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A student practicing the piano

Music, B.A.

Meet the Unique Demands of the 21st – Century Musician
  • 9:1

    Student-Faculty Ratio

  • Awards

    Student Ensembles & World-Class Facilities

  • 3rd

    Ranking on the “5 Best Colleges for Music Majors in North Carolina” List per Zippia

Find your career in:

Hone your craft and become a performing artist.

Teach private lessons to aspiring musicians and performers.

Write music as a professional occupation.

Organize concerts and performances for musicians and artists.

Learn To

Unleash your creativity

Refine your skills; practice your craft

Cultivate new collaborations

Connect history with current trends

Become an arts advocate

“ Come to UNCW if you’re looking for an intimate learning experience, if you’re looking for lots of one-on-one time with your professors. As a student, that is very, very helpful. ”
Isabella Stollenmaier ’17
Music, B.A. Overview

Innovative Areas of Study

The B.A. in Music offers innovative areas of study in performance, jazz, music technology, as well as general music for the 21st-century musician. This degree is a foundation for careers in a range of music-related fields –performance, music technology and recording, concert management and promotion, composition, and private studio teaching – as well as graduate study in music and other academic areas.

Flexible Curricula to Help You Find Your Path

Through the jazz studies option, you’ll receive exceptional training through numerous performance opportunities to help prepare you for careers in jazz and related contemporary fields.

The music technology option provides you with the foundation for various careers. You will study music technology and recording, along with music entrepreneurship and the music business.

The performance option trains you in the areas of instrumental, piano and vocal. This option also gives you a solid foundation in music theory, history and conducting.

Our general music option allows you to design your curriculum by choosing courses to create unique opportunities for distinctive educational experiences.

Learn From Expert Faculty

Your classes are taught by internationally recognized artists and teachers. Individual attention is the hallmark of our music program. The faculty will work closely with you to obtain the highest level of musicianship, creativity and scholarship. Your learning experiences include extensive performance opportunities.

As an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music, the Department of Music is committed to the highest standards of excellence in teaching and training students who will become the artists and teachers of the future.

Overall, it would be difficult to find a more diversified and challenging curriculum than the music curriculum at UNCW.

A musical ensemble performs at UNCW

Sample Courses in Music, B.A.

Table shows sample courses for this program
MUS 196 Private Lessons
MUS 130 Contemporary/Chamber Ensembles
MUS 183/186 Concert & Chamber Choir
MUS 185 Wind Symphony
MUS 186 Jazz Ensemble
MUS 210 Digital Music & Sound Technology
MUS 214 Recording Technology I
MUS 215 Recording Technology II
See The Full Curriculum

How Do I Major in Music?

  • Apply to the university, then set up an audition through the online Department of Music audition application
  • After being accepted into the university and successfully auditioning, you may declare a pre-music major, which gives you access to music advisors and majors-only courses; and you can declare music as your major at the end of your freshman year
  • Transfer students also audition for the department
ADMISSION AND AUDITION DETAILS

Explore More Program
Details

Learn more about the
Department

  • Related Programs

    Music Education, B.M.

    The Bachelor of Music in Music Education degree is intended for students who have a passion for teaching music in a public or private school setting.

    Learn More

    Music Minor (Music, Jazz, Choral Music)

    The music minor provides courses in music theory and history, applied lessons, participation in performance ensembles and a variety of other music classes to further the student’s musical knowledge, as well as opportunities to emphasize studies in select areas.

    Learn More

     

  • Graduate Programs to Consider Next

    Master of Music

    You can go on to study at the graduate level in classical and jazz performance (instrumental, keyboard, voice/opera), composition, choral and instrumental conducting, music technology and music therapy.

    Master of Music in Musical Theatre

    A master's program in musical theater is designed to enhance, refine, and elevate the performance skills of advanced musical theater artists.

    Post-Baccalaureate Certificates

    These programs provide flexibility for artists to build and work on professional portfolios, leading directly to a profession in the arts (music technology, opera studies, historical performance, musicology, music theory, and ethnomusicology).