The Department of Music Performance, Education & Composition offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Western classical music, with undergraduate majors in all three divisions of the department—a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) in performance, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in composition, and Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in music education.
The four-year undergraduate curriculum prepares students for professional success in an ever-changing musical world, combining practical training and individual study with the development of theoretical and historical context and artistic imagination. The majors, designed for students who seek to combine fine musicianship with academic excellence, center on a core curriculum of academic music courses, one-on-one work with artist-teaching faculty, and opportunities to collaborate with peers in large and small ensembles.
In addition to these foundational music studies, the Music Education major offers professional preparation leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching credential in just four years. Students develop pedagogical skills and innovative insights into theories and practices essential to teach music to California’s diverse student population and provide leadership in the field of arts education.
At the graduate level, specialized studies lead to Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in composition and Master of Music (M.M.) and Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degrees in all classical solo instruments, voice, and conducting. Jazz performance (M.M.) is also offered at the graduate level, in partnership with the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance at UCLA.
Students interested in music history and literature should consider the major in Musicology, and those interested in world music should consider the major in Ethnomusicology. Students interested in an undergraduate jazz major should explore the interdepartmental program in Global Jazz Studies.
The Department of Music Performance, Education & Composition, aligned with the departments of Ethnomusicology and Musicology in The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, fosters creative collaboration between performance and scholarship; a cross-cultural understanding and appreciation of musical expression in many forms; and transformative engagement with fellow artists, audiences, and communities both local and global. In short, we strive to prepare students to make and teach the music our world needs now and into the future.
