APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Choosing the Correct Program and Degree

One of the strengths of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is the wide diversity of programs available to undergraduate students. With close to thirty undergraduate degree programs, indicating the correct degree program on your application is important. You should carefully consider which program will best meet your personal and professional goals. You do not have to apply to a dual degree program to take academic courses in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. For specific curricular descriptions, please visit the departmental web pages.

Bachelor of Music

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Musical Arts

Bachelor of Theatre Arts

Dual-Degree programs

• The Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree is the most traditional degree offered by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Approximately 75% of the coursework of a B.M is in music, while the balance is completed in other areas, most typically in liberal arts courses within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. A student would indicate the Bachelor of Music if they are interested in studying Composition, Music Education, Music Theory, Musicology, Performance, or Performing Arts Technology (Curriculum A only).
  
• The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degrees are intended for those students who want professional performance training in Dance, Jazz and Contemplative Studies, Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation, Jazz Studies, Media and Music Technology (Curricula B or C), Musical Theatre, and Theatre (Acting, Directing, and Design and Production). You should carefully consider your intents and goals in choosing between the B.F.A. and the interdisciplinary degrees described above. If you are interested in training primarily as a performer, whether on stage or behind the scenes, you should indicate B.F.A. on your application.
  
• The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree is only available in Sound Engineering, and is intended for those students who seek rigorous professional training in acoustics, the physics of sound, sound engineering, computer science, and sound recording. Because of the academic rigor of this program, there are higher academic expectations than in other music programs. See the information under the heading “Academic Preparation” for specific guidelines.
  
• The Bachelor of Musical Arts (B.M.A.), and Bachelor of Theatre Arts (B.T.A.) degrees are interdisciplinary degrees. The overall balance of coursework in these curricula is evenly divided between music or theatre studies, and academic coursework. While both degrees include some level of professional training, they are intended to allow a student a wider exposure to the liberal arts within the scope of a traditional four-year degree program. As such, they tend to be most appropriately selected by those students who intend to pursue studies in music or theatre with an academic emphasis, or who wish to consider career paths other than performance upon graduation.
  
• A variety of degree programs are available at the University of Michigan that allow students to increase the academic options available to them. The most common way to do this is by either enrolling in the Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) degree or by choosing to pursue a dual-degree program with another school or college within the University. These dual degree programs are intended for students who seek the technical or academic studies associated with the College of Engineering or the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in combination with the professional training in performance-based or academic music studies associated with the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Students interested in these degree programs must seek concurrent admission to both colleges, and, if successful, their programs of study lead to bachelor's degrees from both units. It is usually possible for students electing 16-17 credits per term to meet all requirements in ten or eleven terms.
  
• While there are similarities in all School of Music, Theatre & Dance curricula, students enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Bachelor of Theatre Arts (B.T.A.) will follow a different course plan throughout their careers at Michigan.  Typically students in the B.F.A. and B.S. programs will begin the specific professionally related coursework earlier in their term of study.  The B.T.A. degree is an interdisciplinary program with a larger academic component.