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University of Montana Catalog 2025-2026

Composition B.M. - Pop and Commercial

General Degree Requirements

To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information. 

Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page

Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.

Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.

Bachelor of Music - Composition; Concentration in Pop and Commercial Music

 
  • This major has a minimum cumulative institutional GPA requirement of 2.75. 

Course Requirements

Freshman Seminar
Complete the following course:
MUSI 194Seminar1
Music Theory
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 105Music Theory I2
MUSI 106Music Theory II2
MUSI 205Music Theory III2
MUSI 206Music Theory IV2
Aural Perception
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 140Aural Perception I2
MUSI 141Aural Perception II2
MUSI 240Aural Perception III2
MUSI 241Aural Perception IV2
Keyboard Skills
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 135AKeyboard Skills I1
MUSI 136AKeyboard Skills II1
MUSI 235Keyboard Skills III1
MUSI 236Keyboard Skills IV1
Music History and Culture
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 207XWorld Music (equiv to 307)3
MUSI 301HMusic History I3
MUSI 302HMusic History II3
Upper-Division Required Performance
Complete the following course:
MUSI 296Upper-Division Required Performance (required to advance to upper-division study)0
Lower Division
Complete 4 credits in the following courses: 4
Orchestra: UMSO (String principals)
Opera Theatre I (Voice principals)
Choir
Band: UM Concert Band (Instrumental principals)
Chamber Ensembles I (Piano and guitar principals)
Upper Division
Complete 3 credits of the following courses: 3
Orchestras II: UM (String principals)
Opera Theatre II (Voice principals)
Choir III
Band III: UM Concert Band (Instrumental principals)
Jazz Ensembles: Big Bands (Jazz principals)
Chamber Ensemble III: UM (Piano and guitar principals)
Concert Attendance
All students majoring in music are required to attend in a minimum of 100 approved recitals/concerts prior to graduation. During the 4th year in an undergraduate degree program and upon completion of this requirement, students should register for the following course:
MUSI 388Concert Attendance UM0
Capstone
Complete the following course:
MUSI 499Senior Recital/Capstone Project2
Composition
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 180Composition I2
MUSI 280Composition II2
MUSI 317Songwriting 2
MUSI 480Composition IV (over 3 semesters)6
MUSI 407Counterpoint I3
MUSI 440Orchestration2
Applied Study
Complete all of the following courses:
MUSI 195Applied Study I (over 2 semesters)2
MUSI 295Applied Study II (over 2 semesters)2
MUSI 395Applied Study III1
Music Technology
Complete all of the following courses:
MUST 110Digital Audio & Multitracking2
or MART 245 Sound Production & Design Fundamentals
MUST 210Sequencing, Synthesis, and Sampling2
MUST 310Interactivity and Digital Signal Processing2
MUST 410Designing the Show2
Topics in Music History
Complete one of the following courses: 3
Topics in Music History
Cultural Studies in Music
Theory and Analysis
Complete the following course:
MUSI 418Advanced Topics in Music Theory2
Media Design and Marketing
Complete all of the following courses:
BMKT 420Integrated Online Marketing3
MART 340Principles of Interactive Media3
General Music Elective(s)
Complete 2 credits of any upper-division music course.2
Total Hours82