Music Academic Information

These links provide program requirement worksheets for specific music programs. If you have any questions, please contact the CPVA academic advisor. You can also refer to the General Catalog for more information.

Apply to the Music Department

Degrees

This degree is designed to combine a study of music with other disciplines. This degree also allows students to take the prerequisites for a business, law, medical or other graduate degree.

A professional music degree designed to lead students to careers in music performance and production or graduate school in music.

Learn all the skills needed to become a school band, orchestra or choir director, and graduate with both a music degree and teaching license.

Formulas for assigning credit in music:

Academic music courses follow the institutional policy regarding awarding of credit. Applied music courses and music ensembles fall within the parameters outlined in the policy, though contact hours and hours outside of class vary. Academic courses per policy require 40-45 hours of time between contact and outside work per credit.

Individual Applied Music Instruction: Applied music sections of one credit have 25 minutes (equivalent to .5 class period) of contact per week, with expected outside work of 3 hours per week or more for 12 weeks of the semester. Applied music sections of two credits have 50 minutes (equivalent to one class period) of contact per week with expected outside work of 6 hours per week or more for 12 weeks of the semester.

Music Ensembles: All music ensembles are listed as 1 credit and meet from two to four hours per week. While the 2-hour class is slightly under the time requirement, and the 4-credit class is slightly over the time requirement, they round out to 1 credit. Credit hour assignments approximate NASM recommendations* for ensemble credits.

*NASM guidelines recommend a 3:1 ratio for ensembles. Three contact hours equal one ICH. We round out the decimals. An ensemble with 2 contact hours equals .67 ICH, rounding up to 1 credit. An ensemble with 4 contact hours equals 1.33 ICH, which rounds down to 1 ICH.

Find out more about the institutional policy on Grades and Credit in the Academic Catalog.