jpbdance may have a point here... I teach ballroom at a local studio in the evenings about 4 nights a week. I have not made more than $35.00 per hour for my teaching time yet. I am a certified instructor so that helps in getting me a higher rate of pay. It also helps that I am teaching the correct material at the correcr level for my student. Over the years I have used my dancing as a fall back between jobs. To meet new people when I was in a new area. It has always provided me wiht ample travel oppertunities. So yes your tuition dollars are bound to give you a better return if you take european history of the dark ages or some equally important course.

Thanks Bruce,

I was under the mistaken impression there were 2 BYU campuses.

OB

BYU does have a really good college for dance. There is a caveat there, and it is that it can be very hard to get in if you aren't a mormon. You can be the best student in the world, but if you aren't LDS that can hurt you. I would venture a guess that it is the same with USVC, the town has a HUGE polygamist presence there.

As an individual with a Ph.D. I would say...take the classes that make you happy...whether to major minor or as liberal arts or electives...most colleges require 120 credits so find a way to get the classes you will actually enjoy.

I graduated from BYU in Ballroom Dance. It's a great school.
UVSC is second only to BYU.

LDS issues at BYU:
*There are indeed ballroom students who come there who aren't LDS.
*Tuition is higher if not LDS, like out-of-state tuition, but still lower than many state schools. (Why is tuition higher? Faithful LDS members donate 10% of their income to the Church and the Church uses a part of those funds to offset LDS tuition).
*You must agree to live by Mormon moral standards while attending BYU: No alcohol, no smoking, no un-wed sex. If you fudge, you're expelled; permanently, I believe.
*Note: There are no polygamists in Provo or Orem. (Or if there really are, they hide so well you'd have a better chance winning the lottery than meeting one. I lived there for 7 years and never so much as heard of one.) The polygamists everyone likes to rave about are excommunicated, rogue Mormons living in remote parts of southern Utah.

Career/degree considerations:
*You need no degree whatsoever, nor will a degree aid you in professional teaching at a studio. They are interested in skills only: selling, teaching, dancing (in that order).
*To teach dance in High School you need a teaching certificate, not a dance degree; though that may be helpful.
*To teach dance in college you need a masters. BYU, I believe, does not currently offer a Masters in dance; though a bachelors with Ballroom emphasis or a Ballroom minor is available.
*To compete successfully, you will gain much more from private lessons and practice than you will from college classes. But college classes are a much cheaper way to build the basic skills.
*BYU has the largest and best college program in the US, followed by UVSC. There is also a lot of performance opportunity with the Ballroom Dance performing teams. The rest of the Dance program is, as a whole, among the best in the US and extremely well-rounded (though many schools surpass them in Ballet or Modern technique).
*Dancing in college will place you in a fun community. If you are looking for a social ballroom atmosphere, BYU or UVSC definitely offer that opportunity

Good luck.