Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and Point Park University Partnership
Earn your B.F.A. in dance in two years.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and Point Park University are pleased to offer a new joint higher education program that allows students to earn a B.F.A. in dance in only two years. Receive technical dance instruction from PBT School’s expert instructors and fulfill academic requirements through Point Park’s exceptional classes.
Why Choose PBT School and Point Park?
PBT School is recognized as one of the nation’s finest schools for dance education and training. All of PBT School’s instructors are certified through level five in the American Ballet Theatre curriculum, which embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of training. Under the leadership of School Director Marjorie Grundvig and PBT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe, PBT School provides a diverse, classically based curriculum that focuses on the dancer as a whole person and nurtures them into creative, confident and well-rounded individuals.
Point Park University, immersed in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh and just minutes away from PBT School’s studios, focuses on student success through innovative experiential learning opportunities. Both full-time and part-time students enrolled in this program will enjoy the perks of Point Park campus life, including access to student resources, academic support and the opportunity to be featured in Point Park’s annual production of ChoreoLab.
PBT School Director Marjorie Grundvig, Point Park University Dean of the Conservatory of Performing Arts Garfield Lemonius and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Susan Jaffe
FAQs
What is the application process?
To participate in this partnership, students must first audition for, be accepted into, and register for PBT’s Graduate program, after which they must apply for, be accepted into, and register for Point Park’s academic program.
Information about upcoming auditions at PBT School can be found on the “Auditions” page of our website.
Students who are already enrolled in PBT School’s Pre-Professional program do not need to audition, but will need to apply to Point Park University in order to enroll in this program.
The Point Park application can be found on the Point Park website. Students should select “Online degrees”, create an account for an online degree application, then select “Undergraduate” → “Freshman Online” → “Dance BFA Ballet Online” and choose full-time or part-time enrollment status.
Please note that this program includes only academic coursework at Point Park. It does not include studio dance courses. All studio dance courses for this program must be completed at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. Students who wish to take Point Park studio dance classes should apply for artistic admission to Point Park’s Dance BFA program.
What are the important deadlines?
The PBT deadline for enrollment in the Graduate program is May 15th of each year. This timeline may be extended depending on individual student circumstances.
Applications for Point Park academic programs are accepted on a rolling basis.
Students wishing to apply for FAFSA and Pennsylvania students wishing to apply for state grants must submit their applications by May 1st for the fall 2022 semester.
What is the cost of the program?
Tuition charges for the program are separately charged for PBT and Point Park. The figures below are estimates as of March 2022 and are subject to change.
PBT School’s annual Graduate program tuition for the 2022-2023 school year is $6,454.
Point Park University’s estimated total tuition for this program, over 2-3 years, is $29,135 plus fees. This is made up of $20,160 in online tuition plus $8,975 for experiential learning credits. The tuition at Point Park is subject to change each year.
How are classes held?
All classes will be held online, allowing students to proceed at their own pace and best balance their academic course load with the demands of a rigorous dance training schedule.
What Point Park University resources are available to students in this program?
Students will have access to Point Park’s student center and library, as well as on-campus academic advisers. Housing on campus is not available.
What is the course load?
Students may select full-time (12+ credits) or part-time coursework to suit what is best for them. These decisions will be made in conjunction with a Point Park academic advisor. In general, it is recommended that students begin part-time and increase their course load as they are able.
Two sample possible course loads for the 2022-23 academic year are listed below:
POINT PARK – PART TIME
August 28 – October 21, 2022: 2 classes
January 8 – March 3, 2023: 1 class
March 5 – April 28, 2023: 1 class
POINT PARK – FULL TIME
August 29 – October 21, 2022: 2 classes
October 23 – December 16, 2022: 2 classes
January 8 – March 3, 2023: 2 classes
March 5 – April 28, 2023: 2 classes
Can credits be transferred from other universities?
Generally speaking, Point Park does accept transfer credits. However, due to the particular requirements of this partnership, academic courses taken at other universities cannot be applied to or transferred to the specific degree requirements. All academic requirements must be completed at Point Park University for this program.
What is a sample timeline for completing the program?
Students must complete two years in the PBT Graduate program and the required academic courses at Point Park in order to finish their BFA degree.
Students must have good standing at both institutions. PBT and Point Park will conjointly evaluate each student throughout the year.
The full academic requirements at Point Park can be found in this document.
The pertinent information for PBT partnership students can be found in the top section, which shows the University Core Curriculum as well as the Thematic Core.
All university students must take the Core Curriculum classes of COMM 101 (Oral Communication & Presentation) and English 101 (College Composition). The Thematic Core consists of academic courses geared towards dance (History of Dance, Kinesiology, etc). The Thematic Core is flexible, and students will work in conjunction with their academic advisor to select the best courses for them that fulfill the requirements.
The dance major requirements found in the remainder of the document will be fulfilled by classes at PBT School.
Who can I contact for more information?
Questions may be directed to the PBT School Registrar and Database Manager, Laura Caton, via email at lcaton@pittsburghballet.org or phone at 412-281-0360.