Undergraduate Degrees
Leader for INNOVATION and TRANSFORMATION
All our undergraduate degrees have been transformed with the goal of providing students with significant opportunities to craft a program of study that best fits their individual goals. The resulting curricula are forward thinking and focused on the needs of students who will enter a rapidly changing world of music making.
DESIGN YOUR OWN MUSIC DEGREE
Our undergraduate degree programs are flexible and designed so that students can elect to enroll in courses that meet their personal goals. In addition, we’ve added new courses designed to help students gain valuable 21st Century skills, including “Music Technology with Artificial Intelligence,” “Introduction to Entrepreneurship in Music,” and expanded internship possibilities. A new required course, “Creativity in the Arts,” provides students with opportunities to practice collaborative creativity within the context of unusual instrumental and vocal groups - an important 21st Century music skill.
PLACING STUDENTS FRONT & CENTER
The USF School of Music offers three undergraduate degree programs - The Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies, the Bachelor of Science in Music Education, and the Bachelor of Music, with concentrations in Performance, Commercial Music, Jazz Studies and Composition.
Degree outlines are below. For further information, please contact Corey Carpenter, Academic Advisor for the School of Music.
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN MUSIC STUDIES DEGREE
The Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies (BA) is a degree for students who wish to supplement other interests with music study (double major), and/or want to design their own music degree. The BA in music studies is the definition of flexibility. Requirements involve fewer than 50 hours in music classes, and include courses in entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence and creativity. This leaves a significant number of elective hours so that students are able to enroll in courses (music or non-music) that meet their personal goals. Graduates from the BA in Music Studies at USF find themselves in very competitive positions for graduate study and musical careers of their own making. Admission into the program requires an audition on your major instrument.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN MUSIC EDUCATION
The Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education is for students who are interested in teaching music in K-12 schools. This program is an intense study of music that prepares students for the ever changing music classrooms of the 21st century. We believe this to be the most progressive and practical music teacher preparation available at any University! In addition to private study on their principle instrument and participation in ensembles, students complete musicianship courses, and take a variety of music education courses including traditional wind, string, vocal, percussion and keyboard methods and techniques, as well as progressive coursework in learner centered pedagogy, media fluency, generative practices, commercial and world music techniques, and even an acting course. This degree program challenges and prepares future educators to not only embrace the traditions of music education, but also to incorporate new potentials. Our graduates are equipped to reach new populations of students who are interested in making music in non-traditional ways. The program progresses towards a two semester student-teaching experience in area schools. Admission into the program requires an audition on your major instrument as well as a faculty interview.
BACHELOR OF MUSIC DEGREE
The Bachelor of Music (BM) degree is for students who wish to pursue a career in music. Students interested in a BM can choose between four areas of concentration: composition (acoustic and electronic music), contemporary commercial music, jazz studies and performance. This program requires 120 credit hours that includes intense private study on their principle instrument and participation in ensembles. Additionally, students complete music theory, history and literature sequences, and take additional course work in their chosen area of concentration. Each concentration also includes a significant number of elective hours so that students are able to enroll in courses that meet their personal goals. Graduates from BM programs at USF find themselves in very competitive positions for graduate study and musical careers. Admission into the program requires an audition on your major instrument.