MusicMajor

General Requirements

BA in Music: Composition Track

BA in Music: Performance Track

BA in Music: History, Culture and Theory Track

History and Culture Courses (all Tracks)

The Music Department at Emory offers three tracks for fulfilling a major in music:Composition, Performance, Research. Students must select a track by the end of the sophomore year and fulfill all course requirements in the track in order to earn a major in music. Since significant portions of the music curriculum are based on mastery of sequential study, the department recommends as early a declaration as possible. 

Notes:

• No more than three credit hours of Supervised Reading or Study Abroad courses may count toward fulfillment of the music major.
• An internship may not count toward the music major.
• All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
• AP Music Theory Exam - A score of 4 will transfer to Emory as MUS 114 and count as a 100-level elective toward the music major. A score of 5 will transfer to Emory as MUS 121 and the student may move on to MUS 122 in the spring semester.
• A total of 16 hours of MUS 300, 320, and 310 may be applied toward the 128 academic hours requirements for graduation, although all applied music and ensembles must be taken for credit.
• Students may not apply MUS 300, 310, or 320 as electives in any of the tracks.
• Students will complete 42 credit hours to fulfill requirements in each track.
• An Oxford Music Course may count towards elective credits for the Music major.

Requirements for the BA in Music: Composition Track

Theory/Analysis (15 hrs)

• MUS 121
• MUS 122
• MUS 221 OR MUS 245
• MUS 222

History/Culture (6 hrs)

• MUS 200 Music, Culture, and Society
• Choose one additional course in History and Culture

Performance (4 hrs)

• Choose a combination of MUS 300R Ensembles and/or MUS 320R Applied Music

Composition (17 hrs)

• MUS 349R (6 credits)
• MUS 445 Orchestration (3 credits)
• MUS 347 Electronic Music (3 credits)
• Composition Electives (5 credits)

Suggested:

• MUS 230 Media Composition
• MUS 235 Improvisation Laboratory
• MUS 265 Hip Hop Composition
• MUS 367 Computer Music Composition
• MUS 384 Live Electronic Music
• Or any composition-related MUS 270, 370, or 470 Special Topics courses

Optional: If approved, a student may present a recital of original compositions during the junior or senior year. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher may submit a proposal to present an honors recital in the music composition track. See honors guidelines for detailed information.

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Requirements for the BA in Music: Performance

Performance (12 hrs)

• MUS 300R Ensemble  (4 hrs)*
• MUS 320 Applied Music (8 hrs)*

Students pursuing the Performance Track are encouraged to enroll in Applied Music and Ensembles every semester until graduation. A total of 16 hours of MUS 300 and MUS 320 will count toward the 126 hours for graduation.

*The ensembles that fulfill the requirement for the music major are any MUS 300R course.

Theory/Analysis (12 hrs)

• MUS 121
• MUS 122
• MUS 221 OR MUS 245

History/Culture (9 hrs)

• MUS 200 Music, Culture, and Society
• Choose two additional courses in History/Culture

Electives (9 hrs)

• Advanced elective choice: MUS 222 Theory and Analysis IV, or any Continuing Communication course
• Choose two: any department course offering at the 200-level or higher

Optional:If approved, a student may present a solo recital during the junior or senior year. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher may submit a proposal to present an honors recital in the music performance track. See honors guidelines for detailed information.

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Requirements for the BA in Music: History, Culture and Theory Track

Theory/Analysis (12 hrs)

• MUS 121
• MUS 122
• MUS 221* OR MUS 245

*Subject to approval by the Director of Undergraduate Research, a student pursuing the History, Culture, and Theory Track and writing a thesis (MUS 491, MUS 491W, or MUS 495) may replace the MUS 221 requirement with an additional elective relevant to their research focus. The additional elective must be completed prior to undertaking the thesis. 

History/Culture (20 hrs)

• MUS 200 Music, Culture, and Society
• Choose five additional courses in History, Culture, Theory
  • At least two of these must be Continuing Communication courses

Performance (4 hrs)

Choose a combination of MUS 300R Ensembles and/or MUS 320R Applied Music

Electives (6 hrs)

• Choose two courses from the following list:
  
  • MUS 222 Theory and Analysis IV
  • Courses from History, Culture, Theory offerings
  • Courses from the Composition offerings, except MUS 349R

• Three credit hours MUS 497 Supervised Reading approved by the advisor
• A cognate course arranged with the student's advisor

Optional: If approved, a student may write a capstone thesis during the senior year. Students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher may submit a proposal to complete an honors thesis in the research track. See honors guidelines for detailed information.

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 Current History, Culture, and Theory Courses
(Students may not count the same course for two categories)

History and Culture Courses designed to build broad-based knowledge of Western classical repertoires and music outside of the Western classical tradition.

History/Culture/Theory Continuing Communication and Writing Courses designed to teach essential research and writing skills in historical musicology, ethnomusicology or theory. 

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