trying to answer the question too quickly. The certificate is for “Studio Teaching” inside the BFA

10

As a general consideration, colleges with departments exclusively focused on dance may be stronger for dance than colleges at which theatre and dance have been combined.

11

I know someone who minored in dance at UMichigan. Not sure if there was an audition or not.

12

Brown does not have a stand-alone dance major (no minors,) but does offer a concentration (major) in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, which has a “Dance” track within the concentration.

Brown’s also home to the Open Curriculum, whose virtually no requirements (except for 2 writing designated classes, in subjects like Bio, not just English,) makes it easy to double-concentrate between two concentrations, like Biology and TAPS.

There are no auditions required for entry into the TAPS concentration per the department’s website; once you’re admitted into Brown, you can concentrate in anything you want, from English to Engineering.

List of Brown’s Undergraduate Concentrations : https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/

Brown’s TAPS Concentration: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/taps/

Brown’s Undergraduate TAPS Department: https://www.brown.edu/academics/theatre-arts-performance-studies/undergraduate-program

Hope this helps! Good luck with admissions!

13

My cousin’s son is majoring in Biology and minoring in dance at Wisconsin. Middlebury also has a dance minor and strong STEM. In fact, I think that that it is true of most of the NESCACs, if not all of them.

However, you don’t have to minor in dance in order to dance. My daughter wanted to major in neuroscience and minor in dance at Middlebury, and decided that it is more important for her to minor in environmental science. She joined one of the college’s dance companies, and, until COVID, they had a couple of shows every term. She danced and choreographed.

I’ll also throw in another recommendation for Case Western.

14

I believe Bucknell may have some dance options.

15

St Olaf. There’s merit money for good students and med school/grad school placement is very good.

I second or third Case Western.

16

Purdue University. They do not offer a Dance major, only a minor.

17

“Williams College also has strong STEM departments as well as a very innovative dance program with a minor. The application includes submission of your recent performances and dance resume. Your well rounded background (arts and STEM) would be a good fit for Williams.”

As we discussed on the STEM and LAC thread, Williams does not have engineering, so if OP is undecided on biology vs biomed engr, places like Duke, JHU, Case would be the best choices.

18

What is your budget? Have a chat with your parents and find that out. Most big, cheap, public universities would have decent STEM and dance programs, so don’t forget to look at your own home-state Us.

19

Founded by Universalists, and thus unconstrained by traditional academic dogma, Tufts offers inclusive programs that span the applied arts and applied sciences as well as the more traditional arts and sciences - all in a small university setting. It can be viewed either as one of the most liberal and artsy STEM schools or as one of the most STEMmy liberal arts schools.

At the undergraduate level it has a Carnegie Classification of “Arts and Sciences Focus”, but it includes a fully formed engineering school offering 16 undergrad engineering majors, 8 of which are ABET accredited and several of which span the traditional boundary between engineering and liberal arts.

For applied arts, Tufts has music performance and conservatory programs, a studio art minor and a museum school program, a stand alone major and minor in drama as well as a minor in dance and a dance innovation fund for student projects. The conservatory and the museum school programs require an audition/portfolio, but individual courses are open to all.
https://dramadance.tufts.edu/dance/
https://dramadance.tufts.edu/dance/innovation.htm

In addition to traditional Biology and ABET accredited Biomedical Engineering majors, Tufts offers a Biotechnology major and minor as well as a Biomedical Sciences major - each of which can be combined with a traditional Biology degree to bridge the gap between Biology and Biomedical Engineering.

The Biomedical Engineering program also offers a one semester COOP program, leveraging Greater Boston’s position as the worlds largest biotech cluster to bridge the gap between academia and industry.
https://engineering.tufts.edu/bme/current/undergraduate
https://engineering.tufts.edu/bme/current/undergraduate/bece
https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/undergraduate/degreeBioTech.htm

Tufts’ Experimental College offers a true open curriculum - augmenting the traditional arts, science, and engineering course curriculum with courses taught by students and members of the Greater Boston community (for credit). Courses are taught by local academics, artists and professionals with a passion they want to share. They change every semester.

This fall, courses on: dance hall queens, opioids and addiction, and pharmacology and therapeutics are among the offerings. Last semester, courses on: coreographies of resistance, breakthrough biotech, bio-fabricated food and research in neuroscience were among the offerings.
https://tufts.app.box.com/v/excollege-courses2020fall
https://tufts.app.box.com/v/excollege-courses2020spring

20

Columbia SEAS (biomedical engineering)
(If female) Barnard College (biology, 3-2 with Columbia SEAS for biomedical engineering)
https://dance.barnard.edu/major-and-minor-requirements