Search

Music Major, Full

Between five and ten students each year choose to major in music and receive the degree of Bachelor of Science in Music (Course 21M) or the joint major, Bachelor of Science in Humanities and Engineering/Science (Courses 21E and 21S).  Many students complete full (dual) majors in music and another field and receive a degree acknowledging both fields. Students interested in pursuing the music major should contact the Major Advisor as early as possible, but definitely by the fall of their Junior year at MIT.

The undergraduate program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Music comprises a grounding in foundational skills in music history and culture, performance, and music theory and a capstone Advanced Seminar. 

The full major requires 120 units (normally nine 12-unit classroom subjects and two 6-unit performance subjects).  Music majors (single, joint, or double) may also use music as their HASS concentration as well as their HASS-Arts and one HASS-Elective class.  Thus, double major graduates will need to take at least five classes (60 units) beyond the General Institute Requirements for their other Course in order to graduate.  Majoring and minoring in music simultaneously is not allowed.

MIT's registrar maintains the official requirements for the Course 21M Degree on their website.

The Major Advisor is Emily Richmond Pollock, pollock@mit.edu.
 

REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL 21M MAJORS (Full Major)

Choose at least two subjects in the major that are designated as communication-intensive (CI-M) to fulfill the Communication Requirement.

Required Subjects 1 Units
21M.301 Harmony and Counterpoint I 12
Select two of the following: 24
Advanced Seminar in Music (CI-M) 12
Advanced Seminar in Musicology (CI-M) 12
Advanced Seminar in Ethnomusicology (CI-M) 12
Advanced Seminar in Music Theory/Analysis (CI-M) 12
Select two terms of Performance subjects (6-9 units each); see list below. 12-18
Restricted Electives  
In consultation with advisor, select 72 units from the music curriculum (21M.000 - 21M.599). 2, 3 72
Units in Major 120-126
Unrestricted Electives 4 90-132
Units in Major That Also Satisfy the GIRs (36-72)
Total Units Beyond the GIRs Required for SB Degree 180

The units for any subject that counts as one of the 17 GIR subjects cannot also be counted as units required beyond the GIRs.

1
Students who enter with additional training in music theory should take 21M.302 or an upper-level subject as a substitute for 21M.301.
2
 A maximum of 24 restricted elective units may be comprised of introductory subjects (21M.0xx,150,151). A maximum of 24 restricted elective units may be comprised of Performance subjects (6 units each), with the exception of 21M.480 which may be repeated without limitation.
3
Students must take at least one 21M.2xx history and culture class to ensure breadth of representation of world music and music history.
4
This chart has been calculated based on an overlap of 36 units (three subjects) between the HASS General Institute Requirement and the departmental requirements. Students who develop a program of study with more overlap will be able to select more unrestricted electives to meet the number of total units beyond the GIRs required for an SB degree.

 

For further information, please contact the majors advisor, Professor Emily Richmond Pollock, pollock@mit.edu