UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES AND MAJORS

The Shepherd School of Music offers the Bachelor of Music degree in select areas of performance, composition, music theory, and music history, and the Bachelor of Arts degree. A five-year honors program resulting in the conferral of both the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees is also available for qualifying students.

Students applying for undergraduate music study at Rice University are admitted only to the Bachelor of Music track.

To learn more about specific graduation requirements, please click on your desired major: Bassoon, Cello, Clarinet, Composition, Double Bass, Flute,
Harp, Horn, Music History, Music Theory, Oboe, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Viola, Violin, Voice

Bassoon

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: Aesthetics of Music

Cello

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 6 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 3 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Clarinet

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Composition

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Analytical Systems
• Modal Counterpoint
• Undergraduate Composition Seminar: each semester
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Piano Lessons: 8 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Large Ensemble: 5 semesters
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Double Bass

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Flute

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Harp

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: at discretion of instructor
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: French

Horn

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Music History

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Advanced Musicology courses/seminars: 3 semesters
• Advanced Musicology or Theory course: 1 semester
• Foreign Language study: 2 semesters (German highly recommended)
• Instrumental or Vocal Lessons: 6 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Senior thesis
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: Music of the Middle Ages or Renaissance Music

Music Theory            

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Analytical Systems
• Modal Counterpoint
• Tonal Counterpoint
• Piano Lessons: 8 semesters
• Music electives: 3 semester hours
• Large Ensemble: 5 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Senior project
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: chamber music

Oboe

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Orchestra Repertoire: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Organ

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Large Ensemble: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Keyboard Proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: Organ Pedagogy, Organ Construction, Organ Literature

Percussion

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 8 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Piano

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 2 semesters
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Trombone

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Trumpet

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Tuba

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters
• Recommended: Composition elective, Electronic Music Composition I, and independent study

Viola

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 6 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Violin

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Orchestra: 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 6 semesters
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters

Voice

• Music Theory: 5 semesters
• Aural Skills: 5 semesters
• Music History: 4 semesters
• Rice Chorale : 8 semesters
• Lessons: 8 semesters
• Chamber Music: 4 semesters (Opera Workshop)
• Vocal Repertoire: 2 semesters
• Vocal Diction: 4 semesters
• Vocal Coaching: 2 semesters
• Foreign Languages: 4 semesters (1 semester each of French, German, and Italian plus an additional semester of one)
• Piano proficiency
• Junior recital
• Senior recital
• Rice Distribution
• Physical Education: 2 semesters