School of Music

Program Description 

The Associate of Arts, AA at JCCC is a general transfer degree and partners well with the first two years of most bachelor degree programs. Students pursuing the AA may select courses that satisfy both the AA degree requirements and lower division requirements for a bachelor’s degree at four-year institutions. The elective hours within the AA allow students to complete additional general education and lower division courses required for specific majors. The AA degree requires completion of 60 credit hours. Meeting with a JCCC counselor is strongly recommended for selection of appropriate courses. 

The degree of Bachelor of Music requires a major in musicology, music theory, music composition, music performance, including Jazz or Piano pedagogy and is granted with concentrations in bassoon performance, clarinet performance, double bass performance, euphonium performance, flute performance, French horn performance, harp performance, jazz performance, music composition, music theory, musicology, oboe performance, organ and church music, percussion performance, piano pedagogy, piano performance, saxophone performance, trombone performance, trumpet performance, tuba performance, viola performance, violin performance, violoncello performance, and voice performance.

The degree of Bachelor of Arts in Music is granted with concentrations in music composition, musicology, music performance, music production and technology, music theory and piano pedagogy. It is offered for students with interests in any area of music who also want to pursue a second degree or minor not in the School of Music.

The degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts is granted with a concentration in theatre and voice.

The degree of Bachelor of Music Education is granted in music education.

The degree of Bachelor of Music Therapy is granted in music therapy. 

Admission Requirements

• Students who wish to major in music must audition. All students academically approved for admission to the School of Music are admitted contingent upon demonstration by audition of satisfactory level proficiency in their areas of applied music. Further information about specific applied music areas can be found on the School of Music's Audition Information website; if you do not see your particular area of study listed there, please contact the Undergraduate Recruitment Coordinator to inquire about availability. Visit the School of Music for music audition and application information. There is a limit of two times a prospective student may request an audition for entrance into one of the School's undergraduate degree programs. The second request must be within 12 months of the first and may be as early as 1 month following the first audition. The limitation also applies to students within the School auditioning from one program into another.

• Students may transfer to the school from other institutions or from other KU Schools if they have at least a 2.75 GPA (on a 4.0 scale), are eligible to return to the college or university last attended and complete a successful audition. Only grades of “C” or higher are accepted in transfer credit toward degrees offered by the School of Music. Students who wish to transfer performance credit from another institution toward any music degree at KU must validate this credit by audition.

• A total of 120 credit hours is required.

• A maximum of 75 hours may be transferred to KU from community colleges. Students should be aware that 45 junior/senior credit hours are required for completion of the bachelor’s degree; 30 of those hours must be at KU; and community college courses do not transfer as junior/senior hours.

• To graduate, a student must earn a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 in all major courses and a minimum average of 2.0 in all course work.

• If a student has a background in keyboard playing, they may choose to take one or more Piano Quiz-Out tests. Successfully passing a Quiz-Out will exempt a student from having to take a particular class in the PIAN sequence (PIAN 144, PIAN 148, PIAN 284, and PIAN 310). Students should check with their advisor about how this will impact their particular degree requirements.

• Freshmen and transfer students with no previous piano study experience should enroll in PIAN 144. No examination or permission number is necessary. Students should check with their advisor about their particular degree requirements.

• Students transferring to KU, that complete the General Education requirements required for the Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree from JCCC will be considered to have satisfied KU’s Core 34 general education curriculum.

• Students who transfer to KU, without completing the General Education requirements required for the Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree will have courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis toward meeting KU requirements. To learn more about courses that satisfy KU Core 34 Requirements and KU CredTran.

• Visit the KU’s Core 34 General Education Guide for JCCC equivalents.

It is the STUDENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to check for updates to all transfer information. This transfer guide is provided as a service and is updated as needed. Degree requirements at the four-year colleges are subject to change by those institutions. To ensure you have the most accurate information about the program, you must meet with an advisor at the transfer institution.