Majoring in Music
The Department of Music offers a B.A. in Music. At William & Mary, your music major is part of a liberal arts degree. Our major requirements reflect this. As a music major, you will study music from a broad perspective, and will take courses that represent the different sub-fields of music.
The core requirements for a music major cover music theory (MUSC 201, Tonal Theory I), western music history (MUSC 213, History of Western Music), world music (MUSC 241, Worlds of Music), and musicology (MUSC 345, Seminar in Music Research). You will also take at least 4 courses in music performance, and will complete a capstone senior project. You may complete your senior project through the Honors program, if you qualify. You can use your elective credits to focus or broaden your degree as you wish.
Many of our former students have gone on to complete advanced degrees (M.A., Ph.D., D.M.A.) in music. You may need an advanced degree for some careers in music therapy, conducting, ethnomusicology, musicology, or teaching in a school. Advanced degrees are not necessary for many other careers in music. You can teach people to play in instrument, be a freelance musician, manage arts organizations, or be an audio producer with a bachelor's degree.
Still other music majors go into work that seemingly has nothing to do with music, becoming, for example, veterinarians, lawyers, or public policy-makers. That's the beauty of a liberal arts degree. We don't train you for any one specific job. Between the skills you learn through your major, and through the rest of your courses, you can be ready for anything.
