Arts Management Minor
Advantages
Combine your love of visual and performing arts with an eye toward the business side of the field.
Outcome
Theatre Stage Manager
Undergraduate Major
Visual & Performing Arts Major (BA)
As a visual and performing arts major, you'll hone your craft with a music, dance, visual art, or arts administration specialization while developing critical and creative thinking skills.
At a Glance
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Offered as
Major
4+1 Bachelor's + Master's
College/School
Campus Location
- Chester, PA
Explore the Visual and Performing Arts Major
Majoring in visual and performing arts will prepare you for many creative career paths as you explore expressions and hone techniques in either arts administration, dance, music, or visual arts.
Why Fine Arts?
- You'll learn to communicate your unique understandings and interpretations of concepts and ideas to a larger audience.
- Each semester, you'll put your work on display through collaborations with distinguished professional artists.
- You'll acquire skills employers are looking for across all industries, like the ability to listen, communicate, and think critically and analytically about diverse perspectives.
- You'll have the option to participate in rewarding internships, civic engagement opportunities, and study abroad to enhance your creative work.
Upon graduation, your diverse portfolio of work and engaged learning experiences will enhance any career path you choose.
Fine Arts Major Program Options
Visual and performing arts students study art history, music history, and dance, developing skills in critical thinking and analysis through classroom discussions, scholarly essays and research papers, and formal presentations. A senior portfolio, performance, or other project will complete your visual arts degree.
View Loading... for all visual and performing arts majors.
All visual and performing arts majors will select an area of specialization to focus on.
Arts Administration
Dream of running your own gallery or studio one day? You can combine your love of fine arts with an eye toward the business side of the field with an arts administration specialization. You'll take classes in the arts and in the School of Business Administration, preparing you for work in not-for-profit arts organizations and beyond.
Dance, Music, or Visual Art
Each of these three areas of focus will allow you to hone your craft in devoted studio time while also exploring the history of the field in discussion-based classes.
In addition to selecting an area of visual and performing arts specialization, you'll also have the option to pursue a specialization in digital humanities no matter which fine arts subject you choose to study.
Digital humanities is a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field that seeks to apply humanistic reasoning and research to important questions related to technology, such as social sustainability, big data, and privacy. Work in digital humanities includes public humanities, data mining/visualization, web design, textual analysis, educational technology, and ethics and technology.
View curriculum and coursework requirements for the digital humanities specialization.
While many double major options are possible, communication studies is a natural pairing for visual and performing arts majors. With specializations in multimedia and broadcast journalism, film studies, graphic design, and more, adding a double major in communications can bring a whole new dimension to your work.
View Loading... for the visual and performing arts and communication studies double major.
Widener's pre-professional pathways give you the flexibility to follow your interests while preparing for a professional career.
Visual and performing arts can participate in the following pathways:
- Pre-Dental
- Pre-Law*
- Pre-Medical
- Pre-Occupational Therapy
- Pre-Pharmacy
- Pre-Physical Therapy
- Pre-Veterinary
*Students with a high level of academic potential may be eligible for the “3 + 3” program with a Widener law school where you can earn a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts and a juris doctor degree in just six years.
Take Your Fine Arts Degree Further
At Widener, you can earn a bachelor's and a master's degree with only one additional year of study—regardless of your chosen major. Through our Accelerated Advantage 4+1 program, you'll earn your bachelor's of choice and choose from a range of master's degrees that will enhance your job opportunities and prepare you for rapid career growth—all while saving you time and money.
It's never too early to get real-world work experience to set you apart from the crowd and dive deeper into your discipline! Worried about scoring a paid internship? Worry, no more! Widener's Experience MORE! program can help bridge the gap between unpaid or underpaid experiences.
After perfecting your résumé and cover letter with the help of Widener’s Career Design & Development team, you'll work to score an internship and apply for the Experience MORE! program to get the financial support you need to pursue the internship of your dreams. If selected as an awardee, you will receive a grant to subsidize your internship work.
Pair Your Fine Arts Major with a Minor or Certificate
Career Outlook & Outcomes for Fine Arts Majors
Why Study Visual and Performing Arts at Widener?
Grow Your Arts Network
Beyond the classroom, you're encouraged to join music and dance performance groups on campus. From the marching band to the gospel choir, The FreshBaked Children's Theatre Company to Widener Dance Company, you'll become a leader collaborating with your peers to put on spectacular performances each semester.
Learn Beyond the Classroom
Widener is home to a thriving network of artists with guest speakers and new events each semester. Plus with the world-class Philly arts scene just a short ride away, you'll constantly be visiting world-class museums and watching renowned music and dance performances. You can even snag an internship at institutions like the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology.
As you explore your creative expression, you'll have the chance to organize community events like the Dance for Parkinson's program. Or, take your work even further through a study abroad program. There's no telling where your fine arts degree will take you.
Experience Mentorship & Support From Day One
We want to get to know you and see you succeed. Professors will pay attention to how you learn and what you want to accomplish. Your Personal Student Success Team—faculty and peer mentors and liaisons for campus resources—will make sure your first year runs smoothly.
Without skipping a beat, you’ll have what you need to make Widener your second home. And you’ll know how to invest in the greater community, from professional opportunities in Philadelphia to volunteer experiences in your new backyard.
Lean more about faculty mentorship
Explore resources for academic & career support
Find support for health & wellbeing
Our Faculty
"I like to emphasize speaking Spanish in and outside of class. For example, my students regularly have video conferences with college students from Latin America and Spain, and I organize and lead summer trips to Mexico where I’ve been conducting research for years."
In Widener’s visual and performing arts program, you’ll learn to appreciate arts and culture with a grounded and well-rounded outlook.
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Admissions & Aid
Our admissions and financial aid teams are here to support you every step of the way. Have a question? Ask away!
Admissions
Applying to Widener is easy—and free! Simply complete our Widener Application or the Common Application. You'll also need your official high school transcript and either an admissions essay or your SAT/ACT scores. We're a test-optional school, so there's no need to submit both.
Know you're interested in applying to Widener but unsure if you're ready to zero-in on a major? You can apply as an Exploratory Studies student with an undecided major. This program will help you start your college journey on the right foot while you explore which undergraduate program is the right fit for you.
When to Apply
We accept applications on a rolling basis—there are no hard deadlines. Apply when you're ready and we'll take a look as soon as we receive your app.
Key dates to keep in mind:
- October 1: FAFSA opens for the next academic year (Widener's school code is 003313)
- November 1: Early Action deadline and decision notifications begin
What to Expect After Applying
Once we receive your application and all materials, you can expect to hear back from us quickly. Along with your application decision, you'll also find out about any merit-based scholarship awards. You're automatically considered for merit scholarships as soon as you apply—you don't need to apply separately.
If you apply before November 1, you are considered an Early Action applicant which comes with benefits like:
- Receiving your admissions decision by Thanksgiving
- Early consideration for merit-based scholarships
- Early notification of financial aid offers, including need-based awards
- Priority enrollment for summer registration—where you sign up for classes!
All applications are non-binding, so why wait? Apply today!
Our admissions team will help you make the most of college-level credits earned after high school. We maintain strong partnerships and articulation agreements with numerous local community colleges and also accept a wide range of course credits earned at accredited colleges and universities.
Curious about how many credits may transfer? Email your transcripts to transfer@widener.edu and our transfer coordinator will personally review your coursework as an unofficial credit evaluation. Applicants are given priority during busy seasons, but you don't have to apply to work with our transfer coordinator.
Transferring doesn't have to be a guessing game—share your stats and we'll take it from there!
Widener University serves as a "second home" for students from around the world. We are located just outside of Philadelphia and close to New York City and Washington, D.C.—offering many unique professional and personal opportunities to explore.
Want to know what it's like to be an international student on campus or need assistance navigating English proficiency requirements? We're here to help, and our international admissions director will support you through the application process.
This support doesn't end with admissions—our International Student Support team will serve as a valuable resource throughout your Widener journey—meeting Visa/immigration requirements, getting acclimated to campus, and much more.
Financial Aid
Because Widener is a private institution, we're able to offer financial assistance that brings an exceptional education within reach. Complete your admissions application today to determine your financial aid package, including scholarships and grants.
Submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step to getting you the financial assistance to make the cost of college—an investment in your future—affordable. This free, online application is the gateway to grants, loans, and other forms of financial aid. Every year, the U.S. Department of Education offers billions of dollars in financial aid to eligible students. Widener gets in on the action, too, annually awarding aid to students with need.
You and at least one parent or caregiver will need a separate FSA ID to access the Federal Student Aid's online system and serve as your legal signatures. Make sure to create your unique FSA IDs before you get started. Our school code is 003313.
Paths to Savings
Nearly 100% of Undergrad Students Receive Financial Aid
Nearly 100% of new full-time undergraduate students receive significant financial aid offers that reduce out-of-pocket costs and make a Widener education not only affordable, but well worth the investment. In fact, once your total financial aid is calculated, the cost of a Widener education is often equal to if not lower than other competitive universities–but with far superior outcomes for your career and earning potential.
The first step to see how much aid you qualify for is submitting the FAFSA.
Scholarships Start at $90,000 Over 4 Years
(including $20,000 per academic year for transfer students)
Funding you don't have to pay back after graduation? That's a win-win! Scholarships and grants are a way for the university and other organizations to honor the academic, merit, and talent-based achievements of our students.
4+1 Students Save Time & Tuition
In the Accelerated Advantage 4+1 program, you can save up to a year of tuition by pursuing a master's degree—resulting in thousands of dollars in savings. During your fifth year of study, you can also apply for graduate-level scholarships and assistantships to further reduce education costs. To learn more about graduate scholarships and assistantships, please speak with your academic advisor during the spring semester of your senior year.
Undergraduate Admissions Office
-
Muller Hall
- 888-WIDENER
- admissions.office@widener.edu
Visual & Performing Arts Department
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Kapelski Learning Center, Room 305
- 610-499-4342
- plgoldberg@widener.edu
Paul L. Goldberg
Associate Dean of Humanities
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Kapelski Learning Center
Room 305 - (610) 499-4342
- plgoldberg@widener.edu