Earn your BA in Music

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in music is designed for students who have strong abilities and interest in music but are not planning on careers as musicians, or for those who wish to pursue a double major or earn more than one bachelor's degree. Students must audition and be accepted into a performance area. They develop musicianship, performance skills, and select from a wide variety of music electives.

Students in many areas, from engineering and physics to history, art, and English, find that a BA in music is a good addition to their studies. Other students choose the BA to complement course work in business (especially the minor in business administration), foreign language and literature, or interdisciplinary fields such as American studies. Some students combine a BA in music with undergraduate preparation to study law or medicine.

Requirements and program planning

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General Catalog 

The Bachelor of Arts with a major in music requires a minimum of 120 semster hours, including 42 to 47 semester hours of work for the major. Students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.00 in all courses for the major and in all UI courses for the major.

BA students majoring in music may count a maximum of 56 semester hours earned in music courses toward their degree and they must earn at least 64 semester hours in course work outside of the School of Music in order to graduate. They also must complete the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Program. Students must satisfy all requirements for graduation with a bachelor's degree.

Course Offerings

Tracks

Students may also choose to pursue a track within the Bachelor of Arts degree, to pursue particular interests or receive focused training.

Tracks are offered in the following areas:

All undergraduate enrollments require School of Music approval. Entering first-year and transfer students who plan to major in music must be accepted into a performance area through audition either in person or by recording before they register. All entering students, including transfer students, must complete a theory placement examination and a piano proficiency exam to determine appropriate placement in related courses.

Create your academic path

You'll find degree overviews, requirements, course lists, academic plans, and more to help you plan your education and explore your possibilities.

View General Catalog

Current course list

The MyUI Schedule displays registered courses for a particular session and is available to enrolled students. The list view includes course instructors, time and location, and features to drop courses or change sections.

View Current Courses

Practice and perform

Need to book a music room, request an accompanist, check out audition information, rent a locker, or use a recording studio? Visit the Music Callboard for all scheduling and policy information.