Undergraduate programs

The School of Music & Theater is located within the hub of musical and theatrical activity in the Pacific Northwest, only three blocks from the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. It maintains close ties to the Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Portland Jazz Orchestra, Portland Piano International, Portland Youth Philharmonic,  Chamber Music Northwest, Oregon Repertory Singers, Artists Repertory Theater, Portland Center Stage, Milagro Theatre, and Third Rail Repertory Theater, among other organizations. Faculty and students alike interact with these performing organizations in various ways. 

Students have the opportunity to study with faculty members who are internationally recognized performers, conductors, composers, actors, directors, writers, and scholars. Standards are high as students pursue the conservatory-like Bachelor of Music degree or the more general Bachelor of Arts or Science in Music or Theater. Graduates have consistently demonstrated their excellence in the fields of performance, conducting, composition, acting, writing, production, and scholarship. Many are leaders in music, theater, and education around the Northwest and elsewhere.

Programs in the School of Music & Theater are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and National Association of Schools of Theater. Graduates have gained admission to both university graduate programs and professional training programs; they have become teachers and university professors; and they have pursued a range of related professions in the arts, education, business, administration, law, social services, and non-profit management.

Degree Maps and Learning Outcomes

Admissions requirement

Degree requirements

Musicology/Ethnomusicology B.A./B.S.

Music Theory B.A./B.S.

Performance B.A./B.S.

Sonic Arts and Music Production

Theater Arts B.A./B.S.

Composition B.M.

Jazz Studies B.M.

Music Education B.M.

Performance B.M.

Performance with an Emphasis on Voice B.M.

Dance Minor

Music Minor

Music History Minor

Theater Arts Minor

Dance Certificate

Jazz Studies B.M.

Area Coordinator: G. Colligan

Serving students who seek a professional degree in music with an emphasis in jazz, the B.M. in Jazz Studies provides a thorough music foundation with specialized coursework in jazz performance, improvisation, jazz history, and arranging. Students pursue immersive jazz performance experiences in large ensembles and jazz combos and solo performances in their recitals. Students successfully completing the B.M. in Jazz Studies will have gained the necessary skills and confidence to pursue professional work as a jazz musician.

Requirements

In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, music majors seeking the professional music degree (Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies) must complete the following courses:

Courses

Mup 190Applied Music

6

Mup 290Applied Music

6

Mup 390Applied Music

6

Mup 490Applied Music

6

Mus 046Piano Proficiency Exam

0

Mus 048Junior Recital

0

(30 minutes minimum)

Mus 049Senior Recital

0

(60 minutes minimum)

Mus 111Music Theory I

3

Mus 112Music Theory II

3

Mus 113Music Theory III

3

Mus 114Sight Singing/Ear Training I

1

Mus 115Sight Singing/Ear Training II

1

Mus 116Sight Singing/Ear Training III

1

Mus 188Performance Attendance

0

(9 terms required)

Mus 198Jazz Lab Band

6

Mus 205Listening I

1

Mus 206Listening II

1

Mus 211Music Theory IV

3

Mus 212Music Theory V

3

Mus 213Music Theory VI

3

Mus 214Sight Singing/Ear Training IV

1

Mus 215Sight Singing/ Ear Training V

1

Mus 216Sight Singing/Ear Training VI

1

Mus 271Jazz Improvisation I

2

Mus 272Jazz Improvisation II

2

Mus 273Jazz Improvisation III

2

Mus 291Advanced Class Piano I

2

Mus 292Advanced Class Piano II

2

Mus 293Advanced Class Piano III

2

(Jazz section)

Mus 304Music History: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque

4

Mus 305Music History: Classical and Romantic

4

Mus 306Music History: 20th Century

4

Mus 320Fundamentals of Conducting

2

Mus 355UJazz History

4

Mus 394Chamber Music

6

Mus 398Jazz Lab Band

6

Mus 411Topics in Music History

2

Mus 424Instrumental Jazz Arranging I

2

Mus 425Instrumental Jazz Arranging II

2

Mus 426Instrumental Jazz Arranging III

2

Mus 471Advanced Jazz Improvisation I

2

Mus 472Advanced Jazz Improvisation II

2

Mus 473Advanced Jazz Improvisation III

2

Mus 474Midi Applications

2

Music electives to be chosen by student in consultation with an advisor

9

Total Credit Hours: 123

Mus 114Mus 116: (concurrent enrollment with Mus 111, Mus 112, Mus 113 required)

Mus 214Mus 216: (jazz section), concurrent enrollment with Mus 211, Mus 212, Mus 213 required.

Music majors must enroll in Applied Music and the related Large Ensemble each term. Students must earn 6 credits at each level of Applied Music. With School approval, the distribution of Applied Music credits may be altered; however, a minimum of 12 of the 24 credits must be completed at the upper-division level. A minimum of 6 of the 12 Large Ensemble credits must be completed at the upper-division level.

Music majors must enroll in the appropriate Chamber Music Ensemble.