The Music Program at Northern Kentucky University's School of the Arts offers a full range of performance and education opportunities to Music majors. The Program offers the degrees of Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music in Composition, Bachelor of Music Education, and Bachelor of Arts in Music. Music minors are also available to students majoring in other disciplines and work especially well as part of the Integrative Studies Major.
Our graduates pursue successful careers as professional performers, college and university faculty, public school music teachers, private studio instructors, and in allied fields within the music industry. Since our primary focus is undergraduate instruction, students receive individual attention from these outstanding musicians, teachers and scholars. We believe that we offer our students the best professional training in a friendly, caring and personal musical environment.
Students who have participated in the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts Program (GSA) and have a 3.50+ weighted HS GPA are eligible for the $4,500 Founders/KY Governor's Scholarship.
Students who have have a 3.75+ weighted HS GPA and 34+ ACT, are eligible to receive a full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
With consideration that the above changes to the eligibility criteria were made after the Fall 2022 semester began, NKU will honor the previous full-tuition Kentucky Governor Scholarship eligibility criteria as referenced below:
Auditions are required for majors and minors for admission into the NKU Music Program and for scholarship consideration.
If you are unable to make any of these audition dates, please contact Joan Brummer brummerj1@nku.edu for an alternative live audition date or consider submitting a video audition instead.
(Instrumental, Voice, Piano Pedagogy, Jazz Studies)
This degree is designed for students seeking performance-related careers and goals. The B.M. degree allows students to advance their musicianship and performance skills. This is the only music degree that requires both a junior and senior recital experience. The B.M. degree is available in the following tracks:
Admission Requirements:
(Traditional)
This degree is designed for students who wish to pursue careers as composers or arrangers, or who wish to continue musical study in composition, music theory, or musicology at the graduate level. Depending on interests, composition students have options in traditional or commercial styles with additional options in audio production.
Composition: Traditional Track: This track is ideal for students who wish to develop their own compositional style and pursue a career as a professional composer or arranger or continue to graduate school in composition or a related field.
(Instrumental, Choral/Vocal)
This degree is designed for students who would like to teach music at the elementary, middle, and/or high school levels. Upon certification, graduates can teach band, orchestra, chorus, music theory, music history, and other music subjects in K-12 settings. While this degree can be completed in four years, this is typically a five-year degree path that includes 200 observation hours in the Kentucky school system, plus a one-semester student teaching placement at a local school. The B.M.E. degree is available in the following tracks:
Admission Requirements:
This is a liberal arts degree designed for students who wish to develop their musical talents while acquiring a well-rounded education in other elements. This track combines musical study with a focus in business, psychology, mathematics, history, anthropology, or other fields to create a curriculum tailored to a student’s academic and career interests. In addition, a non-music minor is required. This track is ideal for students wishing to pursue graduate school in music theory, arts administration, music therapy, or other paths. This is the only music degree that does not have a specified recital requirement. However, a capstone project is required, and a student may choose a recital as an option.
Admission Requirements:
(Music, Audio Production)
Music minors are designed for students pursuing non-music degrees who desire to increase their knowledge of music or further develop their skills in music. Please note music minors cannot be paired with a music major.
Music Minor (audition required): Students can hone their skills in core music classes such as theory, aural skills, and basic piano. Students can also enjoy making music through participation in ensembles or private lessons.
Admission Requirements:
Audio Production Minor (no audition required): Students focus on the application of technological skill sets required for a career in music production and audio engineering, preparing them for opportunities in the field and fostering collaborative efforts among various disciplines in electronic media, music performance, public relations, audio engineering, and sound production. In contrast to the B.M. Composition: Commercial/Audio Production track, this minor should be considered as a complement to other career pathways in Entrepreneurship, Business, Marketing and more.
Options for minors within the Bachelor of Arts Integrative Studies Major (BAIS): All music minor programs work especially well as part of the Integrative Studies Major. In Integrative Studies, students essentially choose three minors to form one collective major. An interdisciplinary program like BAIS works incredibly well for students who like three different strong areas of interest.
