Music, B.A. ~ Degree Requirements

Semester Credits Required
  • Concentration in Contemporary Music Studies ~ 54-57 credits
  • Concentration in Jazz Music Studies ~ 50-53 credits
  • Concentration in Music Recording & Technology ~ 53-56 credits
  • Concentration in Vocal Music Studies ~ 50-53 credits
Outcomes, Courses, and Assessment

You officially begin the major by enrolling in the MPA 300 where you work with the instructor to create or revise your Individual Learning Plan. That ILP maps out how you will achieve each of the Major Learning Outcomes designated below by successfully completing the listed courses or alternative assessment options. You conclude the major by completing your Capstone, a publicly presented project that displays your cumulative learning in the major. [Learn more at CSUMB.EDU/capstone].

MPA MLO 1 Historical and Theoretical Analysis ~ Students identify genres from different periods and integrate historical and theoretical perspectives in analyzing contemporary styles.

Concentration in Contemporary Music

Concentration in Jazz Studies

  • Complete one of the following: MPA 335;  MPA 336; MPA 360; and 
  • Complete both MPA 337  and MPA 338 

Concentration in Music and Recording Technology

  • Complete MPA 335, and 
  • Complete both MPA 337 and MPA 338 

Concentration in Vocal Music Studies

  • Complete one of the following: MPA 335;  MPA 339; and 
  • Complete both MPA 337  and MPA 338 

MPA MLO 2 Community Issues Analysis ~ Students understand and analyze societal issues associated with the production, dissemination, and consumption of music.

MPA MLO 3 Comparative Analysis ~ Students understand compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.

MPA MLO 4 Moral and Ethical Analysis ~ Students understand and address moral and ethical issues.

MPA MLO 5 Performance Skills ~ Students express themselves artistically in at least one major performance area at a level appropriate for the particular music emphasis.

MPA MLO 6 Technological Skills ~ Students understand how technology serves music and use the technological tools applicable to a specific area of concentration.