Study Abroad

University College, School of Music and Theatre, Cork, Ireland

University College, School of Music and Theatre, Cork, Ireland

Study abroad and the Core

Study Abroad is a wonderful opportunity for undergraduates to experience a different culture and to broaden their view of the world. Many of the courses one may find are more likely to fulfill Cultural Diversity rather than the Arts Core.

For students wishing to fulfill their Arts Core through Music while abroad, they should look for courses that are similar to the Core offerings in Music at Boston College—MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music Theory, MUSA1200 Introduction to Music or MUSA1300 History of Popular Music. Courses should have historical or topical breadth and a significant writing component. Substitutions should be arranged before you go abroad or before you register for the course.   Many institutions do not offer acceptable substitutes--do not presume any music course will count.

Students should contact Jeremiah W McGrann, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Music concerning acceptable substitutions.

Study abroad and music major or minor

The department requires that the music theory sequence for minors and majors through Chromatic Harmony, and Senior Seminar for majors be taken at Boston College. Music of the Modern Era and Counterpoint (required of majors) should be taken at Boston College, but exceptions may be possible depending on equivalent courses offered by the host school.

Before going abroad, both Minors and Majors should have completed Chromatic Harmony in theory and Majors in addition should have taken a couple of the history or cross-cultural courses. Thus acceptable offerings from abroad tend to be courses in music history or in cross-cultural studies, with some upper-level theory courses acceptable. Usually students complete six or nine credits; however, majors have had as many as 12 credits fulfilled abroad.

Students should contact Jeremiah W. McGrann, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Music, to plan an acceptable course of study for their semester or year abroad.

Recommended Programs

King's College, London

University College, Cork, Ireland