Music (Minor)

Department Website

Program Description

The Department of Music offers both a major and a minor in Music. Both programs give students the opportunity to gain proficiency in the theory, history, and interpretation of music throughout the world and help them build a solid set of applied critical and listening abilities demanded of musicians and listeners today.

The department teaches a wide range of innovative courses in ethnomusicology, popular music, the cultural study of music, and sound studies. Many of these courses are open to non-majors. Some recent courses include: Music in the Post-9/11 World; Introduction to World Music; Music in New York; Music, Global Hip-Hop, and the Politics of Culture; and Music, Sound, and Technology.

The department’s Waverly Labs provide digital resources for composition and research. The department hosts the Washington Square Contemporary Music Society and a number of other performing ensembles and initiatives. Our majors and minors may also take private instrumental instruction with department support and are eligible to join performance ensembles at the Steinhardt School. Our students take advantage of our location in one of the world’s major cultural centers by attending concerts and pursuing internships with New York recording companies, music magazines, or major performing arts organizations.

Minor Declaration

To request declaration of a minor, CAS students should visit the host department. To request declaration of a cross-school minor, CAS students should complete the online Minor Application available in their Albert Student Center. Students may also use the Minor Application in Albert to request cancellation of a CAS or cross-school minor.

Program Requirements

The minor in Music requires four 4-credit courses (16 credits) completed with a grade of C or better and comprised of the following:

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Minor Requirements
One course in Music Theory 1		4
One course in Music, History, and Cultures		4
One course in Sonic Art 2		4
One additional course numbered at, or above, the MUSIC-UA 100 level 3		4
Total Credits		16

¹

The Music Theory requirement can be satisfied with any of the following courses:

• MUSIC-UA 20 Elements of Music
• MUSIC-UA 201 Music Theory I
• MUSIC-UA 202 Music Theory II

These courses are offered every semester. Elements of Music is an introductory course and is best for students with no prior training in music theory. Students who can already read music and know the rudiments of scales, key signatures, intervals, chord construction principles, meter and time signatures, and basic rhythmic notation may enroll in Music Theory I.

²

Or one additional course in the area of Music, History, and Cultures.

³

Four credits of performance (from this department or Steinhardt) may be used for this requirement.

Policies

Program Policies

Minimum Grade Policy

A grade of C or higher is required for a course to count toward the major or minor in Music; courses graded Pass/Fail do not count.

Advanced Placement Policy

The College awards 4 credits for a score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement examination in Music Theory and counts this as elective credit toward the baccalaureate degree, but the credits do not count toward the music major or minor. CAS does not award any credit for International Baccalaureate or any other advanced standing examinations in music.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

College of Arts and Science Policies

A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page.