Dance Education

The EdD in Dance Education doctoral program at Teachers College is the only doctoral program in the nation focused on pedagogical and educational research in dance. Our community affirms dance as an essential form of embodied experience that shapes learning across diverse global contexts. Through dance education experiences people of all ages imagine, create, think critically, collaborate, understand culture, shape identity, and communicate meaning about human experiences. Our doctoral community welcomes experienced dance educators who celebrate many dance traditions and aim to transform the next generation of dance education through impactful work with adult stakeholders in the field. 

In preparing doctoral students as teacher educators, researchers, and leaders, our core mission is to cultivate educational experts that forge new pathways in dance education that are accessible, inclusive, equitable, and excellent for all learners. Our doctoral students are interested in educating K-12 dance educators, classroom teachers, teaching artists, studio dance educators, college students, university instructors, as well as administrators and policy makers. As researchers, our doctoral students examine a wide range of educational issues impacting underrepresented sectors of the field, such as K-12 urban education, community college learners, and university dance teacher preparation for example. During integrated course-work, we critically examine historical assumptions and contemporary contexts, engage in collaborative dialogue and discourse, and enact socially just practices and policies. “Dance for All” has been the core philosophical identity at Teachers College for over 100 years.

Nested in the arts mecca of the world, the doctoral program brings together renowned faculty from across the college with the vibrant dance community of New York City. Teachers College is recognized by scholars as a primary incubator for the development of dance education as a field in PK-12 schools and universities and it has played a principal role in cultivating and empowering dance education leaders since the early 1900s.  As the nation’s premier institution in the teaching of teachers in all fields, Teachers College is the ideal place to earn a doctorate in dance education and to join the legacy of dance education leadership. 

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Click the image below to watch a video about the Dance Education Program