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Jazz Studies BM

The Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies degree prepares students for careers as jazz professionals. Drawing upon the resources of the Chicago jazz scene, faculty members are highly celebrated performers, teachers, composers, and arrangers. The program is comprised of applied jazz lessons, jazz ensembles and combos, jazz improvisation, jazz theory and history, arranging and composition, and pedagogy.​​​​​​

CURRENT Credit hour distribution (scroll down for newly-proposed distribution)

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Music Core Requirements 82
Liberal Studies Requirements 52
Specialization Requirements 42
Electives 16
Total hours required 192

Learning Outcomes

Core Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate a growing competence in technical aspects of performance, such as tone quality, pitch consistency, dynamic control, technical agility, accurate rhythmic concepts, and other skills particular to the area of specialization.
  • Identify and analyze the elements of music in a given piece, including an understanding of its compositional processes, aesthetic properties, and artistic, social, and historical contexts for works in the Western music tradition, Contemporary periods, Jazz, and World Music Cultures.
  • Demonstrate an appropriate level of aural, keyboard, and conducting skills.

Program Specific Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Develop an understanding of the pedagogical processes and theories that are foundational to performance practices and instruction on one’s primary instrument.
  • Demonstrate a growing maturity in musical concepts using tools of performance to create artistic products.
  • Demonstrate increasing knowledge of repertoire and growing musical competence through participation in solo, chamber and large ensemble performances.

Music Core Requirements

Course Requirements

All students in the School of Music are required to enroll in the following music courses:

Course Title Quarter Hours
First Year Core
MUS 110AMUSIC THEORY I2
MUS 120AMUSIC THEORY II2
MUS 130AMUSIC THEORY III2
MUS 111AURAL TRAINING I1
MUS 121AURAL TRAINING II1
MUS 131AURAL TRAINING III1
MUS 113GROUP PIANO I1
MUS 123GROUP PIANO II1
MUS 133GROUP PIANO III1
Second Year Core
MUS 212AMUSIC THEORY IV 12
MUS 222-AMUSIC THEORY V - A 22
or MUS 222-B MUSIC THEORY V - B
or MUS 222-C MUSIC THEORY V - C
MUS 232AMUSIC THEORY VI-A: CONCEPTS AND MATERIALS IN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC 32
or MUS 232B MUSIC THEORY VI-B: ANALYSIS OF MUSICAL FORM
MUS 211AURAL TRAINING IV 41
MUS 221AURAL TRAINING V 41
MUS 231AURAL TRAINING VI 41
MUS 213GROUP PIANO IV 51
MUS 223GROUP PIANO V 51
MUS 233GROUP PIANO VI 51
Choose three of the following musicology courses: 612
MUS 224MUSIC, HISTORY, AND CULTURE I
MUS 225MUSIC, HISTORY, AND CULTURE II
MUS 226GLOBAL MUSIC CULTURES
MUS 310INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY
Upper Level Core
MUS 303BASIC CONDUCTING PRACTICUM0
MUS 304BASIC CONDUCTING4
MUS 323MUSICOLOGY SEMINAR2
1

Jazz Studies majors take JZZ 300 in place of MUS 212A.

2

Jazz Studies majors take JZZ 301 in place of MUS 222A/B/C.

3

Jazz Studies majors take JZZ 302 in place of MUS 232A/B.

4

Jazz Studies majors take JZZ 205, 206 and 207 in place of MUS 211, MUS 221 and MUS 231.

5

Jazz Studies majors take JZZ 202, 203 and 204 in place of MUST 213, MUS 223 and MUS 233.

6

Jazz Studies majors take one fewer musicology course. They supplement this missing credit in their major coursework.

Liberal Studies Requirements

Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year ProgramHours
Chicago Quarter
LSP 110
DISCOVER CHICAGO
or EXPLORE CHICAGO
4
Focal Point
Not Required
Writing
WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 4
WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 4
Quantitative Reasoning
MAT 120 QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 4
Sophomore Year
Race, Power, and Resistance
LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE 4
Junior Year
Experiential Learning
Not Required
Senior Year
Capstone
Not Required
1

Students must earn a C- or better in this course.

2

Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Learning Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the Scientific Inquiry Learning Domain.  The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam or it may be fulfilled by credit for advanced math coursework earned  in-residence at DePaul (MAT 135MAT 136MAT 147MAT 148MAT 149MAT 150MAT 151MAT 152 MAT 155MAT 156MAT 160MAT 161MAT 162 MAT 170MAT 171MAT 172, or equivalent) or earned externally either as transfer credit from another college/university or as test credit through AP, CLEP, IB, or International A and A/S Level exams. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfill any of the three QR/MCD requirements.

Learning Domains

Arts and Literature (AL)

  •  2 Courses Required

Historical Inquiry (HI)

  • 2 Courses Required 

Math and Computing (MC)

  • Not Required

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 1 Course Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 1 Course Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 1 SWK  or 1 Lab Course Required

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)

  • 1 Course Required

Notes

Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major.

In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.

Major Requirements

Program Checkpoints

Undergraduate Jazz Studies majors will perform a checkpoint audition at the end of their freshman year. The student's applied instructor and/or area coordinator or director will give students specific information on content and required music. Successful completion of the checkpoint audition is required for continuation in the performance degree.

Course Requirements

Course Title Quarter Hours
Ear Training Sequence:
JZZ 205JAZZ EAR TRAINING I1
JZZ 206JAZZ EAR TRAINING II1
JZZ 207JAZZ EAR TRAINING III1
Group Piano Sequence:
JZZ 202GROUP JAZZ PIANO I1
JZZ 203GROUP JAZZ PIANO II1
JZZ 204GROUP JAZZ PIANO III1
Essentials Sequence:
JZZ 300ESSENTIALS OF JAZZ I2
JZZ 301ESSENTIALS OF JAZZ II2
JZZ 302ESSENTIALS OF JAZZ III2
Improvisation Sequence:
JZZ 308JAZZ IMPROVISATION I2
JZZ 309JAZZ IMPROVISATION II2
JZZ 310JAZZ IMPROVISATION III2
Advanced Improvisation Sequence:
JZZ 330ADVANCED JAZZ IMPROVISATION I2
JZZ 331ADVANCED JAZZ IMPROVISATION II2
History Sequence:
JZZ 335JAZZ HISTORY I2
JZZ 336JAZZ HISTORY II2
Jazz Arranging Sequence:
JZZ 304JAZZ ARRANGING AND COMPOSITION I2
JZZ 305JAZZ ARRANGING AND COMPOSITION II2
JZZ 306JAZZ ARRANGING AND COMPOSITION III2
Additional Required Courses:
JZZ 325JAZZ RHYTHM SECTION TECHNIQUES2
JZZ 314JAZZ PEDAGOGY2
PAM 309MUSIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP2
Recital Requirements:
JZZ 215JAZZ JUNIOR RECITAL2
JZZ 315JAZZ SENIOR RECITAL2
Ensembles24
Music Electives8
Free Electives8