The University of Arizona
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DNC 909 Master's Report

MFA Final Project Proposal in Dance

Students who have completed their Candidacy Semester of DNC 694A and have received a letter from the Graduate Advisor confirming that the candidacy requirement is passed, may submit their Final Project Proposal at the earliest convenient date.

Committee for the Final Project Proposal

For the Final Project, the student should select three members of the dance faculty as committee members for their project. At least two of these committee members must either be tenure track or approved by the Graduate College. One of these three faculty should be designated as the chair of the committee and must be a dance faculty.

The chair of the committee is responsible for

  • Setting and chairing meetings regarding the approval of the Final Project Proposal
  • Making sure that a copy of the proposal with the signed signature page is placed in the student’s file
  • Serving as the main advisor for the project by monitoring the candidate’s progress and degree completion.
  • Chairing the Final Oral Exam and making sure that the examination procedures are followed and that the examination is rigorous. (See guidelines for the final oral exam.)
  • Submitting the results of the defense to the Graduate College as well as the final, cumulative marks for DNC909,

The Graduate Advisor(s) need not be committee member(s), but have the responsibility to see that deadlines and mechanics in support of the candidate's degree completion are met.

It is possible to have another faculty serve as a fourth mentor for the Final Project and oral exam. However, they will not sign the Completion of Degree Requirements form.

By petition to the Graduate College, one of the three committee members may be someone from outside of the university.  This “outside” member of the committee may be someone representing a special area of study in the candidate's student career who has mentored or assisted the student in her or his work leading to, and influencing, the project. The chair of the committee would need to submit a Request to Approve Special Membership on Graduate Student Examination Committees form (see https://grad.arizona.edu/My_GradColl/Forms) and receive approval from the Graduate College for this committee member to serve prior to the student submitting the Final Project Proposal.

Occasionally, students will have worked extensively with a faculty member outside of the department and would like this faculty to serve on their final project committee. As long as this faculty member is tenure-track or approved by the Graduate College, they may serve on the Final Project Committee with the approval of the Graduate Advisors.

Procedures for Submitting the Final Project Proposal

With the candidate, the Project Chairperson will set a date for the committee to meet with the candidate to review the proposal. At the meeting, all elements of the project will be reviewed, adjustments or redesigns made, contracts and commitments secured as appropriate.  Revisions of the project (if any) must be made by the candidate according to the recommendations made by committee.

The approved version of the Final Project Proposal should be dated and signed by all members of the faculty who are being requested to serve as committee members for the project.

Registration for the Final Project

Registration for DNC909 may be for up to 6 units of credit in fall and spring semesters, and up to 3 units of credit each in pre-session and summer sessions I and II.

The MFA degree in Dance requires a total of between 5 and 9 unit hours credit under DNC909.  

The number of unit hours for each candidate is determined by the approximate number of working hours devoted to the specific project; the ratio being 30 working hours for each unit hour (i.e., 150 working hours for 5 units credit to 270 working hours for 9 units.)  Included in the working hours:  planning time, preparation for rehearsals and rehearsals, production preparation and presentation of final report, and other time directly related to the project.

The semesters and sessions in which the candidate registers for DNC909 and the number of unit hours for which the candidate registers in any given semester need not correspond directly to the candidate's working schedule.  In other words, the candidate may register for the bulk of unit hours in a semester in which she or he is putting in fewer working hours on the project or vice-versa; or may, for financial reasons, register for units over the summer sessions after the project has been performed or before rehearsals begin, etc.

The project is graded (S, P, C, D, or E) for the whole number of units for which the candidate has registered, cumulatively, and is graded at the completion of her or his oral defense following the performance of all elements of the project. Units of DNC909 are carried on the candidate's transcript with the holding mark of "K" until the oral defense is completed.

Final Project Proposal Requirements

The candidate's Final Project Proposal must be submitted and approved within the first three weeks of the semester in which the Final Project is scheduled to occur.

The Project Proposal must be in writing according to the following format:

COVER PAGE:
  • Candidate's name and Student ID number.
  • Intended date of completion of all degree requirements (May, August, or December and year.)
  • Names of committee members you request, indicating which is to be your chairperson.
  • Candidate's signature and date of submission of the proposal to the committee.
  • Provide lines for signatures of committee members
Second Page
  • List of any course deficiencies (from original admission form) and any marks of incomplete that are outstanding. Indicate the semester, session or date you will complete the requirements.
  • List intended registration schedule for the remaining semesters and sessions of your candidacy.
Third Page

Current unofficial transcript.

Fourth page

Copy of approved Plan of Study submitted to Graduate College.

Section I
  • Introduction: The introduction should provide a brief description of the project and indicate the medium for evaluation (Performance, faculty showing etc.)
  • Purpose Statement
  • Problem Statements
  • Assumptions
  • Inspiration for the work
  • Evaluation Criteria
Section II

Schedule
Outline of working schedule; including audition dates, rehearsal periods, performance dates, collaboration schedules, deadlines, etc.

Section III

Budget

Budget; including expenses by categories: rentals, costumes, printing and marketing costs, royalties, postage, services and supplies, transportation, stipends, miscellaneous (itemized); and projected income sources.

Budget must be "zero based;" i.e., if expenses exceed incomes, the candidate is responsible for the difference.

Oral Exam

ALL candidates must complete a Final Oral Examination following the presentation of the final project. Your committee chairperson conducts the examination on a date that you have priorly arranged for.  The date may not be later than the last day of the semester or session in which you are graduating.  The last day of a semester or session is the last day of examinations. The Completion of Degree Requirements form, must be completed, signed and dated at the completion of the examination and submitted to the Graduate College by the Committee Chairperson. The candidate is responsible for bringing a copy of the Completion of Degree Requirements form. The form should be filled out and any course deletions/additions indicated. You can download the form at https://grad.arizona.edu/Current_Students/ under Forms.

For December and May graduations, the candidate must be registered for at least 3 unit hours in graduate level studies for the semester. The general rule is that the candidate must be registered for the semester or session in which she/he takes the Final Oral Examination.  For an August graduation, the candidate must be registered for at least one (1) unit of graduate level study in the summer session in which her/his Final Oral Examination takes place.

The Oral Exam must last at least 2 hours and no more than 3 hours.  The candidate has 45 minutes to make an oral presentation about their work.  During the presentation the candidate should discuss the artistic goals of their graduate work and how their coursework, progress, candidacy, and final projects supported those goals.  In addition the candidate should describe problems with the projects and how they were resolved and discuss whether the evaluation criteria were met. It is possible that your Committee Chairperson or committee members may give the candidate questions to consider prior to the exam. However, they are not required to do so.

At the completion of the Final Oral Examination, the committee will determine the mark for the project: S (superior), P (passing), or E (fail).  If you are currently enrolled in DNC 909 the mark is entered on the semester's final grade sheet for that course.  In addition, at the completion of the oral examination, all previous enrollments in DNC 909  must be graded with change-of-grade forms removing the "K" and replacing it with the "S," "P," or "E."

Following the completion of the oral examination, the student should schedule an exit interview with the Graduate Advisor.