5.4 Major

  1. With the exception of the Comprehensive Major, students normally declare their intended Major area of study in their fourth semester in the Bachelor of Music program.

  2. A student may not change the Major without the written permission of the Dean. In cases where permission is granted, the student shall be required to fulfill all requirements for the new Major. However, in the case where a student's Major changes from Performance to one of the other Majors, the Principal Applied Study courses successfully completed under the Performance Major may be used to satisfy the requirements for Principal Applied Study in the new Major, with any additional credit hours being used as Music electives in the new Major.

  3. Students shall choose one of the following areas for their Major:


5.4.1 Major in Composition

Students interested in the Composition Major are strongly encouraged to take Music 3100 in their second year. Students for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 2108, submitting up to three of their own compositions by the end of classes in that semester. Students will be interviewed by a panel of composition faculty. Admission to this Major will be based on the applicant’s:

  1. submitted compositions,

  2. interview,

  3. achievement in Music 1107, 1108, 1700, 2107, 2108, 3100 and any other elective courses in music theory and composition,

  4. general academic achievement, and

  5. potential for a career and/or graduate work in composition.


5.4.2 Major in Composition with a Minor in Jazz Studies

Applicants for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Students must fulfill the requirements for admission to the Major in Composition in addition to auditioning and being evaluated by a jazz jury. Admission to the Jazz Studies Minor will be based on an applicant’s:

  1. performance on the audition and achievement in Music 140A/B and 240A/B, normally represented by a minimum 80% grade in Music 240A, and

  2. academic achievement in Music Theory courses normally represented by a minimum 75% average In Music 1108.


5.4.3 Major in Comprehensive

Applicants planning to apply for admission to the Conjoint degrees (Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Music Education) should first declare the Comprehensive Major by the end of their second semester in the Bachelor of Music program in order to take the necessary prerequisite courses for admission to the Conjoint degrees program. Students planning to apply for admission to the Bachelor of Music Education as a second degree may wait until their fourth semester to declare this Major. Please note that completion of this degree does not guarantee admission to the Faculty of Education.


5.4.4 Major in General Musical Studies

Students for the General Musical Studies Major need not submit an application. All students who have not been admitted to another Major by the end of their fourth semester in the Bachelor of Music program will automatically be admitted to the General Musical Studies Major. Students have the option of including a Minor in a discipline other than Music, in which case they must meet all prerequisites and requirements for the Minor. The subject of the student's Minor shall be that declared by the student on the appropriate program declaration form, which is available at www.mun.ca/regoff/forms.php or in person at the Office of the Registrar.


5.4.5 Major in General Musical Studies with a Minor in Jazz Studies

Applicants must apply in writing to the Dean normally by the end of the fourth week of classes in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Students are required to audition and will be evaluated by a jazz jury. Admission will be based on an applicant’s:

  1. performance on the audition and achievement in Music 140A/B and 240A/B, normally represented by a minimum 80% grade in Music 240A, and

  2. academic achievement in Music Theory courses normally represented by a minimum 75% average In Music 1108.


5.4.6 Major in Musicologies

Applicants for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B, submitting up to three pieces of relevant work by the end of classes in that semester, including essays or analyses written either in the context of academic course work or independently. Applicants will be interviewed by a panel of faculty in this discipline. Admission to this Major will be based on the applicant's:

  1. submitted work,

  2. interview,

  3. achievement in Music 1005, 1006, 2005, 2006 and any electives in musicologies, as well as English, Critical Reading and Writing (CRW) courses, and/or former Research/Writing (R/W) courses, and

  4. general academic achievement, and 5) potential for a career and/or graduate work in musicology, ethnomusicology, journalism or a related field.


5.4.7 Major in Performance

Applicants for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean normally by the end of the fourth week of classes in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Applicants are required to audition for this program and will be evaluated by a performance jury. A reference letter from the applied instructor must be submitted to the Dean prior to the jury taking place. Where possible, the jury examination for Music 240B and for admission to the Performance Major will be the same. Admission to this Major will be based on a applicant's:

  1. performance on the audition and achievement in Music 140A/B and 240A/B, normally represented by a minimum 85% grade in Music 240A,

  2. general academic achievement, normally represented by a minimum 70% average in Music courses, and

  3. potential for a career and/or graduate work in performance.


5.4.8 Major in Performance with a Minor in Composition

Applicants for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Applicants must fulfill the requirements for admission to both the Majors in Performance and Composition.


5.4.9 Major in Performance with a Minor in Jazz Studies

Applicants for this Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Students must fulfill the requirements for admission to both the Major in Performance and the Minor in Jazz Studies. Students are required to audition and will be evaluated by a jury. A reference letter from the applied instructor must be submitted to the Dean prior to the jury taking place. Admission will be based on an applicant’s:

  1. performance on the audition and achievement in Music 140A/B and 240A/B, normally represented by a minimum 80% grade in Music 240A,

  2. general academic achievement, normally represented by a minimum 70% average in Music courses, and

  3. academic achievement in Music Theory courses normally represented by a minimum 75% average In Music 1108.


5.4.10 Joint Major in Performance and Musicologies

Applicants for the Joint Major must apply in writing to the Dean by February 15th in the semester during which they are registered for Music 240B. Applicants for admission to the Joint Major must fulfill the requirements for admission to both Majors in Performance and Musicologies.

The information on this site has been extracted from the Official 2023-2024 University Calendar. While every reasonable effort has been made to duplicate the information contained in the official University Calendar, if there are differences, the official Memorial University of Newfoundland Calendar will be considered the final and accurate authority.

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