Academics

Overview

The Music Department at UC Santa Cruz offers two undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.). The B.A. degree offers a uniquely diverse curriculum, with the option of completing a concentration in either Contemporary Practices, Global Musics, or Western Art Music. The B.M. degree is designed for students who intend to pursue a career in music performance.

The department also offers minors in “Electronic Music,” “Jazz, Spontaneous Composition and Improvisation,” and “Western Art Music,” providing more access for music students and students in other disciplines to engage with music during their studies at UC Santa Cruz. Both B.A. and B.M. degrees are distinctive in that they integrate elements of performance, theory, composition, literature, and history, and culture. Undergraduate students leave UC Santa Cruz prepared for graduate studies and music careers in performance, teaching, and the digital arts.

There are three graduate programs in music: the Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in music and the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in music composition. The M.A. degree in music has emphases in composition, musicology/ethnomusicology, or performance practice, and integrates studies in performance, composition/analysis, and research. The Ph.D. degree in music has an emphasis in cross-cultural studies, and aims to provide doctoral students with an integrative framework for music scholarship, emphasizing the ways in which musicology and ethnomusicology interact and complement one another. The DMA degree in music composition allows doctoral students to pursue various and intersecting areas of emphasis such as algorithmic/computer-assisted composition, cross-cultural compositional practices, improvisation, collaborative composition, and other contemporary practices, to provide a broad awareness of the diverse styles, cultural influences, media, venues, and technical means available to them in the 21st century.

Students at UC Santa Cruz have extraordinary performance, composition, and professionalization opportunities. All instrument and voice faculty are celebrated professional musicians, who provide unparalleled guidance for students in performance and professional development. Ensemble courses culminate in an end-of-quarter performance, providing students with regular performance opportunities in a world-class recital hall. Student composers frequently collaborate with Arts Division faculty and peers to create and showcase their works. The electronic music minor provides hands-on opportunities for students to learn a variety of techniques related to electronic sound production, composition and recording in a state-of-the-art studio facility. The Opera Program allows students to be involved in every step of a major production, from concept and design considerations to marketing and arts management. As performers, composers, artistic collaborators and event organizers, these programs allow students to develop musically and professionally for diverse career paths and industries.

Our programs shape responsible, independent, and highly capable young artists that will push the frontiers of their fields. Graduates from the Music Department at UC Santa Cruz are musically attuned and socially engaged global citizens in the 21st century.