Major and Minor in Music

Declaration

Prior to declaring (on DartWorks) a major, modified major, or minor in music, please complete the Music Major or Minor Declaration Form (PDF) in consultation with your faculty advisor and submit it to the Department Administrator via email. You are encouraged to submit this form roughly one term before you plan to officially declare so that the music faculty will have time to collectively discuss and approve your plan.

If you have not yet requested and been assigned a faculty advisor, please take a moment and think about whom you'd like to work with. A suitable faculty advisor will typically be someone who shares some of your interests and/or someone with whom you have taken a class.

Music Major

The music major functions on an open course count model. Students craft a curricular plan, in close consultation with a faculty advisor, that draws on three key areas of study (PDF): 1) critical engagement with the roots and lineages of multiple music traditions, 2) creative practice with the tools and techniques that structure sounds into forms, and 3) performance via individual instruction and/or ensemble participation. This framework centers student agency, maximizes curricular flexibility, and offers major and minor pathways as vibrant and varied as the students we serve.

Requirements: Students must take MUS 99 (Proseminar) plus ten additional music courses that cover critical engagement, creative practice, and performance.

MUS 99 is offered only once a year during the fall term. Please plan ahead!

Modified Major

For more details about the modified major at Dartmouth, please see the Registrar's description in the ORC.

Requirements: If Music is the primary department, students must take MUS 99 (Proseminar) plus seven additional music courses that cover critical engagement, creative practice, and performance (PDF). If Music is the secondary department, students must take four music courses that cover critical engagement, creative practice, and performance. Modified majors must be approved by the Chair.

MUS 99 is offered only once a year during the fall term. Please plan ahead!