Dec 05, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
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2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Music, BM

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Program Coordinator: Chris Ulffers (102 AJ Fletcher Music Center; 252-328-4270; ulffersj@ecu.edu)

The Music, BM has three concentrations - music therapy, music performance, and music theory-composition.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 s.h. as follows:

I. General education requirements including those listed below - 40 s.h.

(For information about courses that carry general education credit view the General Education Program  section.)

All concentrations:

A minimum of four semester hours (4 s.h.) and maximum of six semester hours (6 s.h.) of large ensemble may count toward the general education fine arts (GE:FA) requirement. MUSC 1406 - Music History and Literature I  * counts 3 s.h. toward the general education social sciences (GE:SO) requirement. MUSC 2248 - Introduction to World Music Cultures ** counts as the 3 s.h. general education elective.

Notes:

  • Approval of the student’s major applied instructor and ensemble directors is required for ensemble registration.
  • Music majors may count only two semester hours of MUSC 1706 - Marching Band Field Experience for large ensemble credit.
  • Music majors may not count MUSC 1705 - Marching Band toward large ensemble credit.
  • Music majors taking more than 2 s.h. of MUSC 1706 or 1705 must sign a release form (available in the music office). The form will help clarify that hours above the required 2 s.h. of MUSC 1706 will not count as part of a music degree plan at ECU, and that these extra hours may lead to additional hours on a student’s transcript before graduation.

Music therapy concentration:

II. Common core - 27 s.h.

III. Concentrations - 53 s.h.

(Choose one.) 

A. Music therapy concentration (53 s.h.)

This curriculum has been approved by the American Music Therapy Association and completion confers eligibility to take the national certification examination given by the Certification Board for Music Therapists.

1. Core - 22 s.h.

2. Professional studies - 5 s.h.

3. Additional ensembles - 2 s.h.

Minimum of 2 semesters of small ensemble (1 s.h. per semester)

4. Applied music - 24 s.h.

(guitar, keyboard, percussion, strings or wind, voice)

a. Applied major - 14 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 3 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students must present a half senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 8 s.h.

A student who is exempt from any applied minor courses specified must take other applied minor courses to complete the total required hours.

Choose a major instrument from the following:

Major instrument: guitar

 

Major instrument: keyboard

 

Major instrument: percussion

 

Major instrument: strings or wind

 

Major instrument: voice

 

c. MUSC electives - 2 s.h.

B. Music performance concentration (53 s.h.)

Choose an area of study (jazz studies, instrumental or vocal; performance, percussion or piano; sacred music, organ or vocal; performance, string, voice or wind).

1. Jazz studies, instrumental (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 20 s.h.
  • 4 s.h. applied major (traditional) required.
  • 16 s.h. applied jazz major required.
  • Students must present a full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
c. Jazz studies - 15 s.h.
d. Pedagogy - 5 s.h.
e. Additional ensembles - 6 s.h.

Choose 6 s.h. from the following:

f. MUSC electives - 5 s.h.

2. Jazz studies, vocal (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 22 s.h.
  • 6 s.h. applied major (traditional) is required.
  • 16 s.h. applied jazz major is required.
  • Students must present a full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
c. Jazz studies - 15 s.h.
d. Pedagogy - 6 s.h.
e. Additional ensembles - 6 s.h.

Choose 6 s.h. from the following:

f. MUSC electives - 2 s.h.

3. Percussion performance (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 24 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
c. Pedagogy - 3 s.h.
d. Additional ensembles - 6 s.h.
  • A minimum of two semester hours (2 s.h.) of large ensemble (1 s.h. per semester) is required.
  • A minimum of four semesters of small ensembles is required.
e. Music history and literature electives - 6 s.h
f. MUSC electives - 6 s.h.
g. Free electives - 6 s.h.

4. Piano performance (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 24 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students must present a full junior recital and full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
c. Pedagogy - 6 s.h.
d. Additional ensembles - 4-10 s.h.

A minimum of 2 semesters of accompanying, to be taken consecutively fall and spring, is required.

e. Piano literature and advanced pedagogy - 6 s.h.
f. MUSC electives - 7 s.h.
g. Free electives - 4 s.h.

5. Sacred music, organ (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 16 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students are required to present a full organ senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 9 s.h.
c. Organ literature and history - 4 s.h.
d. Additional ensembles - 2 s.h.

Select a minimum of 2 semesters of accompanying from the following:

e. Sacred music - 13 s.h.
f. Advanced conducting - 3 s.h.
g. MUSC electives - 2 s.h.
h. Free electives - 4 s.h.

6. Sacred music, vocal (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 16 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students are required to present a full voice senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.

A minimum of 2 s.h. is required from the following:

c. Advanced conducting - 3 s.h.
d. Pedagogy - 6 s.h.
e. Additional ensembles - 2 s.h.

A minimum of 2 semesters of small ensemble is required.

f. Sacred music - 12 s.h.
g. MUSC electives - 5 s.h.
h. Free electives - 7 s.h.

7. String performance (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 24 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students must present at least a half junior recital and full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 4 s.h.
  • Bowed string majors select a 2 s.h. minor.
  • Violin or viola majors select 2 s.h. of cello.
  • Cello or string bass majors select 2 s.h. of violin or viola.
  • Guitar majors select a 2 s.h. minor applied from bowed strings, piano, jazz guitar, early plucked strings; or other area with permission of the appropriate applied instructor.
c. Pedagogy - 3 s.h.
d. Additional ensembles - 6 s.h.
  • A minimum of 2 semesters of large ensemble is required.
  • A minimum of 4 semesters of MUSC 1805  is required.

Performance groups for guitar majors: 

  • A minimum of 4 semesters of large ensemble and a minimum of 2 semesters of MUSC 1805  is required.
e. Music history and literature electives - 6 s.h.
f. MUSC electives - 4 s.h.
g. Free electives - 6 s.h.

8. Voice performance (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 16 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied are required.
  • Students are required to present a half junior recital and a full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
  • 2 s.h. minor of applied piano is required.
  • Students are required to pass a departmental piano proficiency examination. In preparation for the exam, students must enroll in MUSC 1105 - Beginning Group Piano  and MUSC 1115 - Beginning Group Piano .
  • Students desiring further preparation are encouraged to use MUSC electives for additional piano proficiency. 
c. Additional ensembles - 4 s.h.
  • A minimum of 2 semesters of large choral ensemble is required.
  • A minimum of 2 semesters of MUSC 1605 - Opera Theatre  is required.
d. Foreign language and diction - 21 s.h.
e. Voice pedagogy - 3 s.h.
f. Music history and literature - 4 s.h.
g. MUSC electives - 2 s.h.
h. Free elective - 1 s.h.

9. Wind performance (53 s.h.)

a. Applied major - 24 s.h.
  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students are required to present a half junior recital and full senior recital.
b. Applied minor - 2 s.h.
c. Pedagogy - 3 s.h.
d. Additional ensembles - 6 s.h.
  • A minimum of 2 semesters of large ensemble is required.
  • A minimum of 4 semesters of small ensemble is required.
e. Music history and literature electives - 6 s.h.
f. MUSC electives - 6 s.h.
c. Free electives - 6 s.h.

C. Music theory-composition concentration (minimum 53 s.h.)

1. Applied major - 14 s.h.

  • No more than 6 semesters of 1000 level applied and 4 semesters of 3000 level applied.
  • Students are required to present a half senior recital.

2. Applied minor - 2 or 6 s.h.

a. Non-keyboard majors (6 s.h.)

2 s.h. minor instrument and the following 4 s.h. of group piano are required.

b. Keyboard majors (2 s.h.)

2 s.h. minor instrument

3. Areas of emphasis - 32 or 36 s.h.

Choose one area.

a. Theory emphasis

(1.) Advanced theory - 11 s.h.
(2.) Composition - 4 s.h.


 

(3.) Music history and literature electives - 6 s.h.
(4.) MUSC electives - 5 or 9 s.h.

a. Non-keyboard majors (5 s.h.)

b. Keyboard majors (9 s.h.)

(5.) Free electives - 7 s.h.

b. Composition emphasis

A full recital of the student’s compositions, approved by the theory, composition, and musicology faculty, must be presented at the end of the senior year.

(1.) Composition options - 7 or 14 s.h.

A full recital of the student’s compositions, approved by the theory, composition, and musicology faculty, must be presented at the end of the senior year.

Choose one of the following options:

Electronic music option
Traditional media option
(2.) Music history and literature - 6 s.h.
(3.) Advanced theory - 8 s.h.
(4.) MUSC electives - 2 or 6 s.h.

a. Non-keyboard students take 2 s.h.

b. Keyboard students take 6 s.h.

(5.) Free electives - 3 s.h.

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