group of four students performing on stageUndergraduate Programs

If the performing arts are your passion, IUP will prepare you to make it, design it, write it, respond to it, and use it to change the world. 

Music

Music Education, BSEd

Music Performance, BFA

Music, BA (includes optional Music Industry Specialization)

Theatre

Theatre, BA with Concentrations in Performance, Design/Tech/Management, or Theory/Criticism

Musical Theatre, BA

Minors

Dance Minor

Music Minor

Theatre Minor

female student playing violinGraduate Programs

Whether your goal is to achieve your level II certification as a music teacher or heighten your musicianship for a career as a professional musician, IUP has the resources to bring your passion for music to its highest level.

MA in Music

Education Specialization, Music MA

Performance Specialization, Music MA

 

Certificates Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate/Non-Degree)

Applied Theatre and Performance Certificate

Popular Music Studies Certificate

Dance Pedagogy and Research Certificate

Pre-Dance Therapy and Dance Wellness Certificate

Dance Leadership and Women's and Gender Studies Certificate

Music, Theatre, and Dance Auditions

Register now for your music audition

All students interested in being a music major or minor are required to audition. Information about auditioning for the IUP Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance can be found on our Music Auditions page

Register now for your theatre audition

If you are accepted to IUP, you may declare a major in theatre without an audition. Auditions and portfolio reviews are required to be eligible for a Freshman Talent Scholarship.

Audition Dates for Fall 2026 Entrance:
  • Saturday, November 8, 2025
  • Saturday, January 31, 2026
  • Saturday, February 28, 2026
  • Saturday, March 28, 2026

All music, theatre, and dance majors are eligible for scholarships, which are determined based on your audition.

If you have any questions regarding scheduling an audition, please contact the department at 724-357-2397 or email Dawnette Shellhammer (dmshell@iup.edu).

All-Steinway School - Steinway and Sons Indiana University of Pennsylvania is an All-Steinway School and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and the National Association of Schools of Theater.

News

Acclaimed Pianist to Give All-Liszt Recital

Prize-winning pianist and associate professor of piano at East Carolina University School of Music, Kwan Yi will perform a piano recital featuring the complete “Years of Pilgrimage, 2nd year: Italy” by Franz Liszt. The recital will be on Tuesday, September 30, at 7:30 p.m. in Gorell Recital Hall, located on the second floor of Sutton Hall. Admission is free.

IUP String Project Accepting Applications for the Fall 2025 Semester

The IUP String Project, a community music education outreach program for children ages 5–18 in Indiana and the surrounding area, is now accepting applications for private lesson instruction on violin, viola, cello, and bass. Applications are due on September 1, 2025.

IUP Alumnus Strong Joins the Metropolitan Opera

Ben Strong graduated from IUP in 2020 with a bachelor of fine arts degree in vocal performance. In fall 2025, he will join the Metropolitan Opera as a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

IUP Names Sugg as Interim Director of IUP Marching Band and Associate Director of Bands

William Sugg, who has more than 15 years of experience in music education at the secondary and university levels with competitive and high-profile marching programs, has been named interim director of Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Marching Band and associate director of Bands.

Wong Doe and Jones Duo Release New Album

IUP piano professor Henry Wong Doe and British cellist Michael Kevin Jones have released their third duo album on HR Recordings, featuring the cello sonatas of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Prokofiev.