Bachelor of Arts in Music

Program Description

The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree is designed for students who want to combine intensive training in music with the exploration of other disciplines. 

The curriculum consists of 39 hours of General Education, including Foreign Language; 41-43 credit hours of Major Courses, including private lessons, ensembles, music theory, ear training, piano and music history; and at least 30 credit hours outside of the Department of Music—all of which can be applied to a minor or second major.  For specific requirements, refer to the Department of Music Student Handbook. The culminating experience for this degree is an academic Senior Project.

As a large research university, UNC Charlotte offers numerous opportunities to apply the 26 hours outside of music toward areas of personal and professional interest:

1. Students may complete a minor or an undergraduate certificate. Since most minors and certificates at UNC Charlotte are around 18 credit hours, all courses taken to complete minors will also fulfill most of the outside coursework in the music major. Recent music majors have minored in subjects such as Children’s Literature, Dance, English, Film Studies, French, German, History, International Studies, Linguistics, Psychology, Religious Studies, Spanish, Theatre, and Women’s Studies.

Minors at UNC Charlotte
Undergraduate Certificate Programs

2. Students may complete a second major. In these cases, General Education requirements will count equally toward both degrees, and courses in the second major will count toward the 26 credit hours of outside coursework required for the music degree. If the second major requires outside coursework, the 52-56 credit hours of music courses will meet those requirements. Since some majors, particularly those in the liberal arts, require as few as 30 credit hours in the major and allow as many as 48 credits outside of the major, a student can earn a double-major by taking roughly the same number of credit hours as many single majors.  Recent music majors have double-majored in subjects such as Anthropology, Art, Biology, Business, Communication Studies, English, German, Mathematics, Software & Information Systems, and Theatre.

Majors at UNC Charlotte

3. Students may design their own curriculum to meet their needs and goals. This could include the coursework collectively referred to as Pre-Medicine, or could be something quite unique. For example, a student interested in composing music for the gaming industry could take composition lessons in the Department of Music while also creating a secondary curriculum by combining programming courses in the Department of Computer Science with Graphic Design, Digital Media, and Animation courses in the Department of Art & Art History.

Admission Requirements

Students wishing to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree must audition prior to acceptance as a music major. Please visit “Music Admissions" for information about that process.