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University of Pittsburgh    
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
 
  Mar 28, 2024
 
2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Music, BA


Return to Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Return to: Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences

The Department of Music offers an innovative undergraduate program that confers a bachelor’s degree and a minor in music. The Department’s dynamic faculty offer strong support for undergraduate research and creative expression. Undergraduates also engage with the Department’s renowned graduate programs and are encouraged to actively participate in all aspects of the Department’s research and performance culture.

Undergraduates choose a course of study from among five tracks: Composition, Global & Popular Music, Jazz, Music & Cultural History, and Performance. The tracks offer students a broad foundation in music scholarship while tailoring specific elements of music study to the student’s individual talents and interests.   

To declare this major, students must complete MUSIC 0100 - FUNDAMENTALS OF WESTERN MUSIC  with a letter grade of B- or better, or achieve a sufficient score to on the Music placement exam to receive credit for this course.

Prerequisite theory course


Students may test out of this prerequisite by completing the Music Theory placement exam with a sufficient score. Students who take this course must earn a letter grade of B- or better to delcare the Music major.

BA Requirements


Required courses for all tracks


The following courses are required for all tracks in the Music major. Additional requirements specific to each track are listed later in the program description.

Composition Track


The Composition track is intended for students interested primarily in creating music-of any genre, acoustic or electroacoustic. Students pursuing this track must take MUSIC 0222 - HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC TO 1750 , indicated in the core course list.

Jazz Track


The Jazz track provides opportunities for each student to develop their individual interests and strengths in jazz performance, composition, and scholarship.

Choose one of the following courses


Of these two courses, students must take the one that was not taken as a core course.

Required Jazz focused courses


All of the following courses are required for the Jazz track.

Global and Popular Music Track


The Global and Popular Music track offers students an interdisciplinary grounding in the study of diverse musical expressions in contemporary and historical perspective.

Music and Cultural History Track


The Music and Cultural History track provides students with a background in the history, culture, and practice of music in the Western imagination.

Music History courses


Performance Track


The Performance track is intended for students who want to explore and improve their skills as performers in a wide range of genres.

Other requirements


  • Students may test out of MUSIC 0100 MUSIC 0100 - FUNDAMENTALS OF WESTERN MUSIC  by passing the Music Theory placement exam, which is administered in the Dietrich School Advising Center, 201 Thackeray Hall.
  • A minimum GPA of 2.0 in departmental courses is required for graduation.
  • No course that counts toward the major can be taken on an S/NC basis.
  • Students must complete at least one W-course in the major.
  • All students interested in taking private lessons must complete a Request for Private Lessons form, available in 110 Music Building. Music majors have first priority in scheduling private lessons, which cost an additional $395 per term.
  • To graduate with departmental honors, a student must earn a minimum 3.25 GPA overall, a minimum 3.50 GPA in the music courses with no grade lower than a B-.

 

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