Undergraduate Studies

The Department of Music offers undergraduate programs to students who wish to study music within a strong liberal arts curriculum as well as to those who choose to specialize in composition, history, performance, theory, or preparation for graduate training in public school teaching.

The Bachelor of Arts program provides a focus on music in the context of a broad education in the liberal arts. Students completing this degree are prepared for graduate study in music, though many successfully pursue further training and/or employment in professional fields such as arts administration, business, law, librarianship, and medicine. Many B.A. candidates are double majors.

The Bachelor of Music degree places emphasis on specialized training in music. This program is designed for (but not limited to) students who hope subsequently to become music teachers or pursue graduate study in music performance, composition, or research.

Students in both programs may pursue pathways in areas such as composition, jazz studies, music history, music theory, performance, or popular music. The Department also offers academic courses designed for non-majors (for which an ability to read musical notation is not required), many of which satisfy various General Education requirements. In addition, any University student may be eligible to take applied lessons in an instrument or voice and may participate in the Department’s performance ensembles (orchestras, choirs, wind ensembles, athletic bands, jazz groups, etc.), in either case for credit.