Dance Co-op

Dance Career Opportunities and Co-Op Program

The Dance major is designed for students to focus on one of three career options. Students wishing to change types of dance career focus throughout the course of the undergraduate curriculum are free to do so. Each option can lead to completion of the dance degree at the end of four years as well as offer graduate opportunities. Each option contains a co-op experience.

The Dance Co-Op program is based on employment in practical positions in the dance industry that are consistent with the interests and learned job skills relating to participating students in the Dance program. The benefits of the dance co-op include experiencing up to three different co-ops in the dance industry. Westphal Dance offers students three different co-op tracks within the dance industry. The Dance Co-op lasts six months and begins in the third year.

Career Opportunities

The Dance/Movement Therapy option is a four year B.S. degree in dance with a minor in psychology, with the option of continuing on to a two year MA in Creative Arts in Therapy in Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. Students interested in becoming a Dance/Movement Therapist will participate in a six month co-op during the spring and summer of their junior year. For this experience the students will work with a practicing dance/movement therapist, community dance artist or mental health professional in a mental health, social service, rehabilitation, medical, special education or community arts setting.

The Dance Certification option allows students to prepare for jobs as dance teachers in P-12 school settings in Pennsylvania. Students choosing this option will earn a BS degree in Dance with a license to teach dance through The Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students may elect to continue for a fifth year of study to earn an MS in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum through the Drexel School of Education. Students who successfully complete the five-year BS/MS option in education will then be recommended to the State for a Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate in the area of K-4 Elementary Education as a secondary area to their dance certification.

The Dance and Physical Therapy option is a four year B.S. degree in dance, with the option of continuing on to a three year DPT in Physical Therapy at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. Students focusing on careers involving dance and physical therapy will participate in a six month cop-op experience working in a setting with a professional physical therapist including private practice, professional dance companies, hospitals or out-patient treatment centers.

Benefits for All Types of Dance Careers

Students in all career options, including those not continuing on to graduate programs, have the option to create their own co-op experiences based on interest and abilities. Independent co-ops have included internships with professional dance companies, dance service organizations and co-op abroad opportunities.

Because of the Dance Co-Op Program, Drexel students graduate having already built a professional network, and they typically receive higher starting salaries from various dance oriented jobs than their typical dance internship counterparts from other schools in Philadelphia.

Drexel Quarter System: How Co-Op Works

Drexel University operates on a quarter system in order to accommodate Co-Op. Co-Op cycles are assigned during first year and either run during fall/winter quarters or spring/summer quarters, allowing students to take classes in the alternate quarters.

For more information on how Drexel's Co-Op system works, please visit the Co-Op page.

The Value of a Co-Op in the Dance Industry

For more information on co-op and postgraduate opportunities visit:

Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center

Next Steps

Apply to Drexel Westphal's Dance Major

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