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Music B.S.

The bachelor of science (B.S.) degree program in music is particularly appropriate for students who desire the challenge of an enriched program of intellectual stimulation.

The program offers you the opportunity to work extensively in music while devoting more time to liberal arts studies than is possible in our programs leading to the bachelor of music degree. While studying in the B.S. in music program, students may choose a course of primary applied study on their instrument or voice in either the classical or jazz/commercial music tradition.

Many B.S. in music students pursue minors and double majors, which can help prepare you for a variety of careers. For example, combining the B.S. in music and the jazz studies minor allows you to prepare for work in jazz and commercial music. Other B.S. in music students have pursued double majors and/or minors in such areas as music history, broadcast and digital journalism, psychology and political science to name a few.

Optional Focus Areas

The B.S. in music program offers you the option to choose one of four focus areas:

Music Composition

Find your voice as a composer. In the music composition focus area, you'll devote 18 elective credits to writing original music for performers, ensembles, and media. Private lessons and courses in orchestration, counterpoint, film scoring, and electronic composition build your technical craft, and you'll hear your work rehearsed and performed by peers and ensembles. It's ideal preparation for careers in composition, arranging, songwriting, film, and game and media scoring, or for graduate study.

Music Performance

Take your artistry to the next level. The music performance focus area dedicates 18 elective credits to developing technical command of your instrument or voice through private lessons, chamber and large ensembles, and studio and recital classes. You'll perform regularly, build a diverse repertoire, and gain the confidence to connect with an audience. It's an excellent foundation for careers as a performer, teacher, or ensemble musician, or for graduate study in performance.

Music Production

Learn to make records from the ground up. The music production focus area offers 18 elective credits of hands-on training in recording, digital audio workstation (DAW) production, sound design, mixing, and mastering, all grounded in the science of acoustics and audio. You'll graduate with a portfolio of produced work across genres, ready for careers in music production, audio engineering, post-production, and artist development, or for further study in music technology.

Jazz and Commercial Music

Play, write, and produce the music of today. The jazz and commercial music focus area devotes 18 elective credits to improvisation, jazz harmony, songwriting, arranging, and DAW-based performance and production. You'll gain experience in ensembles and studio projects and may showcase your original songs and arrangements in the JCM Exposed Show, a student-produced capstone concert. Graduates are prepared for careers as performers, songwriters, session musicians, producers, educators, and music industry professionals.

Admission and audition requirements

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Curriculum

The 123-credit curriculum includes major and academic requirements as well as academic electives. As one of our students, you will be assigned a professional academic advisor who will guide you through your academic career and help you navigate class schedules, course selection and more.

View degree requirements, courses and student learning outcomes

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Performance Honors

The performance honors program is intended for Setnor School of Music students in the B.S. music and B.M. composition, music education, music industry and sound recording technology degree programs who wish to maintain a level of performance at or near that required of students in one of the performance majors. The program’s purpose is to give tangible curricular and moral support to those students who see themselves as performing musicians first and foremost.

Students are eligible to apply for the program at the end of their sophomore year. Students accepted into the program take an hour of applied instrumental or vocal instruction per week and give both a junior and senior recital commensurate with the requirements for degree recitals in the performance majors. Official recognition of program participation and completion appears on student transcripts but does not appear on the diploma.

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Global Study

You can participate in study abroad or study away programs through Setnor or Syracuse Abroad. Setnor students can discuss study abroad opportunities with their professional academic advisor and faculty advisor. The Syracuse Abroad Center in Santiago, Chile, is a particularly good option for Setnor students, as it offers music lessons and courses in partnership with Instituto de Música en Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

In Setnor’s Gilbert Week immersion program, students learn about career opportunities in music by meeting and learning from arts professionals and visiting some of the world’s leading performing arts institutions and organizations. Gilbert Week is held during Spring Break in a different city each year; past locations include New York City (pictured); Los Angeles; and Austin, Texas.

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Career Exploration

In addition to the opportunities offered by the Setnor School, all music B.S. majors have access to career advisors and services through the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Office of Academic and Career Advising. The office connects VPA students with networking opportunities, mentors and more.