Major & Minor
Major Requirements
10 courses, 30 credits
Two music theory courses (6 credits)
Students take either 1100 & 2100 or 2100 & 3100 (if they test out of 1100) in sequence.
- MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music Theory (no prerequisite)
- MUSA2100 Harmony (prerequisite: MUSA1100 or placement by exam)
- MUSA3100 Chromatic Harmony (prerequisite: MUSA2100 Harmony)
Three foundational music studies courses (9 credits)
- MUSA2200 History of Western Art Music
- MUSA2300 Musics of the World
- MUSA2310 Popular Music
One elective on Western art music (3 credits)
- Choose any one course from MUSA2201-2209 or MUSA3200-3299
Two electives at any level on any topic (6 credits)
- Choose any two MUSA courses at any level on any topic
OR - Any one MUSA course and three 1-credit MUSP courses (repeatable)
One elective at the 3000 level or higher (3 credits)
One independent senior project at the 4000 level (3 credits)
Students interested in majoring in Music should contact the Director of Undergraduate Study for Music.
Daniel Callahan
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor, Music Department
daniel.m.callahan@bc.edu
Minor Requirements
6 courses, 18 credits
One music theory course (3 credits)
- MUSA2100 Harmony (prerequisite: MUSA1100 or placement by exam)
Two foundational music studies courses (6 credits)
- MUSA2200 History of Western Art Music
- MUSA2300 Musics of the World OR MUSA2310 Popular Music
Three electives at any level on any topic (9 credits)
- Choose any three MUSA courses.
Students interested in a Music minor should contact the Director of Undergraduate Study for Music.
Daniel Callahan
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor, Music Department
daniel.m.callahan@bc.edu
- MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music Theory (or elective if placed out of 1100)
- MUSA2100: Harmony
- MUSA3100: Chromatic Harmony
- MUSA3106: Counterpoint/Composition
- Any one of the following
- MUSA3114: Jazz Harmony
- MUSA3120: Composition Seminar
- MUSA3130: Orchestration
- MUSA 2209 / MUSA 3298 Music of the Modern Era
- Two of the flowing period courses
- MUSA2201 Medieval-Renaissance Music
- MUSA2203 Music of the Baroque
- MUSA2205 Music of the Classic Period
- MUSA2207 Music of the Romantic Era
* With the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, a composer or genre course may be substituted for a period course.
- One of the following non-Western tradition courses
- (MUSA1320) / MUSA2300 (Introduction to) Musics of the World
- MUSA2303 / MUSA3303 Brazilian Musical Worlds
- MUSA2304 / MUSA3304 Musics of India
- MUSA2306 Musics of Africa
- MUSA2307 Musics of Asia
- MUSA2308 Music in the Medieval Islamic World
- MUSA2309 Music and Culture in the Middle East
- MUSA2442 / MUSA3342 Music & Ecstasy
- MUSA 1320, 2306, 2307 and 2309 also satisfy the Core Cultural Diversity requirement
- One of the following Western tradition courses
- MUSA 2320 Music and America
- MUSA 2330 History of Jazz
- MUSA 2340 Introduction to Irish Folk Music
- MUSA 2342 Contemporary Celtic Music
- MUSA 3224 Dance to the Music:
- MUSA 3350 Beatles
- MUSA 2334 Hip Hop in American Culture
- MUSA2360 DJs Past and Present
- MUSA3360 Samplers, Synths, Settings
- Two elective courses any level or topic
- MUSA 4941 Senior Seminar
- Two MUSP courses or two semesters of performance experience
- Three listening exams on three lists of Western art music repertoire
- Ear training – pass minimum competency requirements – MUSA 1090-2090 is designed to assist with passing this requirement
- One of the following:
- MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music Theory (required if student lacks the background in music theory needed to place into MUSA2100 Harmony)
- MUSA1200 Introduction to Music / MUSA220 History of Western Art Music
- MUSA1300 History of Popular Music / MUSA2310 Popular Music
- Two additional music theory courses:
- MUSA2100 Harmony
- MUSA3100 Chromatic Harmony
- Three historical and cross-cultural electives: one period course, one composer or genre course, one cross-cultural course.
Daniel Callahan
Director of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor, Music Department
daniel.m.callahan@bc.edu
Music Department Learning Outcomes
- Communicate: write about and discuss music in clear, engaging, and specific language;
- Analyze: closely listen to, interpret, and analyze live, recorded, and notated musics;
- Create: create and recreate a variety of musics;
- Contextualize: employ research methodologies that recognize the historical and cultural specificity of musics and musicking;
- Value: recognize the importance of music and the arts to personal and community formation and flourishing.
Students ideally take the music theory placement exam in their first year to establish if they need to begin with MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Theory or MUSA2100 Harmony.
Students ideally complete the 1000 and 2000 level theory and foundational courses before moving on to the upper-level electives.
The 4000-level independent project will normally be taken as a senior unless a student has thoroughly advanced through the major and can complete the project in their senior year.
Students with prior music theory experience may want to test out of MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music and begin with MUSA2100 Harmony.
There will be three music theory placement exams held each academic year:
- First in advance of the first class in the Fall semester
- Second in advance of Spring registration in the Fall
- Third in advance of Fall registration in the Spring
Music majors pursue a senior project within a 4000-level independent study in their senior year (or in their junior year if students have thoroughly advanced through the major requirements). The senior project is an integrative experience where students apply knowledge and skills from previous coursework in an independent study that culminates in a substantial thesis, project, composition, and/or performance. Senior projects will be presented to the Music faculty and fellow students. Successfully completing a senior project requires dedication, commitment, and self-discipline. The senior project is intended to prepare students for graduate study and careers both in and beyond music.
Students must receive approval for their proposed project and plan of study from both the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the specific Music faculty member who will advise their project. Students will work closely with their Music faculty advisor throughout the process.
In extraordinary circumstances, students may petition the Director of Undergraduate Studies, their faculty advisor, and the instructor of a 3000-level course to complete a considerably more extensive final research paper, project, or composition to be used for their Senior Project within a 3000-level course. Such a petition must be approved before the beginning of the 3000-level course.
Exceptional juniors who are excelling in the Music major and who wish to complete two semesters of “substantial, independent study of the highest quality” in their senior year leading to “a substantive research project under the direction of a faculty scholar with appropriate expertise in the field of inquiry” should consider applying for Scholar of the College. Students wishing to apply for Scholar of the College must let the Director of Undergraduate Studies and their advisor know in Spring of their junior year so that the completed proposal can be submitted to the Dean at the very beginning of their senior year.
Students who intend to use their project as part of an application for graduate school submitted in their senior year should be in touch with their advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies early in their junior year to ensure completion before application deadlines.