The bachelor of arts in music degree has as its goal 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 or without an emphasis in musicology and world musics.
Students may elect to pursue a degree in a nonmusic field in addition to a music degree. This is most often done with a BA in music; double degrees typically require more than four years to complete.
A minimum of 120 semester hours with an overall GPA of 2.00 must be earned for the BA in music degree. Of these hours, at least 68 (66 for musicology emphasis) must be in nonmusic courses. Thirty must be at the 3000 or 4000 level. A minimum of 44 hours (50 for musicology emphasis) is required in music courses.
The normal pattern for private applied instruction in this degree is one half-hour lesson per week for 2 semester hours of credit. Not more than 16 semester hours (12 for musicology emphasis) of credit 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.
In addition to the general requirements listed above, the following specific requirements must be met:
For the BA in music degree, students must complete the courses listed below. More detail is given on the degree sheet available from the associate dean of undergraduate studies.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
The four-year professional curriculum leading to the bachelor of music degree emphasizes creative skill, academic achievement, and artistic performance in music. Concentration areas are offered in performance, composition, musicology, and jazz studies. Performance areas include voice, piano, jazz piano, organ, harpsichord, string instruments, harp, classical guitar, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
A half recital in the junior year and a full recital in the senior year are required of students in the performance concentration areas, except voice theatre. Students should check with their advisor about preview policies.
A thesis is required of students in the composition and musicology areas. For composition students, the thesis should be an original composition; for musicology students, a major paper. Students should check with their advisor for details.
A senior project is required of students in the voice theatre area. This project may be a senior recital, major role, or direction or design of a major show.
Specific performance group requirements are controlled by the degree plan in each concentration area and are subject to the advisor’s judgment in the best interest of the student.
The bachelor of music degrees include requirements in theory, history, and literature of music. Elective study in most degrees requires 30 nonmusic credits, including 3 in English composition, and 12 free electives that may be music or non-music courses. A suggested course sequence is shown below. (More detail is given on the degree sheets available on the undergraduate studies website at music.colorado.edu/students/undergraduate-advising.)
Students pursuing the bachelor of music degree will be required to take one 3-hour course in English composition through the Program for Writing and Rhetoric or the English department. Courses such as First-Year Writing and Rhetoric, Freshman Writing Seminar, or Introduction to Creative Writing fulfill the requirement. The credit hours are applied in the liberal arts electives category. Students are strongly encouraged to complete this requirement by the end of their freshman year.
All degrees require 120 credit hours.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
One year of study at the university level of each of two foreign languages is required of vocal performance majors.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
In addition to the requirements applying to all bachelor of music curricula, a second year proficiency is required in one foreign language.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Freshman Year
Sophomore Year
Junior Year
Senior Year
Eligible students in the College of Music, with approval of faculty in the relevant areas or departments, may complete a double major in music performance. Normally, such programs take at least five years to complete. Students pursuing a double major in music performance must complete at least 15 additional credit hours beyond the 120 credit hours required for a single performance major. Requirements pertaining to applied study, chamber music, sophomore proficiency, junior recital and senior recital must be fulfilled separately for each degree; up to four credits of university ensemble can be applied to both majors when appropriate and with faculty/advisor approval. Students completing all requirements are awarded a single bachelor of music degree with two majors. The decision to earn more than one degree or major in the College of Music should be carefully weighed, as it may be more advantageous for a student to complete a single degree/major and then begin work on a graduate degree in music.
The major fields for this degree are composition, conducting, music theory, performance, and the combined major of performance/pedagogy. Conducting students may concentrate in choral, orchestral, or wind symphony/band. Performance and performance/pedagogy majors may concentrate in brass instruments, early keyboard, jazz, piano, percussion, organ, harpsichord, string instruments (including harp and guitar), voice, or woodwind instruments.
Major work in the conducting degrees includes advanced conducting, analytical studies, score reading, orchestration, arranging, conducting practica, and research and writing. In music theory, course work and two thesis papers are required. In pedagogy, courses in the psychology of music learning, the pedagogy and literature of one’s performing area, and a written thesis are required. In performance, students complete applied study, recitals, and courses that investigate the repertoire of their performance areas. All master’s degree students are required to take a course in bibliographic research and 6 credits outside their major area.
Brass, conducting, percussion, string, voice, and woodwind majors are required to participate in a music ensemble. Committee chairs advise students concerning the appropriate choice of ensemble.
Prerequisites. As noted in the Graduate School section, students should have completed undergraduate preparation equivalent to that expected for the bachelor’s degree at this university. Normally this is a bachelor of music degree in the proposed area of concentration.
Before admission, composition majors should submit representative scores and recordings (CD format), and a list of completed compositions. Theory majors should submit two scholarly writing samples that demonstrate ability in critical analysis, appropriate research techniques, and skill in the cogent use of English. For further details, see the Application Process section of the website. Performance majors must submit a repertoire list and arrange for an audition, or submit a non-returnable recording of their performance. Conducting majors must submit a videotape or DVD of their performance. Refer to “Graduate Auditions” above for further details.
Program of Study. The master of music (MM) degree, which the Graduate School considers a Plan II program, requires a minimum of 30–32 semester hours of graduate course work, including thesis projects. Many students find it necessary to exceed this minimum in order to meet the musical and academic standards demanded by the MM qualifying examination. Outlines of specific programs may be obtained online at music.colorado.edu/students/graduate/degrees.
Each student’s program is directed by a three-member advisory committee headed by the major advisor (the student’s major professor). A second member is chosen from the major area, and a third from outside the major area. (The major areas are music education, music theory, composition, and performance.) By the second semester of residence, the student should complete a tentative degree plan and obtain the approval of the advisory committee and the associate dean for graduate studies. Students must complete the master’s degree within four years of matriculation into the program.
Examinations. In addition to preliminary examinations, master’s degree students in music must take the master’s qualifying examination. The procedures, guidelines for registration, and deadlines for taking these examinations are announced by the Music Graduate Office.
Recital/Thesis Requirements. The recital/thesis requirement for the MM in composition is the composition (during the period of graduate study) of several works of major proportion, at least one of which must receive public performance. For the major in conducting, the requirement is a public practicum and a performance-related or other scholarly document. For the major in music theory, it is two thesis papers. For the major in performance, presentation of two public recitals constitute the requirement. For the major in performance and pedagogy, a full-length recital and a research document in pedagogy are required.
Students may apply for a dual master’s degree that combines any two master’s programs in the College of Music. The student must apply separately and be admitted by the faculty in each of the degree programs under their respective admissions procedures and standards. The student must be accepted to both degree programs at the time of the initial application. With the exception of thesis credits, courses that fulfill requirements in both degree programs need only be taken once to be counted for both. A minimum of 45 credit hours must be earned. For most students, it is far preferable to pursue the DMA or PhD degree after completing a master’s degree, rather than to pursue a dual master’s degree.
The doctor of philosophy (PhD) in music degree is offered through the Graduate School for students who seek a terminal degree with an emphasis on research. The two principal areas of study are music education and musicology (including ethnomusicology).
Prerequisites. Students applying to the PhD program should have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a music field related to their intended area of study. Applicants for the PhD with an emphasis in music education should hold an MME degree. Letters of recommendation, representative research papers, and satisfactory scores on the GRE (the general test) are required elements of the student’s application for the degree. Upon entrance to the degree program, students must pass the preliminary examinations and begin working toward basic requirements.
For the musicology student, the doctor of philosophy in music degree is intended to emphasize research in music history, music theory, ethnomusicology, or some other aspect of music in culture. The musicology faculty encourages students entering the graduate program, whether from the bachelor’s or master’s level, to pursue the PhD, the benchmark of professional education within the field. A minimum of 30 semester hours in courses numbered at 5000 or above is required (although the minimum number is almost always exceeded). At least 4 doctoral seminars (7000 level) in musicology and music theory (3 plus 1, 1 plus 3, or 2 plus 2) must be taken at the University of Colorado Boulder as part of this course work. Up to 21 semester hours of graduate work taken at another institution may be considered for transfer. The College of Music requires proficiency in two foreign languages appropriate to the student’s program of study. Normally the language requirement is met by a translation examination scheduled twice a semester through the graduate music office.
Dissertation Requirements. A student must complete a total of at least 30 credit hours of dissertation credit (beyond course work), with not more than 10 of these hours in any one semester. Furthermore, not more than 10 hours of dissertation credit earned prior to a student’s advancement to candidacy may be applied toward the required 30 credit hours. The dissertation itself should be an original and worthwhile contribution to knowledge in the field of musicology. It is expected that the student work closely with a major professor who will serve as the first reader and critic before it is submitted to the other dissertation committee members.
Students may complete requirements in two fields and receive two degrees from the university. Such double degree programs are available combining music with business, engineering, journalism and mass communication, or disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students must make application for a double degree program in both the College of Music and the Leeds School of Business, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, or the College of Arts and Sciences. Any other combined program must be arranged by consulting both schools or colleges.
The Jazz Program offers a Certificate in Jazz Studies for undergraduate music majors. The certificate program consists of an intense 18-hour curriculum in both academic and performance areas, concluding with a jazz recital. Courses include jazz theory and aural foundations, improvisation, history of jazz, scoring and arranging, jazz piano, jazz techniques for the music educator, jazz combo, and jazz ensemble.
The certificate in music technology provides students with an opportunity to study music technology in greater depth than music degrees currently allow. This certificate program requires 18 credit hours, including five music technology courses, an interdisciplinary performance course, and an independent project (a composition, performance, or research project) under the supervision of a member of the Music Technology faculty. For more information, contact John Drumheller at drumhell@colorado.edu.
This program provides instruction and experiences for a select number of young artists, most of whom have already completed a master’s degree in performance. Participants in the certificate program will concentrate significantly on the performance aspect of their work. This program is considered a path to a specialized career in solo vocal performance.
The Professional Certificate in String Quartet Performance is designed to provide instruction and experiences for young artists who have already completed a master’s degree or its equivalent in performance. Students are generally accepted into the certificate program as part of a pre-formed string quartet, which will apply for admission into the College of Music graduate program as a unit.
This program is designed to emphasize performance experiences for truly outstanding young artists who have already completed a master’s degree or its equivalent in woodwind performance. The professional certificate is intended for students who plan on careers in performance and admission and is highly selective.