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 all aspects of the music industries, including songwriting, recording, production, technology, products, label operations, promotion, marketing, social media, management, finance, economics, data analytics, legal issues, licensing, and intellectual property. Our program encourages learners to become entrepreneurial thought leaders and ethical change agents in the music industries.
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.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide 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 Analyzing and Using Data (AD) are met through the major course requirements.
NUpath requirements Differences and Diversity (DD) and Ethical Reasoning (ER) may be met through electives in the major.
NUpath requirements Natural and Designed World (ND) and Formal and Quantitative Reasoning (FQ) must be met through general electives.
Music Industry Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Music Core | ||
| MUSC 1000 | Music at Northeastern | 1 |
| MUSC 1002 and MUSC 1003 | Music in Everyday Life and Lab for MUSC 1002 | 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 |
| MUSI 1204 | Analyzing Popular Genres | 4 |
| Music in Context | ||
| Complete one from each of the following. Of the courses from Western tradition, ethnomusicology, and contemporary, at least two must be at the 2000 level or higher. Courses may not double count across these areas. Many, but not all, music in context courses at the 2000 level or higher fulfill the Writing-Intensive in the Discipline requirement. Please check writing-intensive status of courses as needed. Students may use MUSC 2210, MUSC 2211, MUSI 2331, MUSI 3341, or MUST 1220 to fulfill both creating and producing and music in context creative but will also need to take one additional music industry elective. | ||
| Western Art Music | 4 | |
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Topics in Western Music | ||
| Beethoven | ||
| Music and Technology: Stone Age to Digital Age | ||
| Songs That Made History | ||
| Topics in Western Art Music | ||
| 40,000 Years of Music Technology | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Global Music/Ethnomusicology | 4 | |
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Topics in Diverse Musical Cultures | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Music of Asia | ||
| Topics in World Music | ||
| Musical Communities of Boston | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Sound and the Sacred | ||
| Music and Social Justice | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
| Contemporary/Popular Music | 4 | |
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Jazz | ||
| Film Music | ||
| Wired for Sound | ||
| Black Popular Music | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Popular Music Since 1945 | ||
| Topics in American Music | ||
| Punk Rock | ||
| Divas, DJs, and Double Standards | ||
| The World of Choral Music | ||
| Music, Sound, and the Screen | ||
| Sounding Human | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Sound and the Sacred | ||
| Topics in Music since 1900 | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Creative | 4 | |
| Complete one of the following: | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Jazz Improvisation | ||
| Conducting | ||
| Introduction to Songwriting | ||
| Introduction to Music Technology | ||
| Introduction to Composition | ||
| Sound Design | ||
| Music Ensemble | ||
| May substitute four 1-semester-hour applied courses (ensembles and/or lessons) for one 4-semester-hour creative course. | ||
| Music Lessons 1 | ||
| Music Lessons 2 | ||
| Chorus | ||
| Concert Band | ||
| Orchestra | ||
| Wind Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Ensemble | ||
| Rock Ensemble | ||
| Blues/Rock Ensemble | ||
| Create Your Own Music | ||
| Chamber Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Choir and Combo | ||
| World Music Ensemble | ||
| Fusion Ensemble | ||
| Pep Band | ||
| Music Industry | ||
| MUSI 1230 | Introduction to Music Industry | 4 |
| Music Industry Electives | ||
| Complete seven music industry electives, taking a minimum of one course in each of the following four categories and at least three courses from a single category. | 28 | |
| Creating and Producing | ||
| Note: MUSI 1230 is not a prerequisite for the following courses: | ||
| Jazz Improvisation | ||
| Making a Musical: Analysis, Craft, and Creation | ||
| Introduction to Songwriting | ||
| Advanced Songwriting | ||
| Demo Production for Songwriters | ||
| Music Recording 1 | ||
| Music Recording 2 | ||
| Music Recording 3—Mixing and Mastering | ||
| Introduction to Music Technology | ||
| Legal Aspects | ||
| Note: MUSI 1230 is a prerequisite for the following courses: | ||
| Music Licensing for Media | ||
| Copyright in the Creative Industries | ||
| The Record Industry | ||
| Music Supervision 1 | ||
| Music Business and Management | ||
| Performing Arts Administration | ||
| Artist Management | ||
| Music Industry Marketing and Promotion | ||
| Concert Promotion and Venue Management | ||
| Music Entrepreneurship | ||
| Music Industry Studies | ||
| Music and the Racial Imagination | ||
| Festivals | ||
| Music and Social Justice | ||
| Global Music Industries in Context | ||
| Hip Hop in the Music Industry | ||
| Seminar in Music Industry | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
Business Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | ||
| ECON 1116 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| Accounting | ||
| ACCT 1209 | Financial Accounting and Reporting | 4 |
| Business Elective | ||
| Complete one business course from the following subject areas: | 4 | |
ACCT, BUSN, ENTR, FINA, HRMG, INTB, MGMT, ORGB, MGSC, MISM, MKTG, SCHM, or STRT | ||
Capstone for Music Industry
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Music Entrepreneurship | ||
| Seminar in Music Industry | ||
| Ethnography in Creative Industries | ||
Music Credit and Grade Requirement
Complete 77 semester hours in the major.
Students must maintain at least a 2.667 GPA (B– average) in the requirements of the 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 Plans of Study
Four Years, Two Co-ops
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSC 1000 | 1 | ACCT 1209 | 4 | Music in context course | 4 | Vacation | |
| MUSC 1002 and MUSC 1003 | 4 | ECON 1116 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSC 1119 | 4 | MUSC 1201 | 4 | ||||
| MUSI 1230 | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSI 1204 | 4 | Co-op | Co-op | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSI elective | 4 | Elective (online) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSI elective | 4 | or Dialogue of Civilizations | |||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 4 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Business elective | 4 | Co-op | Co-op | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSI elective | 4 | Elective (online) | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| Music in context course | 4 | or Dialogue of Civilizations | |||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 4 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | ||||
| Music in context course | 4 | MUSI capstone | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 3314 | 4 | Music in context course | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||
Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSC 1002 and MUSC 1003 | 4 | MUSC 1201 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | 0 |
| MUSC 1119 | 4 | ACCT 1209 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSI 1230 | 4 | ECON 1116 | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | ||||
| MUSC 1000 | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSI 1204 | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Co-op 1 | 0 |
| MUSI elective | 4 | Business elective | 4 | ||||
| Music in context course | 4 | Music in context course | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| EEAM 2000 | 1 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op 1 | 0 | Music in context course | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op 2 | 0 |
| MUSI elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op 2 | 0 | MUSI elective | 4 | Vacation | Co-op 3 | 0 | |
| Music in context course | 4 | ||||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op 3 | 0 | MUSI capstone | 4 | ||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||
Five Years, Three Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSC 1002 and MUSC 1003 | 4 | MUSC 1201 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | 0 |
| MUSC 1119 | 4 | ACCT 1209 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| MUSI 1230 | 4 | ECON 1116 | 4 | ||||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | ||||
| MUSC 1000 | 1 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSI 1204 | 4 | Co-op 1 | 0 | Co-op 1 | 0 | Elective | 4 |
| EEAM 2000 | 1 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | ||||||
| Music in context course | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSI elective | 4 | Co-op 2 | 0 | Co-op 2 | 0 | Vacation | |
| Business elective | 4 | ||||||
| Music in context course | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| MUSI elective | 4 | Co-op 3 | 0 | Co-op 3 | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| Music in context course | 4 | ||||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Music in context course | 4 | MUSI capstone | 4 | ||||
| MUSI elective | 4 | MUSI elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Elective | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| 16 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||