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.
Music: Theory B.A./B.S.
Program Coordinator: A. Boyle
Serving students who seek a broad liberal arts degree with a major in music, the B.A./B.S. in Music: Theory provides a music foundation with an emphasis in theory within a broad liberal arts framework. Students take advanced coursework in music theory and receive direct mentorship from faculty as they complete a final analytical or creative project. Students successfully completing the B.A. or B.S. in Music: Theory will have gained the necessary skills in music theory and supportive curriculum to prepare them for continued academic study in the discipline, along with the breadth of knowledge, critical thinking and expressive skills that can be translated to a wide variety of music-related fields and occupations.
Requirements
In addition to meeting the general University degree requirements, music majors seeking the B.A. or B.S. in Music Theory must complete the following courses:
Courses
| Mup 190 | Applied Music | 3 |
| Mup 290 | Applied Music | 3 |
| Mus 046 | Piano Proficiency Exam | 0 |
| Mus 047 | Final Project | 0 |
| Mus 111 | Music Theory I | 3 |
| Mus 112 | Music Theory II | 3 |
| Mus 113 | Music Theory III | 3 |
| Mus 114 | Sight Singing/Ear Training I | 1 |
| Mus 115 | Sight Singing/Ear Training II | 1 |
| Mus 116 | Sight Singing/Ear Training III | 1 |
| Mus 188 | Performance Attendance | 0 |
| | (9 terms required) | |
| Mus 194 | Small Ensemble | 1 |
| Mus 195, 196, 197, or 198 | Large Ensemble: Band, Orchestra, Choir, or Jazz Lab Band | 5 |
| Mus 205 | Listening | 1 |
| Mus 211 | Music Theory IV | 3 |
| Mus 212 | Music Theory V | 3 |
| Mus 213 | Music Theory VI | 3 |
| Mus 214 | Sight Singing/Ear Training IV | 1 |
| Mus 215 | Sight Singing/ Ear Training V | 1 |
| Mus 216 | Sight Singing/Ear Training VI | 1 |
| Mus 304 | Music History: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque | 4 |
| Mus 305 | Music History: Classical and Romantic | 4 |
| Mus 306 | Music History: 20th Century | 2 |
| Mus 307 | Music History: The Delta and Deep South Blues | 2 |
| Mus 401 | Research (Two terms of guided research, 1 credit each, to support final project) | 2 |
| | Upper-division music electives to be chosen by student in consultation with an advisor | 2 |
Choose 4 credits from the following:
| Mus 374U | World Music: Africa and the Middle East | 4 |
| Mus 375U | World Music: Asia | 4 |
| Mus 376U | American Musical Traditions | 4 |
| Mus 377U | World Music: Latin America and the Caribbean | 4 |
| Mus 378U | World Music: Native American Traditions | 4 |
| Mus 470 | Topics in Music History | 2 |
| Mus 482 | Topics in Music of the African Diaspora | 2 |
Upper-level theory electives
Select 12 credits from the following:
Total Credit Hours: 69
Mus 114 - Mus 116: (concurrent enrollment with Mus 111, Mus 112, Mus 113 required)
Mus 214 - Mus 216: (concurrently enrollment with Mus 211, Mus 212, Mus 213 required)
Music majors must enroll in Applied Music and the appropriate Large Ensemble each term until requirements are met.
Interested students will submit a sample of their analytical work for admittance to the major after completing Music Theory II or upon transferring to PSU. Students must meet GPA requirement of 3.0 and minimum grades of B in all theory and sight singing/ear training classes.
All candidates for this degree must complete a final project approved by the Theory Program Coordinator. The project may be one of the following: 1) Extensive analysis of a composition or 2) Performance of a composition transcribed from one medium to another.