Music, BFA: Music Composition and Technology

Overview

The music composition degree lays a foundation of staff-based notation for composition, including a variety of approaches to notation, rhythm, harmony, texture and orchestration. At the same time, electronic music courses inspire you to apply current music technology to your work in innovative ways. You’ll explore digital audio, analog synthesis, surround sound and spatialization, creative applications of recording and editing, algorithmic composition and computer programming for audio. 

There are many opportunities to develop and showcase your work as you progress through the program, with regular student and guest artist reading sessions of student compositions, collaborations with UWM’s New Music Ensemble and Present Music, and UW-MESS (UWM Electroacoustic Sound Studios). 

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Faculty and Staff

Our inspirational faculty and staff make sure students feel welcome and empowered to think outside the box and explore all possibilities of making art at UWM. Visit the Peck School of the Arts directory to meet these artists, explore their biographies and engage with recent work.

Scholarships and Aid 

Financial constraints shouldn’t hinder your artistic dreams. Our comprehensive range of scholarships and aid programs is designed to empower and support artists like you.

Study Abroad

We believe that a complete education in the arts should take you beyond the classroom and the local community. By studying abroad, you’ll gain more than a change of scenery. You’ll embark on a transformative educational experience and bring a global perspective to your field of study. Explore upcoming trips offered in partnership with the Center for International Education.

Requirements 

Credit Overview

Preparatory Coursework

Based on individual placement results, some students may be required to complete preparatory coursework before enrolling in the courses listed here. This may include English language or composition preparation, developmental math, introductory chemistry, and/or student support courses for students participating in the First Year Bridge program. 

General Education Requirements (GER)

UW-Milwaukee has General Education Requirements that must be met in order to earn a bachelor’s or associate degree. They include at minimum 30 credits (10 courses) in six categories that are designed to assure basic student competencies and provide a broad body of knowledge as a context for specialization.

Some degree requirements may fulfill GERs. Please review the requirements and consult with your academic advisor.   

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate applicants must meet general University admission requirements in addition to specific Peck School of the Arts requirements.

Ensemble Requirements

Students pursuing a music degree or certificate must be registered in an approved ensemble concurrent with each semester of private study in lessons. Only one approved ensemble credit per semester may apply toward degree requirements. Directors make assignments at the beginning of each semester to one of the following approved ensembles: Alta Voce, Bella Voce, Concert Chorale, Kameraden Chorus, Symphony Band, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Other performance ensembles may be approved for music minors, students with provisional admission or in certain degree programs.

• All transfer students, regardless of entry level, must take at least two semesters of an approved performance ensemble relating to their degree (instrumentalists take band or orchestra, vocalists take choral ensembles). 
• Entering sophomores with 30 or more earned credits may only transfer up to two completed semesters of an approved performance ensemble.
• Entering juniors with 60 or more earned credits may only transfer up to four completed semesters of an approved performance ensemble.

Advance to Major and Retention

Composition and Theory Background

Prospective students seeking to enter this program must also be able to begin by enrolling in the MUSIC 123 and MUSIC 127 series, as determined by the theory placement exam. Those students who do not meet this criterion may be advised to enter the program on a provisional basis, but must take MUSIC 1, receive a final grade of "B" or better, and resubmit their composition portfolio before a final admission and placement decision is determined.

Piano Proficiency

Depending upon audition results, students may be required to enroll in MUSPERF 1 for up to two semesters or until they can pass a satisfactory piano audition. Piano proficiency at 300 level is satisfied by demonstrated ability to play works of moderate difficulty, such as Bach's Two-part Inventions, Bartok's Mikrokosmos Book IV, Schumann's "Kinderszenen", or Easy to Intermediate Classics.

A student who is deficient in any of the above may be admitted provisionally, but only after evaluation and approval by composition faculty

Credits and Courses

Arts Requirements

Music BFA Requirements

Major Requirements

Undergraduate Advising

Academic advising is a collaborative process that empowers students to realize their maximum educational potential. Students are encouraged to visit the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page to meet with your advisor prior to each semester’s registration period. Advisors provide students with individualized appointments to assist with degree requirements, course selection, campus resources, college success strategies, graduation assessment, academic policies and more.

Sample Plan of Study

Music, BFA: Music Composition and Technology Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a BFA in Music Composition and Technology will be able to: 

• Recognize and distinguish music from all periods of European art music history, and from a variety of other world cultures and traditions, based on musical and stylistic features. 
• Recognize compositional techniques employed in all periods of European art music, and organizing musical principles that shape music of other cultures.
• Recognize assumptions, concepts, models, and various methods in musicological and ethnomusicological work and in their own thinking and will be able to choose the most appropriate analytical tools and concepts to examine specific music.
• Interpret, analyze, critique, and reflect on art music from different critical perspectives and aesthetic viewpoints.
• Express ideas about music in written form demonstrating a mastery of factual knowledge, bibliographic resources, analytical method, critical thinking, and the ability to construct a coherent and well-organized argument.
• Compose music employing one or more compositional approaches to make a convincing statement.
• Recognize a range of rhetorical strategies employed by composers to construct persuasive and well-supported arguments employing a range of these strategies.
• Compose music for groups of different sizes, from solo and chamber music to large ensemble, and to reflect critically on that work in ways that accommodate the needs of the performers or the constraints of the medium.
• Present their work in public performance.

Policies and Regulations

Academic Regulations

For information on University-wide Academic Action Policy and honors for scholarship, see Academic Policies.

Auditing Courses

No studio or performance courses may be audited. 

Grievance and Appeal Procedures

If you have concerns about a class or a grade, or if you’ve been dropped from a program and would like to appeal, follow the grievance procedures found under the resources section on the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page.

Independent Study

Under special conditions, juniors and seniors are permitted to take courses in independent study. For regulations on independent study, see the departmental advisor.

Program Changes

All program changes must be signed by the instructor and the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services. Certain other courses may also require this approval indicated in the semester's Schedule of Classes.

Second Bachelor's Degree Candidates

Students with good scholastic records who wish to earn a second bachelor's degree in the Peck School of the Arts must obtain the recommendation of the Peck School of the Arts department in which they wish to major before they can be accepted. Upon acceptance, students must earn in residence a minimum of 30 credits beyond the studies for the first degree and must satisfy all curriculum requirements.

Semester Credit Load

A full-time Peck School of the Arts student is one who takes a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Typically, Peck School of the Arts students are not permitted to carry more than 18 credits per semester. Students who have a 3.0+ cumulative GPA may, with the permission of the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services, carry up to 21 credits per semester.

Transfer Students

Transfer students from other universities and colleges or UWM units are accepted by the Peck School of the Arts provided they meet the UWM admissions criteria and have a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.

Honors in the Major

• Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a GPA of 3.500 or greater in the major and the academic department's recommendation.
• High Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or greater and the academic department's recommendation.
• Departmental Honors are granted to students recommended by their academic department for Honors excellence in performance not reflected in the GPA.
• Dean's Honors are granted to students with major achievements in one or more of the arts.

College of the Arts and Architecture Dean's Honor List

GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.

Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction

Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.

Commencement Honors

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).

Final Honors

Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.