Upon the establishment of the Lewis Center for the Arts and throughout the prior histories of the academic programs within the Center – Creative Writing, Dance, Theater & Music Theater, and Visual Arts — there has been a conscious philosophical intent to offer study in these art forms as a certificates (offered through the Class of 2024) and as minors (offered for the Class of 2025 and beyond), rather than a major area of concentration. The Lewis Center faculty believe the arts are best studied at the undergraduate level within the context of a broader exploration of the world through a liberal arts education.
Minors offered through the Lewis Center for the Arts
Rather than obtaining a degree as a student does in their major department, students can earn minors from Lewis Center programs in the following areas of study:
Interested students may pursue a minor in one or more of these programs.
Each program has its own expectations, goals for student learning, course requirements, and in some cases, senior independent work or additional technical work. The programs offer substantial opportunities for minors to deeply immerse themselves in the artform. Many students who minor in the Lewis Center’s programs enter the professional arts world upon graduation.
Minors may be:
- Seamlessly integrated with a major, as in a major in Art & Archaeology in the Practice of Art track, a collaboration between the Program in Visual Arts and the Department of Art & Archaeology
- Complementary, such as a music major pursuing a minor in theater and staging an original musical as senior independent work
- Just because! Some students simply have a passion for art, like a molecular biology major who chooses to earn a minor in creative writing, or bring the skills developed through the arts to another field of study.
Apply for a Minor
The procedure to apply for a minor may differ from program to program, so please consult the program(s) in which you may be interested for details.
- For a minor in creative writing, students must apply for the minor in the spring of junior year in order to undertake advised senior independent work.
- For the minor in dance, there is no competitive application process but students must register for the minor during the spring of sophomore year.
- For the minor in theater & music theater, no application, audition, or portfolio submissions are required, however students must register for the minor during the fall of junior year.
- For a minor in visual arts or to major in the Practice of Art track, students apply in the spring of sophomore year through a highly selective process based on portfolio review and quality of work; accepted students undertake senior independent work with a public showing such as an exhibition or screening.