The Bachelor of Arts in Music program provides a broad education in music within a liberal arts context. Although students may elect to pursue special interests, the primary emphasis is on the development of basic musicianship, an ability to perform music and a broad knowledge of the foundations and principles of music as an art. The Bachelor of Arts in Music may be completed with an emphasis in musicology and world musics or an emphasis in music technology and media studies. Roughly 50% of Bachelor of Arts students are working on a second major outside of the College of Music.
Requirements
General Requirements
A minimum of 120 credit hours with an overall GPA of 2.00 must be earned for the BA in music degree. Of these credit hours, at least 68 (66 for musicology or music technology emphases) must be in non-music courses. Thirty must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. A minimum of 44 credit hours (51 for musicology or music technology emphases) is required in music courses.
In addition to the general requirements listed above, the following specific general education requirements must be met:
- Six credit hours of English composition.
- Three credit hours of Quantitative Reasoning and Mathematical Skills
- Twelve credit hours of Social Sciences
- Twelve credit hours of Natural Sciences.
- Basic proficiency in one foreign language equal to three semesters at the university level. This requirement also may be fulfilled by three years of study in high school in one language or by passing a university proficiency examination.
- Non-music requirements to fulfill the minimum requirement of credit hours outside of music.
The normal pattern for private applied instruction in this degree is one half-hour lesson per week for 2 credit hours. Not more than 16 credit hours (9 for musicology emphasis, 11 for music technology emphasis) in private instruction may be used toward the degree.
Students registered for applied music must participate in an ensemble as recommended by their applied faculty. A maximum of 4 credit hours (6 for musicology emphasis) in ensemble can apply to the BA in music degree.
A recital may be given with permission of the chair of the applied faculty area and the student's advisor.
Recommended Four-Year Plans of Study
General Program (No Emphasis)
Year One | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|
MUSC 1101 & MUSC 1111 | Semester 1 Theory and Semester 2 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 1121 & MUSC 1131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 1 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 2 | 2 |
MUSC 1802 | Introduction to Musical Styles and Ideas | 3 |
PMUS 1105 & PMUS 1205 | Keyboard Musicianship 1 and Keyboard-Musicianship 2 | 2 |
PMUS 1XXX | Applied Instruction | 4 |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Foreign language | 3 | |
Written communication | 6 | |
Non-music requirements | 6 | |
Credit Hours | 32 | |
Year Two | ||
MUSC 2101 & MUSC 2111 | Semester 3 Theory and Semester 4 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 2121 & MUSC 2131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 3 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 4 | 2 |
MUSC 2997 | Sophomore Proficiency | 1 |
PMUS 2XXX | Applied Instruction | 4 |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Non-music requirements | 18 | |
Credit Hours | 31 | |
Year Three | ||
MUSC 3802 & MUSC 3812 | History of Western Music 1 and History of Western Music 2 | 6 |
Upper-division music theory elective: MUSC 3081, MUSC 4001, MUSC 4011, MUSC 4021, MUSC 4061, MUSC 4071, MUSC 4111, MUSC 4121, MUSC 4141 or MUSC 4151. | 2 | |
Non-music requirements | 17 | |
Free electives | 4 | |
Credit Hours | 29 | |
Year Four | ||
4000 level electives in Musicology | 6 | |
Non-music requirements | 18 | |
Free electives | 4 | |
Credit Hours | 28 | |
Total Credit Hours | 120 |
Emphasis in Music Technology and Media Studies
Year One | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|
MUSC 1101 & MUSC 1111 | Semester 1 Theory and Semester 2 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 1121 & MUSC 1131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 1 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 2 | 2 |
MUSC 1802 | Introduction to Musical Styles and Ideas | 3 |
MUSC 2061 | Introduction to Music Technology | 3 |
PMUS 1105 & PMUS 1205 | Keyboard Musicianship 1 and Keyboard-Musicianship 2 | 2 |
PMUS 1XXX | Applied Instruction | 4 |
Written communication | 6 | |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Foreign language | 3 | |
Non-music requirements | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 32 | |
Year Two | ||
MUSC 2081 | Prepared for the Soundcheck | 2 |
MUSC 2091 | Recording Techniques | 2 |
MUSC 2101 & MUSC 2111 | Semester 3 Theory and Semester 4 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 2121 & MUSC 2131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 3 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 4 | 2 |
MUSC 2997 | Sophomore Proficiency | 1 |
PMUS 2XXX | Applied Instruction | 4 |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Non-music requirements | 12 | |
Free elective | 1 | |
Credit Hours | 30 | |
Year Three | ||
MUSC 3802 & MUSC 3812 | History of Western Music 1 and History of Western Music 2 | 6 |
MUSC 4111 | Composing at the Computer | 2 |
MUSC 4121 | Topics in Music Technology | 3 |
Non-music requirements | 18 | |
Free elective | 1 | |
Credit Hours | 30 | |
Year Four | ||
4000-level elective in musicology | 3 | |
Non-music requirements | 24 | |
Free elective | 1 | |
Credit Hours | 28 | |
Total Credit Hours | 120 |
Emphasis in Musicology and World Musics
Year One | Credit Hours | |
---|---|---|
MUSC 1101 & MUSC 1111 | Semester 1 Theory and Semester 2 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 1121 & MUSC 1131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 1 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 2 | 2 |
MUSC 1802 | Introduction to Musical Styles and Ideas | 3 |
PMUS 1105 & PMUS 1205 | Keyboard Musicianship 1 and Keyboard-Musicianship 2 | 2 |
PMUS 1XXX | Applied Instruction | 4 |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Written communication | 6 | |
Foreign language | 3 | |
Non-music requirements | 6 | |
Credit Hours | 32 | |
Year Two | ||
MUSC 2101 & MUSC 2111 | Semester 3 Theory and Semester 4 Theory | 4 |
MUSC 2121 & MUSC 2131 | Aural Skills Lab, Semester 3 and Aural Skills Lab, Semester 4 | 2 |
MUSC 2988 | Introduction to Music Research | 1 |
MUSC 2997 | Sophomore Proficiency | 1 |
PMUS 2XXX | Applied Instruction | 2 |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Non-music requirements | 15 | |
Free electives | 3 | |
Credit Hours | 30 | |
Year Three | ||
MUSC 3802 & MUSC 3812 | History of Western Music 1 and History of Western Music 2 | 6 |
MUSC 4168 | World Music Theories | 3 |
Upper-division music theory elective: MUSC 3081, MUSC 4001, MUSC 4011, MUSC 4021, MUSC 4061, MUSC 4071, MUSC 4111, MUSC 4121, MUSC 4141 or MUSC 4151. | 2 | |
Ensemble | 2 | |
Non-music requirements | 18 | |
Credit Hours | 31 | |
Year Four | ||
MUSC 4112 | Ethnomusicology | 3 |
4000-level elective in musicology | 6 | |
Non-music requirements | 18 | |
Credit Hours | 27 | |
Total Credit Hours | 120 |
Learning Outcomes
Students completing any of the bachelor of arts in music degree tracks are expected to acquire the ability to:
- Develop basic musicianship.
- Analyze and think critically about music.
- Broaden knowledge of the foundations and principles of music as an art.
- Demonstrate an understanding of theoretical studies, including sight-reading and ear training.
- Demonstrate an understanding of historical studies including the analysis of stylistic periods and music of non-Western cultures.