Music Major, B.A.
The Department of Music provides many opportunities to students who wish to study music within a strong liberal arts curriculum. We foster creative endeavor and critical inquiry through courses, ensembles, and lessons on instruments or voice that explore music from a variety of perspectives.
The B.A. requires at least 35 credit hours in music and at least 75 outside the major, with 120 total credit hours in the degree. Given the ample opportunity to explore the breadth of the University’s course offerings, many B.A. candidates seek minors in other fields or take on a second major.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the music program (B.A.), students should be able to:
- Acquire sufficient technical capabilities to be able to perform expressively — on an instrument or the voice — appropriate repertoire for the area in which they are studying
- Show proficiency in the materials and language of music for purposes of analysis and evaluation
- Be aware of the connection between general culture and history and the musical works that come from composers of particular times and places
- Demonstrate the ability to perform successfully in individual, small-, and large-ensemble performance and have a working familiarity with repertoire for solo or ensemble performance
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
Courses listed more than once can be counted for only one category.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Foundations: | ||
| MUSC 120 |  Foundations in Music F | 3 |
| Musicianship: | ||
| MUSC 128 | Improvisation Without Borders | 1 |
| One additional course (one hour), chosen from: | 1 | |
| Aural-based Musicianship | ||
| Tonal Musicianship Skills I | ||
| Music theory (six hours), two of: | 6 | |
| Tonal Theory I (requires a grade of C or better) H | ||
| Tonal Theory II H | ||
| Jazz Theory | ||
| Patterns in Music | ||
| Beat Making Lab | ||
| Introduction to Composition | ||
| World Musics in Theory and Practice | ||
| Inside the Song: Analysis of Songcraft | ||
| Critical approaches to music: | ||
| MUSC 270 | Critical Approaches to Music: Object Lessons | 3 |
| MUSC 271 | Critical Approaches to Music: Critical Moves | 3 |
| MUSC 351 | Critical Approaches to Music: Guided Research | 3 |
| Individual/group lessons (taken over two semesters) chosen from: 1 | 2-6 | |
| Individual Keyboard Lessons | ||
| Individual Voice Lessons | ||
| Individual String Lessons | ||
| Individual Woodwind Lessons | ||
| Individual Brass Lessons | ||
| Individual Percussion Lessons | ||
| Applied Instruction | ||
| Group Lessons in Piano | ||
| Group Lessons in Voice | ||
| Group Lessons in Strings | ||
| Group Lessons in Woodwinds | ||
| Group Lessons in Brass | ||
| Group Lessons in Percussion | ||
| Beat Making Lab | ||
| Rap Lab | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Keyboard H | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Voice H | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Strings H | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Woodwinds H | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Brass H | ||
| Advanced Individual Lessons in Percussion H | ||
| Advanced Applied Instruction | ||
| Composition | ||
| Inside the Song: Analysis of Songcraft | ||
| Ensemble performance (four hours) chosen from: | 4 | |
| Ensemble I | ||
| Ensemble II | ||
| Ensemble III | ||
| Chamber Music 2, H | ||
| Music electives (nine hours) chosen from MUSC courses: students may count no more than three additional hours from MUSC 211 - MUSC 214 towards their music major. They may count as credit hours for graduation, subject to the overall limit on music hours. | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 35-39 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
| F | FY-Launch class sections may be available. A FY-Launch section fulfills the same requirements as a standard section of that course, but also fulfills the FY-SEMINAR/FY-LAUNCH First-Year Foundations requirement. Students can search for FY-Launch sections in ConnectCarolina using the FY-LAUNCH attribute. |
- 1
30-minute lessons count for .5 credit hours. Students choosing to take 30-minute lessons to satisfy this requirement must take lessons for four semesters to accumulate the requirement's 2-credit hour minimum.
- 2
Pursuant to area needs and preferences, or by DUS approval.
Music (MUSC) course descriptions.
Students may receive no more than 45 credit hours in music and must complete a minimum of 75 hours of coursework outside music, including all General Education requirements.
Special Opportunities
Honors in Music
Students interested in becoming candidates for a degree with honors in music should read the regulations governing departmental honors in the College of Arts and Sciences, found in the Degree Requirements section of this catalog, and should consult the honors advisor of the department toward the end of the sophomore year.
Study Abroad
The department actively encourages students to participate in study abroad programs to pursue their musical and other interests in an international context. The department maintains a strong relationship with institutions in Hong Kong, London, and Vienna, and can facilitate connections with programs around the world.
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