Undergraduate Students
Both the Bachelor of Music (Mus B) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees allow for music to be taken as a major to the 300 level.
The Mus B degree is for those who want to concentrate all, or nearly all, of their study in music.
The BA degree also allows for considerable specialisation in music, but combines this with more flexibility for the inclusion of other subjects.
Composition and performance and their allied areas (including orchestration, keyboard skills, electroacoustic music) are found in the context of the Mus B only. Other specialisations such as study of musical styles and techniques, music history, musicology, music education, and ethnomusicology are available in both degrees.
The Mus B and BA degrees each require a minimum of 360 credit points.
The Mus B must include at least 90 points of music courses at the 300 level. The Mus B may include up to 75 points from any other degree.
In the BA, at least 105 points at the 200 and 300 levels are required. To major in music, at least 60 points in music are required at the 300 level (not including ARTS 395) . The BA may include up to 105 points from any other degree, including the Mus B.
Music courses, non-specialist, in other degrees
Bachelor's degrees in Science, Law, Commerce, Fine Arts and Education all allow some limited credit in music courses as part of their options. These degrees differ in the number and type of music credits which they allow. The University of Canterbury Calendar, the Enrolment Handbook and brochures on each of these degrees should be consulted.
Double majors and degrees
A music major can be combined with a major in another subject. This is done either within a single BA degree, or by combining a Mus B with a BA (or other) degree in a programme of five years. Note that majors in performance or composition can be taken only within the Mus B degree.
Choosing a first-year course
The minimum full-time enrolment for stage one courses is 90 credit points. The normal maximum is 120 credit points. For advice on choosing first-year courses, see Course Advice .
Career opportunities in music
Many music graduates move on to a variety of vocations in educational areas. Others pursue careers involving music performance and some combine this with teaching. Even graduates who have not majored in music have found that the inclusion of some music in their degree has been useful to their future employment, especially within education. Graduates of music are found in a wide range of occupations including positions in schools, conservatories and universities, in orchestras and opera houses, in libraries, and in hospitals as music therapists. They are prominent in areas of musical leadership with community groups such as choirs and orchestras. Graduates also work in fields such as journalism, television and radio (planning as well as production), publishing and in technical areas including retailing and recording. People with musical talents are in demand in the hi-tech areas of computer instruments and music technology, and are becoming increasingly sought-after for employment in arts administration, for various festival and other arts organisations.
Further study options
The MusB degree or the BA degree with a music major can lead on to studies in the areas of performance, composition, musicology, music history, music education or sonic arts. These studies can be taken in a one-year course for a MusB (Hons) or BA (Hons) degree. The MusB (Hons) degree can lead to a further year of study for the Master of Music degree (MMus) in composition or performance, and this can lead to a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA). A BA (Hons) or MusB (Hons) degree can lead to a one-year thesis-only Master of Arts degree (MA). These research-based honours degrees or an MA can lead to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) research degree, which normally takes three years of full time study.