Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
BA Language Requirements
All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
- NUpath requirements Creative Expression/Innovation (EI) and Interpreting Culture (IC) are met through the major course requirements.
- NUpath requirements Formal and Quantitative Reasoning (FQ), Natural and Designed World (ND), Societies and Institutions (SI), Analyzing and Using Data (AD), Differences and Diversity (DD), and Ethical Reasoning (ER) may be met through electives in the major.
Introduction to College
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MUSC 1000 | Music at Northeastern | 1 |
Music Theory and Musicianship
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Music Theory Placement | ||
| All students can take a music theory placement exam to place out of MUSC 1119. Students who place out of MUSC 1119 will substitute it with a general elective course. | ||
| MUSC 1119 | Fundamentals of Western Music Theory | 4 |
| Required Music Theory | ||
| A grade of C or higher is required in each course. | ||
| MUSC 1201 | Music Theory 1 | 4 |
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Music Theory 2 | ||
| Analyzing Popular Genres | ||
| Algebra and Geometry of Music | ||
| Jazz Improvisation | ||
| Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Music | ||
| Music Perception and Cognition | ||
| Music Analysis Seminar | ||
Music in Context
Complete one course from each category below. From the categories Western Art Music, Global Music/Ethnomusicology, and Contemporary/Popular Music, at least two must be at the 2000 level or higher. Courses may not double count across the five areas. Many, but not all, Music in Context courses at the 2000 level or higher fulfill the writing-intensive in the discipline requirement. Please check the writing-intensive status of courses as needed.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory Class | ||
| Select from the following: | 4 | |
| Music in Everyday Life | ||
| Music in Everyday Life and Lab for MUSC 1002 | ||
| Western Art Music | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Topics in Western Music | ||
| Songs That Made History | ||
| Topics in Western Art Music | ||
| 40,000 Years of Music Technology | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| Global Music/Ethnomusicology | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Music of Africa | ||
| Topics in Diverse Musical Cultures | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Topics in Global Music Cultures | ||
| History of the Music Industry | ||
| Musical Communities of Boston | ||
| Topics in Musical Communities | ||
| The Festival Experience | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Sound and the Sacred | ||
| Music, Noise, Silence | ||
| Ethnography and the Arts | ||
| Music Tourism | ||
| Music and Social Justice | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Contemporary/Popular Music | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Jazz | ||
| Film Music | ||
| Wired for Sound | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Popular Music Since 1945 | ||
| Topics in American Music | ||
| Punk Rock | ||
| 40,000 Years of Music Technology | ||
| The Festival Experience | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| Music, Sound, and the Screen | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Sound and the Sacred | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Creative | ||
| Complete one of the following 4-semester-hour courses or complete four 1-semester-hour ensembles and/or lessons from the list below: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Music Composition | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Jazz Improvisation | ||
| Conducting | ||
| Introduction to Songwriting | ||
| Music Composition Seminar 1 | ||
| Arranging and Orchestration for Film, Media, and the Concert Stage | ||
| Critical Listening for Producers | ||
| Music Production and Recording 1 | ||
| The Independent Performing Songwriter: Creation, Commerce, and Well-Being | ||
| Introduction to Music Technology | ||
| Sound Design | ||
Ensembles and Lessons | ||
| Music Lessons 1 | ||
| Music Lessons 2 | ||
| Chorus | ||
| Concert Band | ||
| Orchestra | ||
| Wind Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Ensemble | ||
| Rock Ensemble | ||
| Blues/Rock Ensemble | ||
| Pop Music Performance | ||
| Chamber Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Choir and Combo | ||
| World Music Ensemble | ||
| Fusion Ensemble | ||
| Pep Band | ||
| Open Microphone Performance Workshop | ||
Capstone
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Music Research Capstone | ||
| Seminar in Music Industry | ||
| Music Technology Capstone | ||
Music Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete three additional courses in music (MUSC, MUSI, or MUST). At least two must be at the 2000 level or higher. | 12 | |
Major Credit Requirement
Complete 48 semester hours in the major.
Major GPA Requirement
Students must maintain at least a 2.667 GPA (B– average) in the requirements of the major. Students who fail to meet the above standards will be placed on departmental probation; those who remain on probation for two consecutive semesters will be dropped from the major.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Sample Plans of Study
Four Years, No Co-op
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | Music in context course | 4 | Vacation | Vacation | ||
| MUSC 1000 | 1 | Music theory course | 4 | ||||
| MUSC 1001 or 1002 and 1003 | 4 | Music elective | 4 | ||||
| MUSC 1201 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Music in context course | 4 | Music in context course | 4 | Vacation | Vacation | ||
| Music elective | 4 | Music elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Music in context course | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | Vacation | ||
| Music theory course | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Capstone course | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 129 | |||||||
Four Years, Two Co-ops
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | MUSC 1201 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | |
| MUSC 1000 | 1 | Music in context elective (1) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSC 1002 and MUSC 1003 | 4 | Language (2) | 4 | ||||
| MUSC 1119 | 4 | EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||
| Language 1 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 17 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Music in context course (2) | 4 | Co-op 1 | 0 | Co-op 1 | 0 | Elective | 4 |
| Music theory course | 4 | Elective (online) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Music elective (1) | 4 | or Dialogue | |||||
| Language elective (3) | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 3314 | 4 | Co-op 2 | 0 | Co-op 2 | 0 | Elective | 4 |
| Music in context course (3) | 4 | Elective (online) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Music elective (2) | 4 | or Dialogue | |||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 4 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Music in context course (4) | 4 | Music capstone | 4 | ||||
| Music theory course | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Music elective (3) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||