Honors Program in Music & Culture

The Honors Program in Music and Culture is designed to challenge superior students in the BA or BMus program beyond the academic requirements of the Music major. It provides students with the opportunity to advance their knowledge in the scholarly fields of music while developing their writing, analytical, and research skills. It is ideally suited for students who wish to study music at the graduate level, but not in performance, and who may be preparing for graduate work in arts criticism, the humanities, the social sciences, and the law. Admission to the program is competitive.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Completion of the core requirements for the major
  • Overall GPA of 3.5 or higher
  • Completion of the application form

Program Requirements

  • All students admitted to the Honors Program (BA and BMus) are required to complete three additional upper division (above 100) courses, beyond those taken to fulfill the core requirement.
  • For a list of courses, see categories 1 and 2 under Additional Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in the General Catalogue.
  • Relevant upper-division courses in other departments may be taken to fulfill this requirement by approval of the Department Honors Committee.
  • Capstone Project: A senior thesis (extended original research project) prepared under the supervision of the faculty advisor on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with that advisor.
    • The thesis topic must be approved by the Departmental Honors Committee prior to the end of the fall quarter of the senior year.
    • Students enroll in Music 195A and 195B (Senior Thesis), to develop their topic over two quarters.
    • Upon successful completion, a single grade is applied for both quarters and 4 units (total) are posted to the student’s record.

Department Honors Committee

The committee is comprised of the Musicology faculty.  After the Undergraduate Advisor receives the application, the committee will review it and, if accepted, assign a faculty advisor.

Application Requirements

  • Application Deadline:May 1st of the student’s junior year
  • Applications must include:
    • Application Form
    • Outline of the project (250 words, double-spaced).
    • TWO substantial writing samples, double-spaced, on musical subjects.
    • Transcripts showing overall GPA (unofficial transcript from Student Access is acceptable)
  • Submit applications to the Undergraduate Advisor.