Introduction to the Major
The Department of Music grants a B.A. degree in Music and also a minor in Music. The department is dedicated to a holistic liberal education in the arts and humanities and thus involves students in all aspects of the study of music: theoretical and creative studies, historical and cultural studies, music and technology, and performance.
The Music major may serve as pre-professional training for the student seeking a career in music or provide a lasting source of enrichment for the student with other career goals. A performance audition is not required to declare the major.
Capstone and Honors
A capstone project, taken concurrently with one additional course, concludes the major during senior year. Capstone projects may include performance recitals, music compositions, scholarly papers, or digital creations, among others.
Music offers an honors program that may be substituted for the capstone requirement in the senior year to develop a more in-depth honors project working with a faculty advisor in any area of music studies. Visit music.berkeley.edu/major-requirements/ for information on major requirements.
Amplify Your Major
- Look into complementary opportunities. There are a large number of Music double majors with fields such as Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, Molecular and Cell Biology, Rhetoric, Physics, Political Economy of Industrial Societies, English, Business Administration, and more.
- Dive into performance opportunities with the school.
First Year
Explore Your Major
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Complete the Music course requirements to be eligible to declare the major.
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Enroll in Performance Ensemble courses.*
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Apply for Private Lessons, if eligible.*
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Find classes that interest you.
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Advisor check-in: Create a 4-year plan in CalCentral.
Connect and Build Community
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Join a performance ensemble, the Undergraduate Composers Club, or a Music Undergraduate Committee-planned student event, like the Treats-at-Twelve, Open Mic Night, Student-Faculty Mixer, and Student Forum.*
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Participate in Berkeley Connect.
Discover Your Passions
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Explore opportunities for extracurricular musical performance through Student Musical Activities.*
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Learn more about the research opportunities on campus.
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Explore different degree options.
Engage Locally and Globally
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Attend, or even audition for, one of the free weekly noon concerts hosted at Hertz Hall.*
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Discover and plan study abroad options.
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Learn about the UC Intercampus Visitor program, which allows you to take a quarter or semester at any UC campus.
Reflect and Plan Your Future
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Learn about careers music majors have entered at the annual Music Career Workshop
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Explore careers and graduate programs at the Career Counseling Library
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Develop a plan for getting career ready.
Second Year
Explore Your Major
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Finish your Musicianship and Harmony requirements
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Complete your Music History and Culture lower division requirements this year. (Transfers have until junior year.)
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Consider a minor or summer minor
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Advisor check-in: degree requirements.
Connect and Build Community
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Serve on the Music Department Undergraduate Committee.*
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Get leadership experience through student government and organizations or GBO
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Explore student organizations at CalLink, the LEAD Center, and at the Calapalooza student activities fair.
Discover Your Passions
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Visit the Center for New Media and Audio Technologies (CNMAT) to learn about the intersection between music and emerging technologies.
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Apply for an Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP).
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Follow a Course Thread of your interest.
Engage Locally and Globally
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Study abroad as a Music major. Consider whether to take courses in music or outside the major.
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Check-in with a study abroad advisor to discuss a plan for your study abroad.
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Explore volunteer opportunities on campus.
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Join student government.
Reflect and Plan Your Future
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Prepare questions for informational interviews and conduct interviews with people in careers and study fields that you are curious about.
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Join Handshake to find Berkeley job opportunities.
Third Year
Explore Your Major
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Complete the History and Culture upper division requirements
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Enroll in additional, approved music courses to fulfill the required 24 units of upper division electives.
Connect and Build Community
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Audition for summer performance opportunities, such as Summer Symphony and Summer Chorus.*
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Give back to the Berkeley community. Become a Peer Advisor, Tutor at the SLC, or lead a SLC Study Group.
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Get involved with the Public Service Center.
Discover Your Passions
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Audition for the UC Summer Symphony, under the guidance of a music department faculty member.*
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Carry out your own research project funded by fellowships
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Take a Music DeCal course.*
Engage Locally and Globally
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Audition for the Annual Concerto Competition to perform with the University Symphony Orchestra.*
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Study, intern, and do research in Washington D.C. through UCDC and CITC
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Consider an Alternative Break
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Apply for locally or Global Internships.
Reflect and Plan Your Future
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Explore the First Destination Survey results to find out what some recent Music major graduates are doing post-graduation.
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Attend Career and Graduate School Fairs to learn about post-graduation opportunities.
Fourth Year
Explore Your Major
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Apply for the Music Honors Program
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Compete for departmental prizes.*
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Take upper division music electives to expand your academic horizon.
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Check-in with an L&S advisor. Make sure you are on track to fulfill all college and campus requirements.
Connect and Build Community
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Design and facilitate a Music DeCal course under faculty supervision.*
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Reach out to professors to become a class teaching assistant.
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Apply to become a Campus Ambassador or a Golden Bear Orientation Student Leader.
Discover Your Passions
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Pursue a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Learn to play the Carillon (the instrument housed inside UC Berkeley’s famous Campanile) through a DeCal course or Beginning group lessons.*
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Take bucket-list courses.
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Perform in the Graduation Concert.
Engage Locally and Globally
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Explore postgraduate Fellowships for leadership and development.
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Explore gap year opportunities before embarking on your next adventure.
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Attend programs or events at Jacobs Institute for Design and Innovation.
Reflect and Plan Your Future
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Boost your networking skills and make Berkeley Career Network connections.
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Utilize job board tools in your job search.
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Pursue On-Campus Recruitment
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Apply to jobs, graduate school, and other opportunities.
*Activities are open to students at any time during their Berkeley career. Students are encouraged to participate through multiple years.
Jobs and Employers
- Consultant, SGR Consulting
- Musician
- Music Teacher, School of Audio Engin.
- Program Leader, Think Together
- Software Developer, Cisco Systems
- Software Development Engineer, Google
- Software Engineer, Pensando
- Staff Writer, Longneck and Thunderfoot
Graduate Programs
- Foreign Languages
- Medicine
- Music Performance
- Music Theory & Composition
- Public Health
Examples from the First Destination Survey of recent Berkeley graduates.
Connect With Us
Cal Day
Come to Berkeley’s annual Open House in April for information sessions, campus tours, special talks, and more.
Golden Bear Orientation
Join your peers in the campus-wide UC Berkeley orientation program for all new students.
Events
Attend Music department events with students, faculty, and staff. Visit events.berkeley.edu/music for news and updates.
Advising
Contact the Undergraduate Advisor 104 Morrison Hall for Music advising, including questions about the Music major, the minor, programs of study, or need help preparing for your enrollment appointment. Email musicadvising@berkeley.edu or sign up for an advising appointment at calendly.com/ucbmusicadvising
How to Use this Map
Use this map to help plan and guide your experience at UC Berkeley, including academic, co-curricular, and discovery opportunities. Everyone’s Berkeley experience is different and activities in this map are suggestions. Always consult with your advisors whenever possible for new opportunities and updates.
