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Music Minor

The School of Music offers a general minor in music that is open to everyone except music majors. In order to declare a minor, you first need to have a major declared. You can declare your Music Minor with your major department.

*NEW* Minor Requirements beginning in WINTER 2025

Minimum 25 credits

  • 9-10 credits of 100-level MUSIC prefixed courses
  • 15-16 credits of 200-level (or above) prefixed courses from the following: MUSIC, MUHST, MUSEN, MUSAP, MUSICP, MUSED, or MUSTEC
  • Maximum 10 credits of 100-level courses
  • Minimum 15 credits of 200-level (or above) courses
  • Maximum 10 transfer credits may count toward the minor

Tips:

  • Prioritize taking 200, 300, or 400-level courses since they are offered less frequently
  • Choose courses that are of interest!  
  • Most courses in the School of Music are less than 5 credits
  • MUSEN courses can be repeated multiple times for credit
  • Multiple 100-level MUSIC courses are offered every quarter
  • Completing minor requirements will take 3 or more quarters, depending on course offerings, so plan ahead!

Minor Requirements (Minors declared in AUTUMN 2024 and prior)

For the music minor, you must complete a minimum of 25 credits of music courses (MUSIC, MUSICP, MUHST, MUSEN, MUSAP, or MUSED prefixes).

A maximum of 10 credits of 100 level coursework may count for the minor, and you must take at least 15 credits at the 200 level or above.  

The following requirements must also be met:

  • At least 4 credits from courses dealing with the elements of music, chosen from:
    MUSIC 116 - Elementary Music Theory I (2 cr)
    MUSIC 113/119* - Pre-Core Theory and Ear-Training (4 cr total)
    MUSIC 120 - Survey of Music (5 cr)
  • 5 credits from courses for non-majors that focus on a particular area of music:
    MUSIC 121 - The Orchestra (2 cr)
    MUSIC 122 - The Opera (2 cr)
    MUSIC 160 - American Folk Music (5 cr)
    MUSIC 162 - American Popular Song (5 cr)
    MUSIC 250* - World Music (3 cr)
    MUSIC 251, 252 - Music Cultures of the World (5 cr)
    MUSIC 131 - History of Jazz (5 cr)
    MUSIC 445 - Selected Topics Ethnomusicology (5 cr)

*You must get permission from the professor to register for these courses.

Transferring Credits for the Music Minor:

The School of Music can take a maximum of 10 transfer credits (including a maximum of 5 transfer credits in lessons and ensembles) to count toward the minor.

You must first make sure that the UW Admissions has received a transcript that shows the course(s) you wish to transfer.  Even if you are a current UW student, please follow the instructions from UW Admissions.  

Music courses taken outside the UW will appear on your transcript as MUSIC 1XX or 2XX.  

Only after those credits appear on your unofficial UW transcript, please bring an official or unofficial transcript to the Advising Office (Music Building Room 116). Please make the following notes on the transcript:

  1. Your student ID number
  2. Your email address
  3. Highlight the courses you are hoping to transfer and their equivalent course name or number.
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