The Music Department at UC Santa Cruz offers two undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Arts in Music (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Music (B.M.). The B.A. degree offers a uniquely diverse curriculum, with the option of completing a concentration in Contemporary Practices, Global Musics, or Western Art Music. The B.M. degree is designed for students who intend to pursue a career in music performance. The department also offers minors in Electronic Music, Jazz, Spontaneous Composition and Improvisation, and Western Art Music, providing more access for music students and students in other disciplines to engage with music during their studies at UCSC. Both the B.A. and B.M. degrees are distinctive in that they integrate elements of performance, theory, composition, literature, and history & culture. Music students leave UCSC prepared for graduate studies and music careers in performance, teaching, and the digital arts.

The undergraduate minor program in Western art music offers a course of study leading to the minor in music. The goal of this program is to provide a focus for music activities, as well as a background in music theory, history, and performance.

Learning Experience

Students will encounter a rich variety of performance opportunities. Specifically, students engage with music:

✔ as a cultural practice in ensembles focusing on musical traditions from all over the globe;

✔ temporally in ensembles based on Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, contemporary, experimental, and popular idioms to deepen their understanding 
✔ of performance practices;

✔ technologically in electronic music ensembles and workshops, using innovative technologies;

✔ collaboratively in seminars geared towards student composition and improvisation.