Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The Bachelor of Arts in Music provides students with the opportunity to major in music while pursuing a broad liberal arts education. Depending upon the courses taken beyond those required for the major, students may prepare for a variety of careers, not just those associated with music. To enter this program, in addition to being admitted to WVU, students must meet audition requirements on one of the following: a band or orchestral instrument, guitar, piano, or voice. Unless otherwise specified, general College of Creative Arts and WVU regulations apply.
Admissions for 2025-2026
Acceptance into an undergraduate music degree program is contingent upon both admission to WVU as an undergraduate student and a successful performance audition. Auditions are held from late fall through the early spring semester. For maximum scholarship consideration, students are encouraged to complete the application (including audition) before March 1. Audition information can be found on the College's website or by contacting the CCAM Office of Recruitment at (304) 293-4339. Special accommodations may be made by contacting the School of Music at (304) 293-4532 or Music@mail.wvu.edu.
For admission consideration, all students must submit separate applications to the University and to the School of Music. The audition is a preliminary assessment of a student’s potential for success. For the Bachelor of Science in Music and Health, students must audition at a minimum performance level four. If a student is admitted, their standing is confirmed or revised after the first semester of study.
Students should own their own instrument under normal circumstances (except for piano).
- Apply to West Virginia University (How to Apply)
- Audition for the School of Music (Apply Now)
Acceptance into an undergraduate music degree program requires admission to WVU as an undergraduate student and a successful audition and/or interview. The audition and/or interview is a preliminary assessment of a student's potential for success in their intended major.
- BA Music - audition required
- BA Music Business and Industry: Applied Music Emphasis - audition required
- BA Music Business and Industry: Multi-instrumental Emphasis - interview required (no audition)
- BM Composition - audition and portfolio review required
- BM Music Education - audition and interview required
- BM Music Therapy - audition and interview required
- BM Performance - audition required
- BS Music and Health - audition required
Students who cannot attend one of our regularly scheduled audition days should contact the School of Music at:
(304) 293-4532 or Music@mail.wvu.edu.
Music majors can change from one music curriculum to another with faculty approval, particularly during the freshman or sophomore year, without significant loss of course credit. Students are encouraged to explore and follow the curriculum for which they are best qualified and in which they can achieve the greatest success. Evaluation of students’ work by the School of Music faculty informs these decisions. If students wish a broader, liberal arts-oriented program, they may pursue a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music.
Major Code: 3542
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 27 | |
| Music Program Requirements | 28 | |
| Music Major Requirements | 70 | |
| Total Hours | 125 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 | 25 | |
| MUSC 191 | First-Year Seminar | 2 |
| Total Hours | 27 | |
Music Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses | ||
| Music Core Courses | ||
| MUSC 161 | Aural Theory 1 | 2 |
| MUSC 162 | Written Theory 1 | 3 |
| MUSC 163 | Aural Theory 2 | 2 |
| MUSC 164 | Written Theory 2 | 3 |
| MUSC 189 | Music Convocation (Two semesters) | 0 |
| Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 3 | |
| Introduction to Music | ||
| American Popular Music | ||
| Music and the Immigrant Experience | ||
| Introduction to History of Jazz | ||
| Music in World Cultures | ||
| Music in Appalachia | ||
| MUSC 261 | Aural Theory 3 | 2 |
| MUSC 262 | Written Theory 3 | 3 |
| MUSC 263 | Aural Theory 4 | 2 |
| Select one of the following: | 2-3 | |
| Instrumentation and Orchestration | ||
| Popular Music Analysis Seminar | ||
| Songwriting: Composition and Analysis | ||
| Counterpoint, 16th Century | ||
| Counterpoint, 18th Century | ||
| Analysis of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Music | ||
| Compositional Techniques in Contemporary Music | ||
| Electronic Music | ||
| Techniques for Electronic Music Performance | ||
| Jazz and Commercial Music Harmony | ||
| Counterpoint, 20th Century | ||
| MUSC 270 | History of Western Musical Traditions 1 (GEF 6) | 3 |
| MUSC 271 | History of Western Musical Traditions 2 (GEF 8) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 28 | |
Music Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required in all courses | ||
| Electives * | 40 | |
| Upper-Level Music Electives (in Music Theory or Music History) | 4 | |
| 8 semesters of Major Ensemble, selected from the following: ** | 8 | |
| Band: Wind Symphony | ||
| Band: Symphonic | ||
| Band: Marching | ||
| University Community Choir | ||
| Orchestra | ||
| Chamber Singers | ||
| University Mountaineer Chorus | ||
| Jazz Ensemble 1 | ||
| Jazz Ensemble 2 | ||
| Applied Music Study (MUSC 121-127, 221-227, 321-327, 421-427) *minimum proficiency level 7 required | 16 | |
| MUSC 492 | Directed Study (Capstone) | 2 |
| Proficiency Level | ||
| Total Hours | 70 | |
- *
Electives must be courses that go beyond the GEF and foreign language requirements. Students may use up to 15 credits of MUSC courses as electives.
- **
Credits may vary. Refer to the School of Music Requirements for policies related to fulfilling the Major Ensemble requirement.
Performance Proficiency
Students must attain a proficiency in their major performance area suitable for public performance (at least level seven). Secondary piano proficiency is not required. Two solo upper-level appearances and two semesters of Music Convocation are required. If the student does not make satisfactory progress in achieving the expected performance proficiency, the student will be discontinued.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 | MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 |
| MUSC 121-127D Applied Music | 2 | MUSC 121-127D Applied Music | 2 |
| MUSC 161 | 2 | MUSC 163 | 2 |
| MUSC 162 | 3 | GEF | 3 |
| MUSC 191 | 2 | Electives | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | MUSC 164 | 3 |
| GEF | 3 | MUSC 189 | 0 |
| Electives | 3 | Select one of the following (GEF 8): | 3 |
| 19 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 | MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 |
| MUSC 221-227D Applied Music | 2 | MUSC 221-227D Applied Music | 2 |
| MUSC 261 | 2 | MUSC 263 | 2 |
| MUSC 262 | 3 | MUSC 271 (GEF 6) | 3 |
| MUSC 270 (GEF 8) | 3 | Select one of the following: | 2-3 |
| MUSC 189 | 0 | ||
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | ||
| Electives | 3 | ||
| GEF | 3 | ||
| 17 | 13 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 | MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 |
| MUSC 321-327D Applied Music | 2 | MUSC 321-327D Applied Music | 2 |
| MUSC History or Theory Electives | 2 | MUSC History or Theory Electives | 2 |
| GEF 2 | 4 | Electives | 6 |
| Electives | 6 | GEF | 3 |
| GEF | 3 | ||
| 18 | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 | MUSC Major Ensemble | 1 |
| MUSC 421-427D Applied Music | 2 | MUSC 421-427D Applied Music | 2 |
| Electives | 11 | Electives | 8 |
| MUSC 492 | 2 | ||
| 14 | 13 | ||
| Total credit hours: 125 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Music - BA
Students graduating with the Bachelor of Arts degree in Music will develop:
- the ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and to communicate with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force,
- an informed acquaintance with the mathematical and experimental methods of the physical and biological sciences; with the main forms of analysis and the historical and quantitative techniques needed for investigating the workings and developments of modern society,
- an ability to address culture and history from a variety of perspectives,
- an understanding of, and experience in thinking about, moral and ethical problems,
- the ability to respect, understand, and evaluate work in a variety of disciplines, and
- the capacity to explain and defend views effectively and rationally.