Master's Program Other Required Credits (ORC) Requirement
- Other Required Credits (ORC) requirement
- Grades for ORC requirement
- Outside Area Option
- Guidelines for Outside Area
- Samples of Outside Area course choices
- Examples of Outside Area subjects
Other Required Credits Requirement
The master's degree includes a 6-credit requirement that can either be general electives or an Outside Area.
See here for information about the Outside Area option.
If you choose the general electives option for the Other Required Credits, the credit hours must meet the following criteria:
- Courses taken within the Jacobs School of Music must be at the 500 level or higher.
- Courses taken outside the Jacobs School of Music must be at the 300 level or higher (with the following exception, see #3).
- For students whose degree requires a language as a tool subject, 200-level courses in that language may be used with the approval of the student's major field department and the director of graduate studies.
- Performance and composition lessons must be at the 800 level and may not include lessons on the student’s major instrument. Voice majors cannot use MUS-V 910 for this requirement.
- MUS-J 700 will not count for this requirement.
- Multiple Woodwinds majors cannot use any type of lessons for Other Required Credits.
- Credits may not be used for
- major ensemble (MUS-X courses)
- capstone courses (e.g., thesis, document)
- recitals
- proficiency courses
- tool subjects
- courses meeting a language requirement for a degree
- _491/2 language courses
Some majors may restrict how some or all of these credits are allocated. See the individual degree listings to see whether this applies to your major.
Approval of specific courses taken for the ORC general electives option will happen automatically as part of the Program Planning Sheet registration approval process.
Courses that were originally taken for a major field requirement but don't have a high enough grade to fulfill that major field requirement are NOT eligible to count towards Other Required Credits.
Grades for ORC requirement
A grade of "C" or better is needed in each course to fulfill the degree requirement. In addition, all courses counting toward the Other Required Credits must have at least an average of "B." Courses with S/F grades will not be accepted.
Outside Area Option
Master's students can choose to complete an Outside Area (6 credits in one field) insead of the general electives (6 credits with no connecting theme). See here for more information about the general Other Required Credits option.
An Outside Area, which is like a small minor, consists of six credit hours in a field outside the major. It can be satisfied in any of three ways:
- Six credit hours in one department of the Jacobs School of Music other than your major.
- Six credit hours in one field outside of the Jacobs School of Music.
- Six credit hours within or outside the Jacobs School of Music. For this option, called an "individualized outside area," the courses must fit a specific theme or emphasis.
Guidelines for Master's Outside Area
There is no form or declaration for the Outside Area
- The Outside Area may become a minor if at least 12 hours are taken in that field, and any other requirements for the specific minor are met. The form for requesting a master's minor—not a regular outside area—is available here.
- A grade of "C" or better is needed in each course to fulfill the degree requirement. In addition, courses counting toward an outside area or minor must have at least an average of "B."
For an outside area in a performance area (or composition), lessons must be at the 800 level. Multiple woodwinds majors do not have the option of completing an outside area in performance.
- Courses that could count toward a student's major field are generally not eligible (for example, a student may not count "excess" performance study credits in the major toward an outside area): up to six credit hours may be taken in courses closely related to the major field only if they are not specifically required as part of the major. Courses that have traditionally been accepted include string pedagogy for string majors, string technology for string majors, harp pedagogy for harp majors, and opera workshop for voice majors. Any combination of courses other than these must be approved before the student enrolls.
- Courses that are normally used to satisfy proficiencies or tool subjects are not eligible (such as M539 for degrees that require M539, M501, T508, T509, T511, P715, and P700 lessons). Ensemble and chamber music coaching are not eligible. Graduate reading courses in foreign languages (under _491/492 numbers) are also not eligible.
- Courses must ordinarily be at the graduate level (500 or above). Undergraduate courses at the 100 or 200 level are not eligible. Advanced undergraduate courses outside the Jacobs School of Music at the 300 or 400 level may be eligible if they satisfy a requirement for the undergraduate major in that subject.
- Courses may be transferred from other institutions to qualify for the outside area. Such courses must meet the other requirements above and be officially accepted for transfer.
- Courses within the Jacobs School of Music used to satisfy outside area requirements must be taught by regularly appointed faculty members. Courses taught by associate instructors will not count.
- The student must meet the qualifications of the parallel minor, and only courses that would fulfill the requirements for a minor are acceptable.
Samples of Outside Area course choices
These are expamples of the types of courses a student could take if they wanted an outside area in a particular field. This is in no way a complete list of options, just an example of courses within each of these fields that could potentiall work for an outside area.
Outside Area in Historical Performance
6 (or more) credits selected from the following list. A maximum of 4 credits of 800 level essons can be included:
- MUS-Y 8XX Historical Performance Graduate Minor Lessons (any instrument) (var. cr.) (all credits must be in the same instrument, and only a maximum of 4 credits can be included in the outside area)
- MUS-F 501 Accompaniment of Baroque Music (2 cr.)
- MUS-F 502 Topics in Basso Continuo (2 cr.)
- MUS-F 503 Advanced Topics in Basso Continuo (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 515 Interpreting Unaccompanied Bach (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 516 Advanced Topics in Early Music (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 517 Medieval Performance Practice (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 518 Renaissance Performance Practice (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 519 Baroque Performance Practice (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 520 Classical Performance Practice (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 521 Literature and Performance Practice V (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 522 Historical Notation/Edition Projects (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 523 Music and Rhetoric in Performance (2 cr.)
- MUS-M 558 Early Music Topics (1 cr.)
- MUS-M 635 Performance Practice Before 1750 (2 cr.)
Outside Area in Jazz Studies
Any combination of 6 (or more) credits selected from the following list:
- MUS-M 591 Jazz Literature 1: Pre-Jazz to Bebop (3 cr)
- MUS-M 592 Jazz Literature 2: The Bebop Era (3 cr)
- MUS-M 593 Jazz Literature 3: Jazz since Bebop (3 cr)
- MUS-M 594 Big Band Jazz (3 cr)
- MUS-O 521 Jazz Improvisation 1 (2 cr)
- MUS-O 522 Jazz Improvisation 2 (3 cr)
- MUS-O 523 Jazz Improvisation 3 (3 cr)
- MUS-O 524 Jazz Improvisation 4 (3 cr)
- MUS-O 501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory (1 cr)
- MUS-O 512 Jazz Composition (3 cr)
- MUS-M 584 Research in the History and Analysis of Jazz (3 cr)
- MUS-O 516 Jazz Arranging 1 (2 cr)
- MUS-O 517 Jazz Arranging 2 (2 cr)
- MUS-E 570 Pedagogy of Jazz (2 cr)
Outside Area in Music History
Any combination of 6 credits selected from the following list (each course is 3 credits):
- MUS-M 525 Survey of Operatic Literature
- MUS-M 527 Symphonic Literature
- MUS-M 528 Chamber Music Literature
- MUS-M 650 Music in the United States
- MUS-M 651 Medieval Music
- MUS-M 652 Renaissance Music
- MUS-M 653 Baroque Music
- MUS-M 654 Classic Music
- MUS-M 655 Romantic Music
- MUS-M 656 Modern Music
- MUS-M 656 Music Since 1960
- MUS-M 502: Composer: Variable Topic (course topics may not be repeated)
- MUS-M 510 Topics in Music Literature (course topics may not be repeated)
Outside Area in Music Theory
Any combination of 6 credits selected from the following list (each course is 3 credits):
- MUS-T 550 Readings in Music Theory
- MUS-T 551 Analytical Techniques for Tonal Music
- MUS-T 545 Introductory Analysis of Music Literature
- MUS-T 555 Schenkerian Analysis
- MUS-T 556 Analysis of Music Since 1900
- MUS-T 561 Music Theory: Variable Topics (course topics may not be repeated)
- MUS-T 565 Stylistic Counterpoint: Variable Topics (course topics may not be repeated)
- MUS-T 591 Teaching of Music Theory
- MUS-T 658 Seminar in Music Theory: Variable Topics (MUS-T 658 is ordinarily for PhD students with a major in Music Theory, so students should consult with the Music Theory department prior to enrolling in MUS-T 658; course topics may not be repeated)
Outside Area in Opera Workshop
Any combination of 6 credits selected from the following list (each course is 3 credits):
- MUS-R 571 Opera Workshop
- MUS-R 572 Opera Workshop
Examples of Outside Area subjects
This is a list of some common outside area subjects. This is not a comprehensive list, it is a sample.
Examples of Outside Areas within the Jacobs School of Music
Composition
Conducting, Choral
Conducting, Orchestral
Conducting, Wind
Conducting (combined)
Early Music (for non-early music majors)
Electronic Music
History of Violin Making
Jazz
Latin American Music
Music Education
Music History
Music Theory
Opera Studies
Pedagogy (if no pedagogy required in major field)
Performance
Sacred Music
Examples of Outside Areas in departments outside the Jacobs School of Music
Arts Administration
Astronomy
Comparative Literature
Computer Science
English
Ethnomusicology
History
Informatics
Languages (advanced study in a single language)
Mathematics
Psychology
Religious Studies
Speech & Hearing
Theatre