The music major at Bowdoin can take a number of possible tracks, outlined in the College Catalogue. Students can do a general music major, or specialize in composition, music and culture, or Western classical music. In all cases, students will do some combination of music theory, performance, and the study of music in historical or cultural context.

The fee for lessons for credit is waived for majors for one year. Honors work consists of a full year of independent study in a specialized area such as composition or history. Double majors are common, and self-designed majors that combine courses in two or more departments are also possible.

The music major normally consists of ten academic courses and two performance credits. Most majors follow one of the tracks indicated in the ?Sample Majors? listed below, but students are also invited to design a major to suit their own needs. No more than two 100-level courses in addition to Music 101,131, and 151 may be counted toward the major, and two 300-level courses in addition to Music 451are normally required of all majors. Honors work normally adds one extra course to the standard ten, and its second semester counts as the senior independent study. Only one academic course for which the grade of CR (Credit) is earned may count towards the major.

The process for declaring the major is as follows: (1) The student consults with a member of the music faculty as early in the individual?s college career as possible. (2) Before declaring a major, the student proposes a list of courses that fulfill the major, or identifies a sample major to follow by submitting a list or sample major announcement to the music department chair or to another member of the department. (3) Upon departmental approval of the list of courses or the particular track, the major declaration is signed by the department chair. Subsequent alterations to this list of courses are possible only in consultation with the chair of the department or another member of the music faculty.

Sample Sequences of Courses for the Music Major