Bachelor of Music, Commercial Music

Music consumption in the general populace is at an all time high. Music performers are needed in all musical genres. Music for media - movies, television, the internet, video games, corporate advertising and promotion, and education - is constantly required. Additionally, support industries require musically educated workings. These include music publishing, arranging, retail and the musical instrument industry. The degree in Commercial Music prepares students all these areas.

Marketable Skills

Confidence: Be self-assured through appreciating your own talents, abilities, skills, and qualities
Entrepreneurship: Develop, organize, and manage ideas and opportunities turning them into new products, services, firms, or industries
Leadership: Step up, think, and act critically and creatively to bring others together to accomplish a common task
Teamwork: Participate as an effective, efficient member of a group in order to meet a common goal
Time management: Prioritize goals and organize time to be more productive and efficient.

Perform music professionally in a variety of genres. Arrange or compose music in a variety of genres. Utilize twenty-first century music technology in composition, arranging, notation and recording. Understand the in and outs of the music business.

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 120

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Designated Core
MUSL 2321	Music, Culture, and Society	3
University Core Curriculum
Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements.		42
Commercial Music Major
Theory Advancement Test required for all Bachelor of Music degrees
Required Courses:
MUSA 1165	Chamber Music/Accompanying (Complete two semesters)	2
MUSA 1195	Individual Instruction (Complete four semesters)	4
MUSA 3295	Individual Instruction (Complete four semesters)	8
MUSA 2217	Improvisation I	2
MUSA 3255	Improvisation II	2
MUSA 3256	Improvisation III	2
MUSL 3321	Classical Music History I	3
or MUSL 3322	Classical Music History II
Select three hours from the following:		3
MUSL 3321	Classical Music History I (If not selected in previous section)
MUSL 3322	Classical Music History II (If not selected in previous section)
MUSL 3324	Music in World Cultures
MUSL 3325	Cumbia: Mus, Diff, & Id. in Am
MUSL 3326	Social History of Rock
MUSL 3327	History of Jazz
MUSL 3329	Topics in Music Hist & Culture
MUSL 3330	History of Commercial Music
MUSL 3332	Music and Film
MUSL 3333	Music of the Middle East
MUSL 3334	Intro to Ethnomusicology
MUSL 3330	History of Commercial Music	3
MUST 1111	Aural Skills I	1
MUST 1112	Aural Skills II	1
MUST 1215	Music Technology I	2
MUST 1313	Music Theory I	3
MUST 1314	Music Theory II	3
MUST 2111	Aural Skills III	1
MUST 2112	Aural Skills IV	1
MUST 2313	Music Theory III	3
MUST 2314	Music Theory IV	3
MUST 3261	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp I	2
MUST 3262	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp II	2
MUST 3263	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp III	2
MUST 3315	Music Technology II	3
MUST 3341	Intro to Recording Studio	3
MUST 4315	Intro to Music Business	3
Ensemble		8-16
If brass, percussion, or wind, complete eight semesters of ensemble. This will be between 8 and 16 hours:
MUSA 1137	Special Focus Ensembles (up to two semesters)	0-2
MUSA 1143	Symphonic Band (up to six semesters)	0-6
MUSA 1241	Marching Band (up to four semesters)	0-8
MUSA 1244	Wind Symphony (up to six semesters)	0-12
If vocal, complete eight semesters of ensemble. This will be between 8 and 16 hours:
MUSA 1151	University Chorus (up to eight semesters)	0-8
MUSA 1250	University Chorale (up to eight semesters)	0-16
If guitar or piano, complete eight semesters of ensemble. This will be between 8 and 16 hours:
Up to eight semesters from the following:
MUSA 1137	Special Focus Ensembles (Up to 4 semesters is allowed)	0-4
MUSA 1151	University Chorus	0-8
MUSA 1250	University Chorale	0-16
If orchestral string, complete eight semesters of ensemble:
Up to eight semesters from the following:
MUSA 1261	Orchestra-Strings	16
Piano Proficiency:
Required:
MUSA 1271	Piano Class I	2
MUSA 1272	Piano Class II	2
MUSA 2255	Commercial Piano I	2
MUSA 2256	Commercial Piano II	2
Senior Recital:
Complete senior recital
Total Hours		120

¹: Only one ensemble course per semester is accepted.
²: Or fulfill piano proficiency.

University Core Curriculum (A program may recommend specific courses. All courses require a C or better.)

I. Communication (six hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility.
Select six hours of the following:		6
For students whose secondary education was in English:
COMM 1611	Written and Oral Communication
ENGL 1313	Writing About Literature
RWS 1301	Rhetoric & Composition I
RWS 1302	Rhetoric & Composition 2
RWS 1601	Rhetoric, Composition & Comm
For students whose secondary education was not in English:
ESOL 1311	Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl
ESOL 1312	Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl
TOTAL HOURS		6

II. American History (six hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility.
HIST 1301	History of U.S. to 1865	3
HIST 1302	History of U.S. Since 1865	3
TOTAL HOURS		6

III. Language, Philosophy & Culture (three hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility.
Select one of the following:		3
AFST 2300	Intro-African Amer Studies
CHIC 2302	Latina/o Presence in the U.S.
ENGL 2311	English Literature
ENGL 2312	English Literature
ENGL 2313	Intro to American Fiction
ENGL 2314	Intro to American Drama
ENGL 2318	Intro to American Poetry
FREN 2322	Making of the "Other" Americas
HIST 2301	World History to 1500
HIST 2302	World History Since 1500
PHIL 1301	Introduction to Philosophy
PHIL 2306	Ethics
RS 1301	Introduct to Religious Studies
SPAN 2340	Seeing & Naming: Conversations
WS 2300	Introduction to Womens Studies
WS 2350	Global Feminisms
TOTAL HOURS		3

IV. Mathematics (three hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and Empirical & Quantitative Skills.
Select one of the following:		3
MATH 1309	College Algebra
MATH 1310	Trigonometry and Conics
MATH 1319	Math in the Modern World
MATH 1320	Math for Social Sciences I
MATH 1411	Calculus I
MATH 1508	Precalculus
MATH 2301	Math for Social Sciences II
STAT 1380	Statistical Literacy
STAT 2480	Elementary Statistical Methods
TOTAL HOURS		3

V. Life & Physical Sciences (six hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Empirical & Quantitative Skills, and Teamwork.
Select one of the following:
ASTR 1107	Astronomy Lab I
ASTR 1307	Elem Astronomy-Solar System
ASTR 1308	Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies
BIOL 1103	Introductory Biology Lab
BIOL 1104	Human Biology Laboratory
BIOL 1107	Topics in Study of Life I
BIOL 1108	Organismal Biology Laboratory
BIOL 1203	Introductory Biology
BIOL 1304	Human Biology
BIOL 1305	General Biology
BIOL 1306	Organismal Biology
BIOL 2111	Human Anat/Physio Lab I
BIOL 2113	Human Anat/Physio Lab II
BIOL 2311	Human Anat/Physiology I
BIOL 2313	Human Anat/Physiology II
CHEM 1105	Laboratory for CHEM 1305
CHEM 1106	Laboratory for CHEM 1306
CHEM 1107	Intro General Chemistry Lab
CHEM 1108	Intro Organic & Biochem Lab
CHEM 1305	General Chemistry
CHEM 1306	General Chemistry
CHEM 1307	Intro to General Chemistry
CHEM 1308	Intro Organic & Biochemistry
ESCI 1101	Environmental Sci. Lab
ESCI 1102	Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301
ESCI 1301	Intro to Environmental Sci
GEOG 1106	Laboratory for GEOG 1306
GEOG 1306	Physical Geography
GEOL 1103	Lab for GEOL 1313
GEOL 1104	Lab for GEOL 1314
GEOL 1111	Principles of Earth Sci - Lab
GEOL 1112	Laboratory for Geology 1212
GEOL 1211	Principles of Earth Sciences
GEOL 1212	Principles of Earth Science
GEOL 1230	The Blue Planet
GEOL 1231	Natural Hazards
GEOL 1313	Intro to Physical Geology
GEOL 1314	Intro to Historical Geol
HSCI 2302	Fundamentals of Nutrition
HSCI 2303	Wellness Dynamics
MICR 2330	Microorganisms and Disease
PHYS 1403	General Physics I
PHYS 1404	General Physics II
PHYS 2120	Laboratory for PHYS 2320
PHYS 2121	Laboratory for PHYS 2321
PHYS 2320	Introductory Mechanics
PHYS 2321	Introductory Electromagnetism
TOTAL HOURS		6

VI. Political Science (six hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility and Personal Responsibility.
Required Courses:
POLS 2310	Introduction to Politics	3
POLS 2311	American Gover & Politics	3
TOTAL HOURS		6

VII. Social & Behavioral Sciences (three hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Empirical & Quantitative Skills, and Social Responsibility.
Select one of the following:		3
ANTH 1301	Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog
ANTH 1302	Intro-Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 1310	Cultural Geography
ANTH 2320	Intro to Linguistics
ASIA 2300	Asian American Studies
CE 2326	Econ for Engrs & Scientists
CHIC 2311	Intro to Chicano Studies
COMM 2350	Interpersonal Communication
COMM 2372	Mass Media and Society
ECON 2303	Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 2304	Principles of Microeconomics
EDPC 1301	Introduction to Ed Psychology
EDU 1342	Action Research in Classrooms
ENGL 2320	Introduction to Linguistics
GEOG 1310	Cultural Geography
LEAD 2300	Leadership in Action
LING 2320	Introduction to Linguistics
LING 2340	Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics
PSYC 1301	Introduction to Psychology
SOCI 1301	Introduction to Sociology
SOCI 1310	Cultural Geography
TOTAL HOURS		3

VIII. Creative Arts

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Teamwork, and Social Responsibility.
Select one of the following:		3
ART 1300	Art Appreciation
ARTH 1305	History of Art I
ARTH 1306	History of Art II
CHIC 1311	Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat
DANC 1304	Introduction to Dance
FILM 1390	Intro-Art of Motion Pict.
MUSL 1324	Music Appreciation
MUSL 1327	Jazz to Rock
MUSL 2321	Music, Culture, and Society
THEA 1313	Introduction to Theatre
TOTAL HOURS		3

IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.
BUSN 1301	Intro to Global Business
COMM 1301	Public Speaking	3
COMM 1302	Business/Profession Comm
CS 1310	Intro-Computational Thinking
CS 1320	Computer Programming Sci/Engr
EL 1301	Eng Innovation and Leadership
ENGR 1302	Engineering Design Experience
ENGR 1303	Applied Engineering Analysis
LEAD 1300	Introduction to Leadership
SCI 1301	Inquiry in Math & Science
SPLP 1312	Comm. Var. Across the Lifespan
UNIV 1301	Seminar/Critical Inquiry
TOTAL HOURS		6

4-Year Sample Degree Plan

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
BACHELOR OF MUSIC, COMMERCIAL MUSIC
FRESHMAN
Fall
UNIV 1301	Seminar/Critical Inquiry	3
MATH 1319	Math in the Modern World	3
or MATH 1320	Math for Social Sciences I
MUST 1111	Aural Skills I	1
MUST 1313	Music Theory I	3
MUSA 1195	Individual Instruction	1
MUSA 1271	Piano Class I	2
Large Ensemble		1-2
MUST 1215	Music Technology I	2
Spring
RWS 1301	Rhetoric & Composition I	3
COMM 1301	Public Speaking	3
MUST 1112	Aural Skills II	1
MUST 1314	Music Theory II	3
MUSA 1272	Piano Class II	2
MUSA 1195	Individual Instruction	1
Large Ensemble		1-2
MUST 3315	Music Technology II	3
MUSA 1165	Chamber Music/Accompanying	1
SOPHOMORE
Fall
RWS 1302	Rhetoric & Composition 2	3
MUST 2111	Aural Skills III	1
MUST 2313	Music Theory III	3
MUSA 1195	Individual Instruction	1
MUSA 2255	Commercial Piano I	2
Large Ensemble		1-2
MUST 3341	Intro to Recording Studio	3
Spring
HIST 1301	History of U.S. to 1865	3
MUSL 2321	Music, Culture, and Society	3
MUST 2112	Aural Skills IV	1
MUST 2314	Music Theory IV	3
MUSA 1195	Individual Instruction	1
MUSA 2256	Commercial Piano II	2
Large Ensemble		1-2
JUNIOR
Fall
HIST 1302	History of U.S. Since 1865	3
2- or 3-hour Science Lecture		3
1-hour Science Lab		1
MUST 3261	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp I	2
MUSL 3321	Classical Music History I	3
or MUSL 3322	Classical Music History II
MUSA 3295	Individual Instruction	2
MUSA 2217	Improvisation I	2
Large Ensemble		1-2
Spring
POLS 2310	Introduction to Politics	3
3-hour Science Lecture		3
MUST 3262	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp II	2
MUSL Elective		3
MUSA 3295	Individual Instruction	2
MUSA 3255	Improvisation II	2
Large Ensemble		1-2
MUSA 1165	Chamber Music/Accompanying	1
SENIOR
Fall
PSYC 1301	Introduction to Psychology	3
POLS 2311	American Gover & Politics	3
MUST 3263	Comm Arr/Anal/Comp III	2
MUSA 3295	Individual Instruction	2
MUSA 3256	Improvisation III	2
or MUSA 3296	Commercial Vocal Styles
Large Ensemble		1-2
Spring
PHIL 1301	Introduction to Philosophy	3
MUST 4315	Intro to Music Business	3
MUSA 3295	Individual Instruction	2
MUSL 3330	History of Commercial Music	3
Large Ensemble		1-2
Perform a Senior Recital
Total Hours		121-129

Academic Catalog