Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance

at Shorelight Group - University of Kansas USA

The B.A. in dance offers comprehensive technical training built on a solid liberal arts foundation, allowing our students to double-major or pursue graduate study in a wide number of fields.

The Department does NOT require an audition for entry into the Dance B.A. program. Incoming or transfer students may declare a dance major when they apply or enroll.  At the end of the sophomore year, students will undergo a Sophomore Review (PDF), an evaluation of their academic progress and artistic growth within the program. If a student is in good standing at the end of their sophomore year, they may continue in the B.A. program. If a student transfers into our program after the sophomore year, he or she will be evaluated at the end of the first year of attendance.

Astronomy is often called the oldest science -- in many ways, it is also one of the newest! Astronomers today rely on cutting-edge technology and  computer programming skills to generate and analyze the enormous data sets we use to examine the universe around us. Our business is studying the physics of objects like exoplanets, stars, gas, black holes, and galaxies in the observable universe, which is why we are sometimes referred to as astrophysicists. Because the objects we study are too distant and too large to bring back samples or replicate them here on earth, astronomy is very different from most other experimental laboratory sciences. Astronomers that work with data are called observers, as the only experiments we can run consist of pointing our telescopes at different parts of the sky to gather information about new objects that will test our hypotheses. We rely on the information we can infer just from light (color, temperature, velocity, and chemical composition) to get insight into the formation and evolution of objects ranging from extrasolar planets to stars to entire galaxies.

The KU Jazz Studies Program has both performance and academic components, including three big bands, seven combos, and classes in arranging, improvisation, jazz history, jazz theory and jazz pedagogy.  KU Jazz groups and individual students have distinguished national credentials, winning 22 Down Beat Student Music Awards since 1992. With the generous support of the Gregory Harding Memorial Jazz Fund and the Lipscomb Jazz Fund, the Jazz Studies Program also sponsors clinics and master classes during the academic year. Past artists include Michael Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Hal Galper, Dr. Billy Taylor, Wynton Marsalis, Jim McNeely, Peter Erskine, Maria Schneider, Dave Douglas, John Fedchock, John Abercrombie, Gary Foster, Kenny Werner, Vince Mendoza, Greg Osby, and many others.

The KU School of Music now offers a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Jazz Studies concentration.  Students in the degree program perform in the KU Jazz Ensembles and Jazz Combos, study privately with KU studio faculty and jazz lecturers, and take courses in jazz studies along with other music courses and liberal arts classes.

Through our Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures, KU offers six languages: Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Tibetan, and Uyghur. Languages are supported by a variety of interdisciplinary courses ranging from literature and art history, sociology, anthropology, political science, business, and economics, to name but a few. KU students from all majors and professional schools are encouraged to explore East Asian studies.

To study with the KU School of Music’s Theory and Composition (MTHC) Area is to engage the passions, both musical and intellectual, of six composers and scholars who have each earned national and international recognition for their contributions to the discipline.

Working with faculty in the division, you will be able to pursue a wide range of scholarly interests and musical styles. Our specialists in music theory research and teach a wide breadth of approaches on diverse subjects. In addition to critical assessment of the standard common-practice and contemporary repertoires, students have the opportunity to learn about specific fields of faculty expertise, including film music, philosophy and critical theory, rhythm and meter, and modern rock music.

Our composers in the division are also skilled teachers who can help you refine your craft and develop your unique compositional voice. Among their vast and varied portfolios, they have each made significant contributions in producing new music for a wide range of genres, including works for wind band and orchestra, opera and choral music, instrumental and vocal chamber music, music for film, and electronic music (particularly involving live performance).

The Department of Architecture emphasizes design education through diverse experiences which include learning through making, collaborative research, and community engagement. Our mission is to provide our graduates with an educational foundation for exemplary professional practice and personal career fulfillment; to prepare them to be critical thinkers and problem solvers who will serve, enrich, and sustain their professions and communities.

In philosophy we ask big, important questions. While asking such questions is easy, answering them is difficult. Because these questions are often abstract and vague, it is necessary to use precise reasoning and analysis to clarify what exactly it is we are asking. Only then can we attempt to develop answers. For example:

• What is the morally right thing to do?
• What is the nature of the mind?
• When can we know something, rather than merely believing it?
• Do the sciences exhaust what can be known about the natural world?
• What is justice?
• What assumptions do we make when we try to answer questions like these?
• Plus many, many others...

In studying philosophy, you will learn what others have thought about life's big questions. You will also learn to challenge those views, and to develop your own thoughts in a precise, logical manner. Philosophy will help you develop critical thinking skills, enabling you to analyze the underlying logic and assumptions in arguments about a variety of topics. This is a skill that generalizes to virtually every area of life.

Our Department will introduce you to histories, cultures and societies in Africa and its Diasporas, with due attention to the United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America.  Our degrees, with opportunities for fieldwork in Africa or the African Diaspora, encourage students to engage in independent study to maximize their academic and research potential, and prepare for careers in these geographic, cultural, and policy areas.
The Department encourages and welcomes donations for student scholarships, lecture series, teaching and service awards, faculty research, public programming, and other activities.  Please use this link to donate to African and African-American Studies.

The mission of the Department of Psychology at the University of Kansas is to further the understanding of the mind, the brain, and human behavior through the classes we teach, the new discoveries we make in our research, and in our service to the people of Kansas and the world. At the undergraduate and graduate levels our students acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to become leaders in the psychological sciences and in other professions.

Psychology is the scientific study of how and why people think, feel, and behave as they do.  Our scientific approach to understanding human behavior equips our students with a solid foundation of analytical, research and clinical skills for careers in many fields with a human service emphasis.

Our department offers a unique academic experience in which you will obtain a vast array of transferable skills that prepare you for a broad scope of professions. Students will be trained in research methodology, critical analysis, data and statistic collections and assessments, ICT skills, and project management. The undergraduate curriculum has been designed as part of a general education for students preparing for careers in various fields of psychology, for students that seek general professional positions, as well as for students anticipating graduate work.

If you’ve ever been seen by a doctor, shopped for medicine at a pharmacy or purchased health care insurance, you’ve been influenced by the work of a health information management (HIM) professional. HIM professionals connect the people, processes, technology, data and information security that makes our health care industry work.

Careers in HIM can be found at the intersection of medicine, science, business and information technology. HIM graduates work with cutting-edge technology; manage people, processes and systems; massage big data to find health care solutions; and serve as educators and advocates throughout the industry. Ultimately, they are gatekeepers who keep our medical information safe, complete and accurate.