What is the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music degree?
- The BA Music Major is a degree with an emphasis on both music and the liberal arts. BA Music Majors take 46 credits in music studies; 38-48 credits of Liberal Arts electives; and the Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) common to all Ithaca College students.
- The BA Music Major requires six semesters of half-hour lessons in performance studies, four semesters of ensembles, and a portion of the core music curriculum in music theory, musicology, aural skills, keyboard, and related courses.
- The BA Music Major degree is a great option for students who want to couch their music
studies in broader liberal arts pursuits, as well as for students who want to pursue a
double major with another BA degree in the School of Humanities and Sciences.
How can I be helpful for my BA advisee?
- Work with your advisee to make sure that they are completing their music requirements and progressing through the degree at a suitable rate. Encourage the student to takecourses outside of the music school (at least one or two courses each semester), with a particular focus on liberal arts courses. Courses must be marked specifically as Liberal Arts (LA) in the catalog on HomerConnect in order to fulfill the liberal arts requirements of this degree
For students who wish to pursue a double major, please be aware of the “front-loading” of the music portion of the degree. In order to be prepared for advanced study, many of the courses for the BA Music should be taken early in a student’s plan of study. However, second majors that are strongly sequential may require adjustments to the standard.