BA in Performance Studies in New York United States | New York University

The Performance Studies Department's undergraduate program offers a liberal arts education centered on examining and interpreting diverse behaviors as forms of performance. Emerging in the 1980s through Richard Schechner's groundbreaking integration of cultural anthropology and theater studies, this field has become one of the humanities' most creative interdisciplinary areas. Performance Studies rigorously examines both traditional performing arts—including dance, theater, body art, circus, and opera—and everyday social performances within their cultural and historical frameworks.

NYU's Performance Studies program holds the National Research Council's top ranking in Theater and Performance Studies. Alumni leverage this versatile degree in multiple directions: as a broad liberal arts foundation comparable to Cultural Anthropology or Gender/Ethnic Studies, or as professional preparation for careers in arts administration, curation, dramaturgy, criticism, or academic research. Many graduates advance to graduate programs spanning Performance Studies, Theater/Dance, Gender/Sexuality Studies, Ethnic Studies, and various social sciences including Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, Social Work, and Law.