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Music BA

​The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree is intended for students who wish to combine the study of music with liberal arts and sciences. In addition to music courses, the program is comprised of a broad range of liberal studies courses, along with a year of modern language. Students also take advanced courses in music, developing research skills, which culminate in a final project or paper. The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree prepares students for a variety of careers related to music.​​​​​

Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Music Core Requirements​ 63
Liberal Studies Requirements 76
Specialization Requirements 16
Supporting Fields​ 12
Electives​ 25
Total hours required 192

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:

  • Articulate professional goals and knowledge of resources to further those goals.
  • Express deepening knowledge of music and culture in both local and global contexts effectively through creative work, speaking, and writing.
  • Conduct an independent creative or research project that integrates knowledge from multiple fields and makes use of library, oral/aural, textual, and primary source materials.

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
Required 4
Senior Year
Capstone
Required 1 4
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)

  • 1 Course Required
    [1 CR Course or 1 SR Course]

Philosophical Inquiry (PI)

  • 2 Courses Required

Religious Dimensions (RD)

  • 2 Courses Required

Scientific Inquiry (SI)

  • 2 Courses Required
    [1 Lab Course and 1 SWK Course]​​​​​

Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)  

  • 2 Courses 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. Students who choose to take an experiential learning course offered by the major may count it either as a general elective or the Experiential Learning requirement.

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.

Program Checkpoints

Students are admitted to a specialization at their enrollment. Students are then allowed to continue in specialization courses on the basis of program checkpoints. The program checkpoints differ for each specialization, and students should contact the department chairs or program directors/coordinators for more information. Students are not permitted to continue to enroll in specialization classes if they have not met the requirements of their program checkpoints. 

Course Requirements

Course Title Quarter Hours
Specialization Courses
One 4-credit Music Theory course chosen from MUS or COM 300-level or above4
ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES
ANALYTICAL STUDIES
One 4-credit 300-level (or above) musicianship course beyond the music core courses (Music History, Musicology, Ethnomusicology)4
One 4-credit Experiential Learning Requirement Course4
MUS 395SENIOR CAPSTONE SEMINAR4
12 credits of Applied Instrumental/Voice Lessons12
Ensembles9
6 credits of Large Ensemble (in the 1st and 2nd years of the program)
3 credits of any ensemble (in the 3rd or 4th year of the program)
Electives29
13 credits of Music Electives
12 credits of non-music electives
4 credits of free electives
Supporting Fields12
Select a Modern Language one year long sequence or its equivalent