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Bachelor of Music Degree

The minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree, including the Core Curriculum requirements, is 133 in the Music Studies concentration, 130 in the Composition emphasis, 130 in the Music Performance emphasis, and 130 in the Music Marketing emphasis. Undergraduates seeking elementary teacher certification must complete the Interdisciplinary Studies degree.

All candidates for this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the music degree requirements, which are listed below. In addition, a candidate for the Bachelor of Music degree must complete the course requirements for the concentration or emphasis declared by the candidate.

Core Curriculum Requirements (42 semester credit hours)
Students seeking the Bachelor of Music degree must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students may need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements, see pages 3-5 of this catalog..

MUS 2243 may be used to satisfy the core requirement in Visual and Performing Arts as well as a major requirement. Vocal Performance majors should take ITL 1014 to satisfy the core requirement in World Society and Issues.

Music Degree Requirements

All candidates for the Bachelor of Music degree, regardless of concentration or emphasis, must complete the following 45–47 semester credit hours of required music courses. (Note that MUS 2243 World Music in Society may also be used to satisfy Core Curriculum requirements in Visual and Performing Arts):

MUS  1102  Aural Skills I
MUS  1112  Basic Skills of Music I
MUS  1122  Aural Skills II
MUS  1132  Basic Skills of Music II
MUS  1512  Music Performance-Private Instruction
MUS  1542  Music Performance-Private Instruction I
MUS  2102  Aural Skills III
MUS  2112  Aural Skills IV
MUS  2152  Basic Skills of Music III
MUS  2162  Basic Skills of Music IV
MUS  2243  World Music in Society
MUS  2403  Conducting I
MUS  2542  Music Performance-Private Instruction II (2 semesters)
MUS  3213  Music in Civilization I
MUS  3223  Music in Civilization II
MUS  3413  Psychology of Music
MUS  3532  Music Performance-Private Instruction III (2 semesters)*

Keyboard requirement (2 semester credit hours):

Non-Keyboard Principal Instrument
MUS  2421  Class Piano 3
MUS  2521  Class Piano 4

or

Keyboard Principal Instrument
MUS  1552  Functional Piano for Keyboard Principals

* Music Performance Emphasis students should take MUS 3543 Music Performance-Private Instruction IV (2 semesters) instead.

Special degree requirements. All students pursuing the Bachelor of Music degree are required:

  • to make one recital appearance during the last semester of required study on their principal instrument; performance majors are required to make a minimum of one recital or area seminar appearance each semester on their principal instrument
  • to perform in University ensembles; specific ensemble requirements for each emphasis or concentration are outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook (available online and in the department office)
  • to meet music performance proficiency standards established for principal instruments; students not meeting those standards must repeat music performance courses until the proficiency standards have been met
  • to fulfill the recital and seminar attendance requirements as defined in the Department of Music Student Handbook.

In addition, candidates for the Bachelor of Music degree must complete the course requirements for the concentration or emphasis they declare.


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Music Studies Concentration

All candidates for this concentration must fulfill the Music Degree Requirements (45 hours), as well as the course requirements necessary for this concentration (49 hours). Details regarding the following requirements for each principal instrument area are available in the Department of Music Student Handbook.

The principal instrument for those whose student teaching will be in band must be a woodwind, brass, or percussion instrument(s); for instance, traditional percussion instruments as found in a band or orchestra—timpani, mallet instruments, multi-percussion, but not drum set.

The principal instrument for those whose student teaching will be in string classes or orchestra must be violin, viola, cello, contrabass (not electric bass), or classical guitar.

The principal instrument for those whose student teaching will be in choral-elementary general music must be voice or piano.

The principal instrument for those whose student teaching will be in elementary general music-secondary instrumental must be violin, viola, cello, contrabass, guitar, woodwind, brass or traditional percussion.

A qualifying 30-minute proficiency recital must be presented on the student’s principal instrument and approved prior to the semester of student teaching; specific requirements are outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook.

  1. 25 semester credit hours in music:
    1. 15–17 semester credit hours of required music courses:

      Wind Instrument and Percussion Principals
      MUS  2413  Conducting II (Instrumental)
      MUS  3232  Wind and Percussion Literature
      MUS  3312  Music Technology for Music Educators
      MUS  3401  Brass Instruments
      MUS  3421  Vocal Techniques for Instrumental Majors
      MUS  3431  Woodwind Instruments
      MUS  3453  Teaching Music in the Elementary School
      MUS  3471  String Instruments
      MUS  3481  Percussion Instruments
      MUS  4452  Marching Band Techniques

      String Instrument Principals
      MUS  2413  Conducting II (Instrumental)
      MUS  3242  String Literature
      MUS  3312  Music Technology for Music Educators
      MUS  3401  Brass Instruments
      MUS  3421  Vocal Techniques for Instrumental Majors
      MUS  3431  Woodwind Instruments
      MUS  3453  Teaching Music in the Elementary School
      MUS  3471  String Instruments
      MUS  3481  Percussion Instruments

      Guitar Principals (Orchestral)
      MUS  2413  Conducting II (Instrumental)
      MUS  3312  Music Technology for Music Educators
      MUS  3332  Advanced Guitar Literature
      MUS  3401  Brass Instruments
      MUS  3421  Vocal Techniques for Instrumental Majors
      MUS  3431  Woodwind Instruments
      MUS  3453  Teaching Music in the Elementary School
      MUS  3471  String Instruments
      MUS  3481  Percussion Instruments

      Guitar Principals (Choral)
      MUS  2413  Conducting II (Choral)
      MUS  2601  Diction Survey
      MUS  3312  Music Technology for Music Educators
      MUS  3332  Advanced Guitar Literature
      MUS  3453  Teaching Music in the Elementary School
      MUS  3463  Teaching Vocal and General Music in Grades 6–12
      MUS  3491  Instrumental Techniques for Voice Majors

      Voice and Keyboard Principals
      MUS  2413  Conducting II (Choral)
      MUS  2601  Diction Survey
      MUS  3272  Choral Literature (Renaissance to Baroque topic)
      MUS  3272  Choral Literature (Classical to 20th-Century topic)
      MUS  3312  Music Technology for Music Educators
      MUS  3453  Teaching Music in the Elementary School
      MUS  3463  Teaching Vocal and General Music in Grades 6–12
      MUS  3491  Instrumental Techniques for Voice Majors

      Wind and percussion students interested in teaching general music may substitute C&I 4213 Approaches to Teaching Music for MUS 4452 Marching Band Techniques. Students who choose this option will do half of their student teaching in an elementary general music placement and half in a middle school band placement. This option requires consultation with the student’s music advisor.

      String students interested in teaching general music may substitute C&I 4213 Approaches to Teaching Music for the two-semester MUS 1511 Music Performance-Secondary Instrument requirement (in the section below). Students who choose this option will do half of their student teaching in an elementary general music placement and half in a secondary level orchestra placement. This option requires consultation with the student’s music advisor.

    2. 2-4 semester credit hours of additional required music performance study:

      Wind Instrument and Percussion Principals
      MUS  4532  Music Pedagogy (Instrumental)

      String Instrument Principals
      MUS  1511  Music Performance-Secondary Instrument (violin or viola)
      MUS  1511  Music Performance-Secondary Instrument (cello or bass)
      MUS  4532  Music Pedagogy (Instrumental)

      Guitar Principals (Orchestral)
      MUS  1511  Music Performance-Secondary Instrument (strings) (2 semesters)
      MUS  4532  Music Pedagogy (Guitar)

      Guitar Principals (Choral)
      MUS  1511  Music Performance-Secondary Instrument (strings) (2 semesters)
      MUS  4532  Music Pedagogy (Guitar)

      Voice Principals
      MUS  4531  Vocal Pedagogy I
      MUS  4541  Vocal Pedagogy II

      Keyboard Principals
      MUS  1511  Music Performance-Secondary Instrument (voice) (2 semesters)

    3. 6 semester credit hours of ensemble as assigned by the ensemble directors, as outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook

      * Secondary instrument must not be the same as principal instrument.


  2. 24 semester credit hours of professional education courses (including 6 hours of student teaching and 3 hours in a state-mandated reading course); for specific required courses, consult the College of Education and Human Development Advising and Certification Center

  3. Students electing the Music Studies concentration must successfully complete the precertification interview with the Music Studies Committee for approval to continue as a music studies major at the upper-division level

  4. Students enrolled in the Music Studies concentration must successfully complete competency tests to receive certification as specified by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification


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Composition Emphasis

All candidates for this emphasis must fulfill the Music Degree Requirements (45 hours), as well as the course requirements necessary for this emphasis (46 hours).

  1. 10 semester credit hours of music performance courses are required, some of which may be repeated for credit:

    1. 2 semester credit hours of approved secondary instrument(s)

    2. 8 semester credit hours of ensemble as assigned by the ensemble directors, as outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook

  2. 8 semester credit hours of required composition lessons:

    MUS  2142  Composition I
    MUS  3162  Composition II
    MUS  4142  Composition III (2 semesters)

  3. 18 additional approved semester credit hours of upper-level music theory, history, and technology courses

  4. 9 semester credit hours of electives. Students intending to pursue graduate studies in Composition or Theory are strongly encouraged to take at least two semesters of a foreign language as electives; preferred languages include German, French, or Italian. Guitar principals must elect MUS 2232 Introduction to Guitar Literature.

  5. Students electing the Composition emphasis must interview with the Composition Committee for approval to pursue the emphasis at the upper-division level.

  6. MUS 4561 Senior Recital is required of all students in the Composition emphasis; the student’s senior recital shall include a selection of the student’s compositions totaling a minimum of 30 minutes. The student will submit completed musical scores representing a majority of the proposed recital program to an examining committee the semester before that of the recital. The examining committee shall determine the acceptability of the recital program.

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Music Performance Emphasis

All candidates for this emphasis must fulfill the music degree requirements (47 hours), as well as the course requirements necessary for this emphasis (44 hours).

  1. 16 semester credit hours of music performance courses are required, some of which may be repeated for credit:
    1. 6 semester credit hours of Private Instruction in principal instrument (this is in addition to the 14 hours of Private Instruction in the music degree requirements):

      MUS  4543  Music Performance-Private Instruction V (2 semesters)

    2. 2 semester credit hours of approved secondary instrument(s)

    3. 8 semester credit hours of ensemble as assigned by the ensemble directors, as outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook

  2. All music performance majors except voice principals are required to complete MUS 3013 Digital Music Production

  3. 6 semester credit hours of approved upper-level music theory courses

  4. 4 semester credit hours of approved music literature courses in the student’s principal performance area

  5. 2 semester credit hours of approved music pedagogy courses in the student’s principal performance area

  6. For all music performance emphasis students except voice principals, 12 semester credit hours of free electives are required. Vocal Principals are required to use these 12 semester credit hours to satisfy the diction and language requirements as detailed in the Department of Music Student Handbook.

  7. Students electing the Performance emphasis must be approved by the appropriate qualifying committee for approval to pursue the emphasis at the upper-division level; requirements for each area are specified in the Department of Music Student Handbook

  8. A senior recital (MUS 4561) approximately one hour in length must be presented and approved by the appropriate recital committee


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Music Marketing Emphasis

All candidates for this emphasis must fulfill the Music Degree Requirements (45 hours), as well as the course requirements necessary for this emphasis (46 hours).

  1. 10 semester credit hours of music performance courses are required, some of which may be repeated for credit:

    1. 2 semester credit hours of approved secondary instrument(s)

    2. 8 semester credit hours of ensemble as assigned by the ensemble directors, as outlined in the Department of Music Student Handbook

  2. 12 semester credit hours of required music marketing courses:

    1. 3 semester credit hours of a music marketing introductory course:
      MUS  2263  Introduction to the Music Industry
      or
      MUS  2273  Introduction to Music Nonprofit Organizations

    2. 9 semester credit hours of required music marketing courses:
      MUS  3613  Entrepreneurship in Music
      MUS  4803  Seminar in Music Marketing
      MUS  4933  Music Marketing Internship

  3. 24 additional semester credit hours of approved business, music, music technology, or music marketing courses, at least 12 hours of which must be outside of music. Except for ACC 2013, ECO 2013, and ECO 2023, these must be upper-level courses*. A list of suggested courses (arranged in groups for different music marketing “tracks”) that fulfill this part of the degree is available in the Department of Music Student Handbook.

  4. 3 semester credit hours of electives for students electing ECO 2013 or ECO 2023 as a partial fulfillment of C, above. Guitar principals must elect MUS 2232 Introduction to Guitar Literature.

  5. Students electing the Music Marketing emphasis must interview with the Music Marketing Committee for approval to pursue the emphasis at the upper-division level

* The College of Business sets prerequisites for all business coursework and changes prerequisites at its discretion. Business prerequisites are not necessarily included in this degree plan either as part of the academic core or the music marketing coursework. Consequently, before planning to take a specific business class, students should consult the catalog and meet with their advisor to determine whether they have met the prerequisites for that class.


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