Jan 30, 2025

2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog

2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Music (Comprehensive) (BMus)

Admission and audition requirements

Music degrees are designed to develop the student’s abilities for performance, public school certification forteaching, private teaching, or composition. These degrees also prepare students for graduate study in music.

Students desiring to pursue a BA, BMus, BME, or BS music major or minor must first audition for a committee of applied faculty in that student’s desired performance area.* This audition should take place during the semester prior to the first semester of enrollment in applied lessons. All students will be required to demonstrate, through successful completion of a Music Theory Entrance Exam, a rudimentary ability to relate musical sound to notation and terminology before beginning the theory and ear-training sequence.

All music majors must apply for formal admission to the degree program. This typically will occur at the end of the sophomore year, and must be completed before the student has finished 75 hours. In order to be admitted to the degree program, students must pass MUS 298 , the piano proficiency exam, and have a combined (Missouri State and transfer) GPA of at least 2.75 and a combined (Missouri State and transfer) GPA of at least 3.00 in Music courses. Students who have not been formally admitted to the degree program will be unable to enroll in 300-level and above applied study.

*Students pursuing the minor in either Composition or Recording Arts are not required to audition in a performance area.

Major requirements

Note: A grade of “C” or better is required in all Music courses counted toward the major.

Major core

Foreign Language (6 hours) from:

French, German, or Italian.

Basic Theory (12 hours):

Music History/Literature (9 hours):

Piano (3 hours-may be waived by examination):

Conducting (2 hours):

MUS 321 - Conducting

Recital Attendance:

Upper Division Applied Status:

MUS 298 - Upper Division Applied Status

Total Credit Hours: 32

Complete one of the following options:

Composition option (52-53 hours):

Composition (15 hours):

MUS 498 - Senior Recital

and 13 additional hours from:

Advanced Music History/Literature (5-6 hours) from:

Advanced Theory (11 hours):

Large Ensembles (8 hours) as determined by audition

full-time students shall be in a large ensemble each semester until graduation.

Small Ensemble (1 hour) from:

Applied Music (12 hours):

Keyboard (4 hours) from:

Remaining hours in a single applied area (8 hours).

Public Affairs Capstone Experience will be fulfilled by completion of:

Instrumental Performance option (46-47 hours):

Advanced Music History/Literature (5-6 hours) from:

Advanced Music Theory (6 hours) from:

Large Ensembles (8 hours) as determined by audition

full-time students shall be in an instrumental ensemble each semester until graduation.

Small Ensembles (4 hours) from:

Pedagogy (2 hours):

MUS 538 - Survey of Pedagogical Methods

Applied Music (21 hours), must include

Public Affairs Capstone Experience will be fulfilled by completion of:

MUS 498 - Senior Recital

and 2 hours from

Jazz Performance option (46-47 hours):

Jazz Studies (14 hours):

Jazz Theory/Jazz Keyboard Skills (2 hours):

MUS 119 - Jazz Theory/Jazz Keyboard Skills

Jazz Improvisation (6 hours):

Jazz History (3 hours):

MUS 347 - History of Jazz in American Culture

Jazz Arranging (3 hours):

MUS 526 - Advanced Arranging Jazz section only.

Public Affairs Capstone Experience

will be fulfilled by completion of

MUS 498 - Senior Recital

and 2 hours from

Advanced Music History (6 hours) from:

Advanced Music Theory (6-7 hours) from:

Large Ensemble-Jazz (4 hours) as determined by audition from:

Small Ensemble-Jazz Symposium (6 hours) as determined by audition from:

MUS 172 - Small Ensemble
MUS 372 - Small Ensemble -Jazz section only.

Applied Music (10 hours), must include

Keyboard Performance option (46-47 hours):

Advanced Music History/Literature (5-6 hours) from:

Advanced Music Theory (6 hours) from:

Large Ensembles (8 hours) as determined by audition

full-time students shall be in a large ensemble each semester until graduation.

Small Ensembles (4 hours) from:

Keyboard majors may substitute up to three hours of Accompanying.

Pedagogy (2 hours):

MUS 538 - Survey of Pedagogical Methods

Applied Music (21 hours). Complete one:

Primary Instrument-Piano:

19 hours from

Must include

2 hours from

Primary Instrument-Organ:

19 hours from

Must include

2 hours from

Primary Instrument-Carillon:

19 hours from

Must include

2 hours from

Public Affairs Capstone Experience will be fulfilled by completion of:

MUS 498 - Senior Recital

and 2 hours from

Vocal Performance option (54-55 hours):

Advanced Music History/Literature (5-6 hours) from:

Advanced Music Theory (6 hours) select from:

Large Ensembles (8 hours) as determined by audition

full-time students shall be in one of the following choral ensembles each semester until graduation.

Small Ensembles (4 hours):

Pedagogy (2 hours):

MUS 530 - Vocal Pedagogy and Materials

Applied Music (21 hours), must include

Foreign Language (6 additional hours in a language other than that used in the Music Core)

select from: French, German, Italian.

Singing Diction I and II (2 hours):

Public Affairs Capstone Experience will be fulfilled by completion of:

MUS 498 - Senior Recital

and 2 hours of

MUS 453 - Voice

Total Credit Hours: 78-87

GPA graduation requirement for all options

A grade of “C” or better is required in all Music courses counted toward the major.