The Bachelor of Science in Music with Concentration in Music Industry, the first such undergraduate program offered in Boston, is designed for students with an interest in fields such as artist management; the music products industry; the recording industry; arts administration; contracting and legal issues; financial and economics aspects of the music industry; and broadcast, mobile, and online media technologies.
The Department of Communication Studies is committed to providing students with both the communication skills and the understanding of the communication process required to thrive in a complex and changing society. Majors are required to demonstrate a mastery of the fundamentals of effective communication, to learn the fundamentals of communication theory and practice, and to develop a distinct area of emphasis. Some of the more popular areas include argumentation and advocacy, organizational and health communication, international and intercultural communication, digital communication and social media, and media production. The curriculum is designed to enhance the understanding of human communication in a variety of contexts, to empower students to become informed and engaged citizens, and to provide the knowledge and skills required to live a rich personal and professional life.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
University-Wide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
NUpath requirements Creative Expression/Innovation (EI), Interpreting Culture (IC), Societies and Institutions (SI), and Ethical Reasoning (ER) are met through the major course requirements.
NUpath requirements Natural and Designed World (ND), Formal and Quantitative Reasoning (FQ), Analyzing and Using Data (AD), and Difference and Diversity (DD) may be met through electives in the major.
Music Industry Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College | ||
| MUSC 1000 | Music at Northeastern | 1 |
| Music Core | ||
| MUSC 1001 | Music in Everyday Life | 4 |
| Music Theory Placement | ||
| All students must take a theory placement exam. Students who do not place into MUSC 1201 must first take the following: | ||
| MUSC 1119 | Fundamentals of Western Music Theory | 4 |
| Music Theory Requirement | ||
| MUSC 1201 | Music Theory 1 | 4 |
| Introductory Music Industry | ||
| MUSI 1230 | Introduction to Music Industry | 4 |
| Music in Context | ||
| Choose one course from Western Art Music, Global Music / Ethnomusicology, or Contemporary / Popular Music categories. | 4 | |
| Western Art Music | ||
| Introduction to Opera | ||
| Historical Traditions: Classical | ||
| 40,000 Years of Music Technology | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| Global Music / Ethnomusicology | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Music of Asia | ||
| Topics in World Music | ||
| Musical Communities of Boston | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Music and Social Justice | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
| Contemporary / Popular Music | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Popular Music Since 1945 | ||
| Topics in American Music | ||
| Punk Rock | ||
| 40,000 Years of Music Technology | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| Music, Sound, and the Screen | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Topics in Music since 1900 | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Special Topics in Music Industry | ||
| Music Industry Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Introduction to Songwriting | ||
| Advanced Songwriting | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Analyzing Popular Genres | ||
| Music Licensing for Media | ||
| Music Recording 1 | ||
| Festivals | ||
| Copyright in the Creative Industries | ||
| Performing Arts Administration | ||
| Music Recording 2 | ||
| Music Supervision 1 | ||
| Special Topics in Music Industry | ||
| Artist Management | ||
| The Record Industry | ||
| Music Products Industry | ||
| Music Industry Marketing and Promotion | ||
| Concert Promotion and Venue Management | ||
| Music and Social Justice | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Music Entrepreneurship | ||
| Seminar in Music Industry | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
| Introduction to Music Technology | ||
| Business Course | ||
| ACCT 1209 | Financial Accounting and Reporting | 4 |
Communication Studies Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Studies Common Requirements | ||
| COMM 1101 | Introduction to Communication Studies | 4 |
| COMM 1112 | Public Speaking | 4 |
| or COMM 2301 | Communication Research Methods | |
| Foundation Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Persuasion and Rhetoric | ||
| Principles of Organizational Communication | ||
| Communication Theory | ||
| Communication in a Digital Age | ||
| Cluster Course | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Sex, Relationships, and Communication | ||
| Global and Intercultural Communication | ||
| Communication and Gender | ||
| Communication Law | ||
| Free Speech in Cyberspace | ||
| Writing-Intensive Courses | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Mobile Communication | ||
| Health Communication | ||
| Interpersonal Communication | ||
| Communication and Inclusion | ||
| Political Communication | ||
| Great Speakers and Speeches | ||
| Communication Criticism | ||
| Public Relations Principles | ||
| Environmental Issues, Communication, and the Media | ||
| Free Speech: Law and Practice | ||
| Communication and Sexualities | ||
| Theories of Conflict and Negotiation | ||
| Nonverbal Social Interaction | ||
| Youth and Communication Technology | ||
| Crisis Communication and Image Management | ||
| Communication Studies Electives | ||
| Complete three COMM courses. | 12 | |
Integrative Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the integrative options below. If a communication studies course is taken, an additional music industry course is required, chosen from the list of music industry electives above. | 4-8 | |
| Music Option | ||
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Seminar in Music Industry | ||
| Music Entrepreneurship | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
| Communication Studies Option | ||
| Complete two of the following. One communication studies course is required: | ||
| Strategic Communication Capstone | ||
or COMM 4625 | Online Communities | |
MUSC 2000 to MUSC 5999 | ||
MUSI 2000 to MUSI 5999 | ||
MUST 2000 to MUST 5999 | ||
Communication Studies Major Grade Requirement
No more than two grades below a C in communication studies courses may be used to satisfy degree requirements.
Music Major Grade Requirement
Students must maintain at least a 2.667 GPA (B- average) in the requirements of the music half of the combined major and also complete all required music courses with grades of at least C. Students who fail to meet the above standards will be placed on departmental probation; those who remain on probation for two consecutive semesters will be dropped from the major.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Sample Four Years, Two Co-ops
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSC 1000 or COMM 1000 | 1 | ENGW 1111 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
| MUSC 1001 | 4 | MUSC 1201 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 |
| MUSI 1230 | 4 | Communication studies foundational course | 4 | ||||
| COMM 1101 | 4 | Music in context elective | 4 | ||||
| COMM 1112 or 2301 | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 8 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Communication studies cluster course | 4 | Communication studies elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | |
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Music industry elective | 4 | Music industry elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | ENGW 3314 or 3315 | 4 | Communication studies elective | 4 | Co-op | ||
| Communication studies elective | 4 | Communication studies writing-intensive | 4 | ||||
| ACCT 1209 | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | Communication studies writing-intensive | 4 | |||||
| Music industry elective | 4 | ||||||
| Integrative course | 4 | ||||||
| Capstone | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||