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Music, B.A.

School of Visual, Media and Performing Arts

Program Overview

As a music student, you will learn the creative and technical skills to become a professional songwriter, producer, or composer, with courses ranging from music history and psychoacoustics to learning how to build electronic music instruments. With three liberal arts–minded tracks—music technology, music studies, and American music and culture—to choose from, you will also graduate as a culturally informed critical thinker with solid communication skills.

Music, B.A.

Where You'll Go

With a background in music, you could go on to become a lyricist, music supervisor, journalist, historian, teacher, or any number of related professions.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2025–26 academic year per the ¿ÉÀÖÊÓÆµ Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Major Requirements (54 Credits)

NYSED Program Code: 02021

Music is a writing-intensive major.

All music courses offered to satisfy the requirements for a major in music must be completed with a grade of C or higher.

All students take the following: ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý and (six credits).

Three tracks are offered in the Bachelor of Arts degree program in music:

  • American Music and Culture
  • Music Studies
  • Music Technology

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Ability to write and speak about music with precision and clarity and to articulate and defend critical judgments.
  • Acquire fluency with an extensive and varied repertory through performance, analysis, and concert attendance (including Western art music, non-Western art music, jazz, and Western and non-Western popular and folk music).
  • Knowledge of the historical and cultural contexts in which music has been created and performed in different periods and places.
  • Functional knowledge of the terminology, and grammar of music with regards to musical elements (rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, texture, dynamics, form) and their application in aural and score-based analysis.
  • Functional ear training and keyboard skills, including sight-reading.

Degree Maps

To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, ¿ÉÀÖÊÓÆµ has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.

View for this major and others.

Career Maps

A career map provides a comprehensive breakdown to help connect your academic coursework to career readiness skills, actions, and outcomes.

Tracks

American Music and Culture

American Studies Ìý´Ç°ùÌý (three credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý (three credits)

Twelve credits from Music Ìý³Ù³ó°ù´Ç³Ü²µ³óÌý, ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý, Puerto Rican and Latinx Studies , ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý, ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý, or ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý

Six credits from Music and .

Four semesters of Music or substitute by permission of instructor and adviser (12 credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý and three credits from a combination of Music ,Ìý,Ìý (six credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦ÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý (six credits)

Music Studies

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý (eight credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý (four credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý, ,Ìý (nine credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý,Ìý,Ìý (12 credits)

One course in American or non-Western music, Music through 4449, or one specialized course in music theory,Ìý²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦ÌýÌý³Ù³ó°ù´Ç³Ü²µ³óÌý (three credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦ÌýÌý´Ç°ùÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýÌý´Ç°ùÌý (four credits)

Two credits in ensemble performance from ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦ÌýÌý³Ù³ó°ù´Ç³Ü²µ³óÌý as assigned by the Conservatory of Music

One seminar in music numbered in the 4900s or a suitable advanced course in another department or program, approved in advance by the director (three credits)

Three additional credits in music selected from Music 2101 through Music 5883 (three credits)

Students who wish to be considered for performance lessons, ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦ÌýÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý, in place of advanced keyboard classes, Music Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý, must demonstrate proficiency in an audition no later than the beginning of their junior year. Final approval will be given by the director.

Music Technology

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý (three credits)

Six credits from Music  through ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý or Music 4440

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý,Ìý (15 credits)

Six credits from Music or or

Two semesters of ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý. May substitute one semester with any ensemble from ²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý to as approved by the chair (two credits)

²Ñ³Ü²õ¾±³¦Ìý and a minimum of four credits from a combination of Music ,Ìý,Ìý (four credits)

Music ,Ìý (six credits)

Conservatory of Music

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the music B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

  • Apple
  • Atlantic Records
  • BRIC
  • Comedy Central
  • Lincoln Center
  • McAllister Music Studio
  • N¿ÉÀÖÊÓÆµ Universal
  • Paramount
  • Sirius XM
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • Universal Music Group
  • VH1
  • Viacom
  • YouTube

Learn More

Brooklyn. All in.

Brooklyn. All in.