Bachelor of Arts in Music
Any student accepted for admission to CSUSB can declare music as major and pursue the BA in Music degree. Students may pursue any of three concentrations offered within the BA in Music degree: General Music Studies (GMS), Music Industry Studies (MIS), or Music, Sound, & Technology (MST).
All new music majors should schedule an audition with department faculty in order to determine placement in applied music lessons and performance ensembles. Incoming students are also encouraged to take a keyboard skills proficiency diagnostic examination and a music theory diagnostic examination.
Applied instruction is available only to declared music majors. Students interested in applied composition (MUS 2460) will be required to complete one year of applied vocal or instrumental music instruction (MUS 1400-MUS 1450) as a prerequisite. Students in applied music technology (MUS 3480) or applied commercial music (MUS 3490) will be required to complete two years of applied vocal or instrumental music instruction (MUS 1400-MUS 1450 and MUS 2400-MUS 2450) as a prerequisite. Students may enroll in a maximum of four units at any one collegiate level of applied instruction (MUS 1400-MUS 1450, MUS 2400-MUS 2460, MUS 3400-MUS 3490, or MUS 4400-MUS 4480). After four semesters at one level, students unable to satisfy completion requirements for that level will be counseled to select a major in a different discipline and will be denied enrollment in any higher level of applied instruction.
All students enrolled as full-time music majors in the General Music Studies concentration are required to participate each semester until graduation (8 total) in a major performing ensemble (MUS 3800, 3810, 3850, or 3860) most appropriate to a student's applied emphasis. Students enrolled in the Music Industry Studies and the Music, Sound, & Technology concentrations are required to participate for at least 4 semesters in a major performing ensemble.
Total units required for graduation: 120
Core Requirements for the B.A. in Music
| MUS 2120 | Music Theory I: Diatonic Harmony | 3 |
| MUS 2125 | Musicianship I | 2 |
| MUS 2130 | Music Theory II: Chromatic Harmony | 3 |
| MUS 2135 | Musicianship II | 2 |
| MUS 3500 | Global Music (double counts for General Education C4 requirement) | 3 |
| MUS 2660 | Electronic Music Production | 3 |
| Four units chosen from the student's instrument of study: | 4 | |
| Four units chosen from: | 4 | |
Participation in one of the major performance organizations most appropriate to the student's applied emphasis. | ||
| Large Music Ensemble | ||
| Symphony Orchestra | ||
| Symphonic Band | ||
| Concert Choir | ||
| Chamber Singers | ||
| MUS 1000 | Music Forum (must take at least 4 times) | 4 |
| MUS 5980 | Senior Project | 1 |
| Concentration chosen below | 26-28 | |
| Total Units | 55-57 | |
Concentrations (26-28 Units)
General Music Studies Concentration
(Program Code: MUGM)
| MUS 2140 | Music Theory III: Analysis of Musical Form | 3 |
| MUS 2145 | Musicianship III | 2 |
| MUS 2150 | Music Theory IV: 20th-21st Century Music Theory | 3 |
| MUS 2155 | Musicianship IV | 2 |
| MUS 3040 | Western Music History to 1700 | 3 |
| MUS 3050 | Western Music History from 1700 to 1900 | 3 |
| MUS 3060 | Western Music History from 1900 to the present | 3 |
| MUS 2230 | Class Piano IV (or passing of an equivalent piano proficiency examination) | 1 |
| Two upper-division units of applied study: | 2 | |
| Four additional units of large performance ensemble most relevant to student's applied vocal/instrumental emphasis: | 4 | |
| Large Music Ensemble | ||
| Symphony Orchestra | ||
| Symphonic Band | ||
| Concert Choir | ||
| Chamber Singers | ||
| Total Units | 26 | |
Music Industry Studies Concentration
(Program Code: MUMI)
| Concentration Requirements (16) | ||
| MUS 2210 | Class Piano II (or passing of an equivalent piano proficiency exam) | 1 |
| MUS 1270 | History of Electronic Music | 3 |
| or MUS 1865 | Global Hip Hop | |
| MUS 2670 | Sound Recording | 3 |
| CAL 1140 | Sustaining a Life in the Arts (similar lower-division course in a related field may be substituted with department consent) | 3 |
| or CAL 1000 | You/U: Applied Humanities and Arts | |
| or ADMN 1001 | Leadership for Global Challenges: Exploring the Entrepreneurial Mindset | |
| or ADMN 1002 | Leadership for Global Challenges: Citizenship in a Sustainable World | |
| or ADMN 1003 | Leadership for Global Challenges: Exploring the Digital Mindset | |
| CAL 4000 | The Artist Entrepreneur: Innovation and Leadership in the Arts | 3 |
| CAL 4100 | The Artist Entrepreneur's Toolkit | 3 |
| Concentration Electives (12) | 12 | |
| 12 units chosen from: | ||
| Introduction to Music Composition | ||
| Music Theory III: Analysis of Musical Form | ||
| Music Theory IV: 20th-21st Century Music Theory | ||
| Creating Digital Media Using Personal Electronic Technology | ||
| Commercial Songwriting | ||
| Western Music History from 1700 to 1900 | ||
| Western Music History from 1900 to the present | ||
| Upper-Division Composition I | ||
| Applied Technology I | ||
| Applied Commercial Music | ||
| Music for the Screen | ||
| Music in Video Games | ||
| Commercial Arranging and Scoring | ||
| Composition for Films and Television | ||
| Topics in Music Technology (Topics classes may be repeated multiple times for credit) | ||
| Four on the Floor: Electronic Dance Music in Practice and Culture | ||
| Upper-Division Composition II | ||
| Applied Technology | ||
| Advanced Electronic Music | ||
| Venture Ideation, Analysis, and Development in the Arts | ||
| The Artist Entrepreneur Launch | ||
| Total Units | 28 | |
Music, Sound, & Technology Concentration
(Program Code: MUST)
| Concentration Requirements (16) | ||
| MUS 2210 | Class Piano II (or passing of an equivalent piano proficiency exam) | 1 |
| MUS 1270 | History of Electronic Music | 3 |
| MUS 2670 | Sound Recording | 3 |
| MUS 1337 | Introduction to Audio Programming | 3 |
| MUS 3337 | Real-Time Multimedia Systems | 3 |
| MUS 4660 | Advanced Electronic Music | 3 |
| Concentration Electives (12) | 12 | |
| 12 units chosen from: | ||
| Global Hip Hop | ||
| Introduction to Music Composition | ||
| Creating Digital Media Using Personal Electronic Technology | ||
| Commercial Songwriting | ||
| Upper-Division Composition I | ||
| Applied Technology I | ||
| Electronic and Electroacoustic Music Composition | ||
| New Music Ensemble | ||
| Instrumentation and Arranging | ||
| Music for the Screen | ||
| Music in Video Games | ||
| Commercial Arranging and Scoring | ||
| Composition for Films and Television | ||
| Film Soundtrack Recording | ||
| Topics in Music Technology (may be repeated multiple times for credit) | ||
| Four on the Floor: Electronic Dance Music in Practice and Culture | ||
| Upper-Division Composition II | ||
| Applied Technology | ||
| Advanced Studio Recording Techniques | ||
| Total Units | 28 | |