Music Department Undergraduate Program
Wesleyan undergraduate and graduate students enjoy the benefits of a rigorous and creative liberal arts university experience, marked by intimate individual and small group study, along with diverse offerings in musics from around the world found in very few of even the largest universities in the country. Numerous centers and programs at Wesleyan enrich the university's intellectual and cultural experience. Undergraduate and graduate alumni in music have attained international recognition as recording and concert artists, music producers, independent record label heads, print and radio journalists, and music scholars and composers.
Bachelor of Arts in Music
Degree RequirementsA total of 32 credits are required for the Bachelor's degree. No more than 16 credits may be from a single department or cross-listed with that department. In the Spring of their sophomore year, most Wesleyan undergraduates declare their majors.
The music major requires 12 course credits (13 with an honors thesis).
These credits fall into five categories which must be taken in the following distribution:
1. Music Theory and Composition: 3 credits from classes numbered MUSC103, MUSC 105, MUSC 201-240
2. Music History and Culture: 3 credits from classes numbered MUSC 102, MUSC 106-199, MUSC 241-299. There is no limit on the number of 100 level courses included.
3. Music Performance: 3 credits from classes number MUSC 406 – 499
Note: Private Lessons are available to all students. However, only 1 credit of private lessons may be counted towards this total and it must be taken as a declared Music major.
4. Music Major Seminars: 2 credits from classes numbered MUSC 300-339
5. Capstone Tutorial: 1 or 2 credits
Senior Project - 1 or both of MUSC 403 and MUSC 404
or
Honors Thesis - both MUSC 409 and MUSC 410
To enter the Music major, a student must have taken at least one course in each of theory and composition, history and culture, and performance. A new major will meet with their advisor and plan out the full array of courses they will take to fulfill the major. Diversity of musical experience is a core value of the Music Department and is expected of all music majors. Each major’s program must include at least two Music credits outside of their main area of interest.
A Note on Oversubscription
University policy limits to 16 the number of credits from any one department may be counted towards graduation. Earning more than 16 credits in a department is termed ‘oversubscription’. As long as a student has earned at least 16 credits in courses from other departments that are not cross-listed with the oversubscribed department, this is not a problem. In fact, oversubscription in Music courses is not uncommon.