Founded in 1941, the Mills Dance Department offers the oldest ongoing dance program in the country, and a graduate program of national renown. Located in one of the largest dance centers in the United States, Mills is at the heart of a vibrant urban dance community. The longevity of our program and its international reputation are testaments to the quality of instruction and the successful philosophy that guides our curriculum.

We offer two graduate degrees in dance, including:

MA in Dance
MFA in Dance

The strength of our degrees comes from our unique combination of creative and critical dance studies, choreography, and performance practices. Simply put, we stretch the mind as well as the body. We work with students to become articulate artists who can express themselves both creatively and through critical discourse. We help them hone their skills in performance, choreography, research, and dance writing, both critical and scholarly.

The Mills Dance Program is highly selective. We intentionally keep classes small to provide the one-on-one interaction that is the hallmark of a Mills education. This is particularly significant because of the professional caliber of the faculty and visiting artists who teach in our program. Students have the opportunity to work with accomplished dancers, choreographers, and scholars who offer a broad and varied base of experience in diverse dance forms. Our enviable location in the San Francisco Bay Area connects students to a lively dance scene for artistic inspiration and professional opportunities. The Dance Department forges new and ongoing collaborations with renowned dance artists of the Bay Area, affording students opportunities to work with esteemed local organizations. National guest artists are also invited to Mills to offer master classes and to choreograph for the annual Repertory Company season.