The A.B. in American Musical Culture is designed for students interested in pursuing careers and/or graduate study in: American Studies, arts management, cultural criticism, entertainment law, media studies, music journalism or musicology. Requirements for the degree consist of ten courses, including: Writing About Music (MUSC 161); two music theory courses (MUSC-141 and an additional course that falls within course number range MUSC 240-259 or MUSC 340-359); at least three of the four Core Courses in Music (MUSC-114, 115, 116, 117), which cover the department’s general areas of music history distribution (Western European Tradition, Multi-cultural Traditions, Jazz, and Popular Music); three upper-level courses in music history and culture or music theory; and one course credit based on four terms in a single section of MUSC-100 Music Performance.

Completion of a Senior Capstone Project is also required for the major. Students may choose between a research project (i.e. a thesis, documentary, or lecture recital) or a semester/summer internship related to their academic interests (i.e. Lauinger Library; NPR, Library of Congress, Smithsonian, The Washington Post).

Potential majors are advised to take Writing About Music (MUSC-161), Diatonic Harmony (MUSC-141) and at least one of the three core courses during the first two years, since these are prerequisites for most upper-level courses.

Academic Requirements
(10 Music Courses; 30 credit hours + Senior Capstone Project)

• Writing About Music (MUSC-161)
  
  
• 2 music theory courses:
  Diatonic Harmony (MUSC-141) and a second course numbered 240-259 or 340-359
  
  
• 3 of the 4 core courses in music history and culture (MUSC-114 Western European Tradition, MUSC-115 Music in a Multicultural World, MUSC-116 Jazz History, MUSC-117 History of Rock)
  
  
• 3 upper-level courses, numbered 200 or higher, in music history and culture (220-239, 320-339, 420-439) or music theory/composition (240-259, 340-359, 440-459) 1 course credit based on 4 semesters in a section of MUSC-100 Music Performance.
  
• Senior Capstone Project: research project (i.e. a thesis, documentary, large-scale musical composition or lecture recital) or a semester/summer internship related to their academic interests (i.e. NPR, Library of Congress, The Smithsonian, The Washington Post).

List of Courses:

MUSC – 021 Sounds of the Sacred: Music of the Soul
MUSC – 023 Traditional and Popular Music of America
MUSC – 041 Theory I: Elements of Music
MUSC – 100 Music Performance (AUD)
MUSC – 101 Co-Curricular Music Performance (AUD)
MUSC – 114 Musical Culture: The European Tradition
MUSC – 115 Music in a Multicultural World
MUSC – 116 Jazz History
MUSC – 117 History of Rock
MUSC – 141 Theory II: Diatonic Harmony (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 161 Writing about the Performing Arts
MUSC – 220 Music in Popular Culture (PR)
MUSC – 222 American Concert Music (PR)
MUSC – 228 American Popular Song (PR)
MUSC – 241 Theory III: 20th-Century Techniques (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 242 Jazz Theory and Improvisation (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 243 Analysis Through Composition (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 250 Introduction to Audio and Sound Editing (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 260 Introduction to Film Music
MUSC – 268 Music and Dance in America 1932-1962
MUSC – 323 The Blues (PR)
MUSC – 324 Rap Music (PR)
MUSC – 328 Special Topics Seminar in Musical Culture (PR)
MUSC – 330 Introduction to Opera (PR)
MUSC – 331 The Musical on Stage and Screen (PR)
MUSC – 332 Music History: Baroque through the Enlightenment (PR)
MUSC – 333 Music History: Romanticism through Postmodernism (PR)
MUSC – 343 Orchestration and Arranging (PR)
MUSC – 344 Conducting and Score Reading (PR)
MUSC – 359 Seminar in Songwriting (PR MUSC – 141)
MUSC – 361 Seminar in Music Journalism (PR MUSC – 161)
MUSC – 410 Directed Study in Music History (PR)
MUSC – 425 George Gershwin and Perspectives on American Music (PR)
MUSC – 430 Balanchine (PR)
MUSC – 433 Modernism in Music (PR)
MUSC – 440 Composition Portfolio (PR)
MUSC – 460 Senior Performance Project/Lecture Recital (AUD, PR)

*PR pre-requisite course (Unless noted otherwise, students must have already completed MUSC 141 and at least one of the core courses in music history
and culture: MUSC 114, 115, 116, 117) to register for this course.

* AUD audition required

Music Minor

The Music Program at Georgetown currently offers a minor, which consists of courses in music history, criticism, theory, composition, audio technology and performance. Students electing this minor are given the opportunity to specialize in a broad array of musical forms associated with American Culture, including: jazz, rock, dance, film, popular musics from around the world and music stemming from the Western European Tradition (from the 17th century to the present).

Minor Academic Requirements
(6 Music Courses; 18 credit hours)

• Diatonic Harmony (MUSC-141)
  
  
• 1 course in musicology (music history and culture) numbered 100 or higher
  
  
• 4 additional course credits in music, which may include one course credit based on 4 terms in a single section of MUSC-100 Music Performance, but may not include MUSC-041 Elements of Music.