MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS News) - Inside the dance studios at Middle Tennessee State University’s Murphy Center, the workday starts long before any audience arrives. Students move through combinations again and again, adjusting a hand here, a turn there, chasing the kind of ease that only comes from hours of repetition. What looks effortless on stage is built on discipline, problem‑solving, and the same physical and mental stamina expected of any athlete on campus.

This is the heart of MTSU’s Dance Program—the only public university dance major in Tennessee and one of the newest nationally accredited programs in the nation.

For Program Director and Associate Professor Jade Treadwell, the story begins with access. She says it’s rare for students in Tennessee to walk into a public university and earn a bachelor’s degree in dance. At MTSU, they study technique, choreography, dance science, pedagogy, technology, and performance in a curriculum designed to open multiple career paths.

College of Liberal Arts Dean Leah Tolbert Lyons sees the program as a natural extension of public higher education. She says dance students develop the same core academic foundation as any other major, along with durable skills like leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking.

Students arrive with all kinds of backgrounds—some with years of studio training, others stepping into a dance class for the first time. Many, like recent graduate Julia Peasall, discover the major after starting somewhere else. Peasall transferred to MTSU two weeks into her freshman year, realizing she couldn’t leave dance behind. She says the program’s mix of technique, creativity, and teaching preparation shaped her future.

Accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Dance, earned in 2023, underscores the program’s rigor. Technique classes demand focus and stamina. Rehearsals mirror professional company life. Choreography courses require research, revision, and original work. Students perform, teach, create, and travel to festivals and conferences, including the American College Dance Association, where MTSU earned a coveted final‑concert spot in 2025.

Housed alongside MTSU Athletics, the program embraces dance as both art and athletic discipline. Treadwell says the mindset is the same: show up, push your limits, and grow.

As the program approaches its 10‑year mark, faculty are focused on expanding facilities, scholarships, and youth programming. Treadwell says the goal is simple—prepare students for the future of dance and build a program strong enough to last a century.