Musical Arts (Bachelor of Musical Arts, B.M.A.)
Students can choose a bachelor of musical arts (BMA) which allows them to pursue a course of study completely tailored to their own personal career aspirations, whether those be in music performance, technology, production, film music, business, or more.
Students who choose this bachelor degree program will have no more than 6 years from admission or subsequent declaration to meet the requirements listed below. If certification, accreditation or statutory requirements change and additional requirements become effective during this time, the new requirements take precedence.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies | 42 | |
| Students must complete General Studies courses 1 | ||
| Major Requirements | 78 | |
| Core Requirements | 24 | |
| MUS 100 | Concert/Recital Attendance 2 | 0 |
| MUS 103 | Fundamentals of Music | 3 |
| MUS 106 | Basic Keyboard Skills I | 2 |
| MUS 108 | Basic Keyboard Skills II | 2 |
| MUS 109 | Functional Voice Class | 2 |
| or MUS 201 | Diction for Singers | |
| MUS 115 | Musicianship I | 3 |
| MUS 116 | Musicianship I Lab | 1 |
| MUS 215 | Musicianship II | 3 |
| MUS 216 | Musicianship II Lab | 1 |
| MUS 302 | Technology Tools for Musicians | 2 |
| MUS 348 | Music of World Cultures | 1 |
| MUS 366 | Musicianship III | 3 |
| MUS 367 | Musicianship III Lab | 1 |
| Music History Requirement | 6 | |
| MUS 362 | History of Western Music I: Ancient to Classical | 3 |
| or MUS 363 | History of Western Music II: Romanticism to the 21st Century | |
| MUS 362 | History of Western Music I: Ancient to Classical | 3 |
| or MUS 363 | History of Western Music II: Romanticism to the 21st Century | |
| or MUS 359 | History of Popular Music in the Recording Era | |
| or MUS 415 | Jazz History | |
| Music Electives | 18 | |
| Choose 18 credit hours from the following (At least 4 courses must be 300 level or higher) | ||
| Keyboard Proficiency for Instrumentalists | ||
or MUS 208 | Keyboard Proficiency for Vocalists | |
| Introduction to Music Technology | ||
| Entrepreneurship in Music | ||
| Elementary Music Methods and Materials | ||
| Live Sound Reinforcement | ||
| Seminar in Music Business Practices | ||
| Song and Choral Literature | ||
or MUS 312 | Topics in Music Literature: Chamber | |
or MUS 313 | Topics in Music Literature: Choral | |
or MUS 314 | Topics in Music Literature: Piano | |
or MUS 316 | Topics in Music Literature: Percussion | |
or MUS 317 | Topics in Music Literature: Solo Instrument | |
| Pedagogical Practices: Brass | ||
or MUS 331 | Pedagogical Practices: Keyboard | |
or MUS 332 | Pedagogical Practices: Percussion | |
or MUS 333 | Pedagogical Practices: Strings | |
or MUS 334 | Pedagogical Practices: Voice | |
or MUS 335 | Pedagogical Practices: Woodwinds | |
| Percussion Methods and Materials | ||
or MUS 308 | String Methods and Materials | |
or MUS 325 | Marching Band Techniques | |
or MUS 337 | Brass Methods & Materials | |
or MUS 353 | Woodwind Methods and Materials | |
| Solo Voice Performance Workshop | ||
| Musicianship IV | ||
| Recording Techniques | ||
| Choral Conducting | ||
or MUS 442 | Instrumental Conducting | |
| Seminar in Music Technology | ||
| Middle and High School Choral Methods | ||
or MUS 468 | Middle and High School Instrumental Methods | |
| Performance/Composition Studies | 12 | |
| MUS 1XX (Applied Lessons) | 3 | |
| MUS 2XX (Applied Lessons) | 1 | |
| MUS 3XX (Applied Lessons) | 2 | |
| MUS 4XX (Applied Lessons) | 1 | |
| MUS 490 | Senior Recital | 1 |
| or MUS 491 | Senior Recital | |
| or MUS 495 | Music Capstone Project | |
| Ensembles (at least 2 credit hours must be 300 level or higher) | ||
| MUS XXX (Large Ensembles) | 2 | |
| MUS XXX (Small/Chamber Ensembles) | 2 | |
| Approved eighteen credit hour course of study with a minimum of three credit hours 300 level or higher (or a second non-music major, minor, or approved certificate): | 18 | |
- 1
Courses in general studies may also be required within the major. While the course(s) may satisfy both requirements, the credit hours will count only one time in the overall hours earned.
- 2
Students must take 6 semesters of MUS 100 Concert/Recital Attendance.
Program Graduation Requirement
- Earn an overall GPA of at least 2.0 and a major GPA of at least 2.0.
University Graduation Requirements
- Earn a minimum of 120 credit hours (100 level and higher, maximum of 6 CED credit hours applicable).
- Earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in upper-division courses. Lower-division transfer courses accepted as meeting upper-division departmental course requirements cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
- Earn 30 of the last 45 credit hours at MWSU in institutional coursework (exclusive of credit by examination).
- Participate in required departmental and campus wide assessments.
- Fulfill the Missouri Constitution requirement.
- Successfully pass the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement exam.