Alfred University adds new Interdisciplinary BFA degrees in Performing Arts

Theatre is one of five new interdisciplinary BFA degrees being offered in Alfred University's Performing Arts Division, beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. The others are dance, music-performance, music-sound studies, and performance design and technology

Alfred University has added five new Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, effective for the 2025-26 academic year. Interdisciplinary BFA programs in music-performance, music-sound studies, theatre, performance design and technology, and dance will be housed in the Performing Arts Division.

The first cohort of new students in the programs will enroll in 2025-26 academic year; current students can transfer into the program this academic year. Alfred University will continue to offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in music and theatre and also offers minors in music, dance, performance design and technology, and theatre.

While the BA degree places performing arts within a broader context of a comprehensive program of general studies, the new BFA degrees focus on intensive study and practice in the performing arts and are complemented by a program of general studies.

"With the BFA, students will have a more hands-on experience and be able to explore more deeply into their areas of discipline," said Jessie Thoman, associate dean of the Performing Arts Division. "This program is really about the making: it allows students the opportunity to try, to do, and to make…To be a creator. It allows our students to dig deeper into who they are."

"The Performing Arts faculty worked collaboratively and collectively for two years to develop this BFA program and find a niche that is outside of ordinary," Lauren Lake, dean of the School of Arts & Design and Performing Arts Division, commented. "There really is nothing like this in the region."

Lake cited the interdisciplinary nature of the degree offerings, which will provide students with a more well-rounded education while facilitating unique intersections. That interdisciplinary focus is evident in the course requirements for the new BFA degree programs. Students enrolled in the BFA dance program will be required to take classes in music, for example, and theater majors must take classes in dance.

Music-Performance is one of five new interdisciplinary BFA degrees being offered in Alfred University's Performing Arts Division.

On a broader scale, all students enrolled in an Interdisciplinary Performing Arts BFA degree program must take a course in Stage Management and Collaboration. In this class, students from all disciplines-theatre, music, dance, performance design and technology-will learn the roles each of the others play in producing a stage performance.

"Students have the opportunity to learn all the aspects of theatre which affords them a more holistic view and knowledge of the theatre business. They understand through experience how all the parts fit together," Thoman said. "They leave with an understanding of the entire theatre production. They leave as multi-dimensional artists."

The Miller Performing Arts Center, which houses the Performing Arts programs, is the hub of activity in the division, where curricular and co-curricular intersections abound.

"It's the heart of what we do; it's where everyone comes together to create, make and learn," Thoman said of the Miller Performing Arts Center and Miller Theater. "Actors work with musicians, who work with dancers, who work with stage designers, who work with choreographers. It's set up to be truly interdisciplinary."

Dance is one of five new interdisciplinary BFA degrees being offered in Alfred University's Performing Arts Division.

Students enrolling in the new BFA degree programs are required to submit a portfolio when applying. "We're looking to learn about the whole student. They need not have intensive training (in a particular discipline) prior. We're looking more closely at their passion and desire to realize their purpose," Lake said.

Students will be required to complete a first-year experience course, Performing Arts Core, which outlines expectations of the students, and discuss what it is to be an artist, further exploring what their goals are for their time at Alfred and beyond. In their senior years, students will be required to complete a capstone experience project, mentored by faculty.

Music-Sound Studies is one of five new interdisciplinary BFA degrees being offered in Alfred University's Performing Arts Division.

The programs provide new courses, including one on make-up design; computer-aided design (CAD); sound gathering; and theatre colloquium. It will also create new co-curricular opportunities, including new music ensembles, such as one in popular music.

"The (BFA) program builds on our core values of intersection, belonging, and mentorship," Lake said. "These new degrees enhance the opportunities for student success and engagement."

Thoman pointed to the increased potential career paths that exist for students enrolled in the BFA degree programs. "This opens up the door to how many more possibilities there are in music, for example," she said, pointing to potential careers in music focusing on areas such as arts advocacy, administration, and marketing.

Performance Design and Technology is one of five new interdisciplinary BFA degrees being offered in Alfred University's Performing Arts Division.

"These interdisciplinary BFAs are truly the future. We are preparing students for careers that don't exist now but will exist in the future. We are creating new paths and routes in the performing arts that can be accessible to everyone. We are creating curriculum that prepares students for jobs available now and those that will be available in the future. We are on the front edge of innovation."

"Our new B.FA. degrees are interdisciplinary at their core. Students can participate across the performing arts and then develop deep practice in one art in particular," said Beth Anne Dobie, provost and chief operating officer at Alfred University. "All of our performing arts students are makers; makers of dance, makers of music, makers of theatre. By their interdisciplinary nature, the degrees reflect each of our core values of mentorship, intersections and inclusivity, and demonstrate our commitment to helping students realize their purpose. Our graduates will be prepared for a wide range of careers in the performing arts."