Oct 03, 2024  
Course Catalog 2020-2021 
    
Course Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Conservatory of Music Degree Requirements


Degree Programs


Bachelor of Music


The Bachelor of Music is awarded upon completion of the following requirements:

  • Course and non-course requirements for one or more majors leading to the BM degree
  • 168 credits, including 32 credits of Arts and Sciences courses
  • Three Winter Term projects
  • The residence requirement
  • A minimum GPA of 1.67

Master of Music combined with an undergraduate degree


The Master of Music in Conducting and the Master of Music in Historical Performance combined with an undergraduate degree in performance on a modern instrument are awarded upon completion of:

  • The requirements for a specified undergraduate major
  • The course and non-course requirements for the graduate major

Master of Music


The Master of Music in Performance on Historical Instruments and Master of Contemporary Chamber Music are awarded upon completion of:

  • The course and non-course requirements for the graduate degree.

Performance Diploma


The Performance Diploma is awarded upon completion of:

  • Specified course and non-course requirements
  • 64 credits
  • Four semesters in residence

Artist Diploma


The Artist Diploma is awarded upon completion of:

  • Specified course and non-course requirements
  • 40 credits
  • Four semesters in residence

Residence Requirement


Undergraduate Conservatory degree students must be in residence at Oberlin or in Oberlin College programs for a minimum of six semesters.

Conservatory Writing Requirement


All entering Conservatory and Double-Degree students must complete a writing assessment, administered by the Conservatory Writing Committee. Generally, this assessment takes place during Orientation week. Students who enter the Conservatory midway through the academic year must complete this assessment by the end of the second week of classes of the Spring semester.

This assessment is graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. Students who receive a passing grade on this initial assessment will have satisfied the Writing Requirement. Students who receive a No Pass on this initial assessment must successfully complete a second writing assessment by the end of their second year. For this second assessment, students must compile and submit to the Conservatory Writing Committee a portfolio comprising two pieces of persuasive writing and one reflective piece.  Types of writing that might be submitted include (but are not limited to) essays submitted for Oberlin courses (College or Conservatory), artistic statements, program notes, personal statements, and grant proposals. The Conservatory Writing Committee will award each portfolio a grade of Pass or No Pass. Students who receive a Passing grade will have successfully completed the Writing Requirement. Students who receive a No Pass on this second assessment may revise and resubmit their portfolio one more time. Students must receive a Pass upon resubmission in order to satisfy the Writing Requirement.

Students are expected to complete the Conservatory Writing Requirement by the end of their second year of study at Oberlin. Students may not schedule their Junior Recitals until they have completed the Writing Requirement. Conservatory students enrolled in degree programs that do not require Junior Recitals will not be permitted to enroll in upper-division courses (taken during the Junior year or later, according to the advising grids) until they have successfully completed the Writing Requirement.

Numerous campus resources are available to help students develop their writing skills and fulfill the Conservatory Writing Requirement. These include Oberlin’s Writing Center and writing-oriented courses offered through the College of Arts & Sciences. Additionally, it is expected that Conservatory students develop as writers as they progress through the first years of the Conservatory curriculum, in particular their musicology and music theory coursework. To this end, students are encouraged to work closely with their Conservatory teachers (during office hours and the like) to hone their writing skills as they progress through these courses. Students enrolled in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) sequence will prepare to fulfill the Conservatory Writing Requirement as part of their ESOL coursework.