I’m currently a rising junior, and I am just starting to work on a college list. I am interested in double majoring in music and a science field or doing a dual degree between music and science. Do you know if any of the colleges on this list are particularly good for a dual degree or double major? Do any of them discourage or not allow it? Are there any colleges that would be good to take a look at?
Harvard
UChicago
Rice
Vanderbilt
John Hopkins
Cornell
USC
WashU
Tufts
Hamilton
Northeastern
Boston U
UMich
U of Miami
Skidmore
U Rochester
Smith
Florida State
Oberlin
U of Florida
U of Georgia
Rhodes
St. Olaf
tOSU
Rollins
U Denver
U of Utah
Lawrence WI
Evansville
Dayton
Ithaca
Cincinnati
IU Bloomington
CU Boulder
Miami U
West Michigan
Ohio U
Arizona State
I can’t comment on all of them…but Oberlin would work…but to get a degree from the conservatory and the college would take more than four years.
Lawrence is reportedly very accommodating about double majors!
It’s not easy to double major music and the sciences. Music majors have a bunch of one credit required courses that meet several times a week (e.g. ensembles, private lessons, chamber music). Often, ensembles meet at the end of the day…say 4:00 or so…and at some colleges the labs for sciences also meet during that time.
The schools with conservatories within them like Indiana, Ithaca and BU, and many others on your list would not make this easy, in my opinion.
For Hopkins, were you planning to take the music major portion at Peabody?
That’s a giant list! What unifies it in your mind? Say more about how you see science and music working together. You can do this without any formal additional music classes. My son, a classical musician from the age of 5 did. PM me if you want to know more.
Of the schools you listed, Utah has very solid engineering and music as do Rice, Rochester and USC. A lot would depend on your instrument. It’s a big ask though to do both formally as @thumper1 clearly outlined.
One that isn’t on your list that isn’t well known for music, but where you can minor is Lehigh. Music is the number minor for engineers.
Again, it’s all about what you want out of this. Often the extra paper isn’t worth anything.
Have you read the Double Degree Dilemma essay in the Read Me thread closer to the top of this forum? It can be really helpful.
There have been students on here in the past who managed a double major but it is extremely difficult because music involves, lessons, practice, and rehearsals and science involves labs, so scheduling is difficult.
You can do a double degree, BA or BS and BM OR MM (Harvard).
You can also major in science and continue lessons and extracurricular performance, and take some music electives. Many schools give credit for lessons and certain performance ensembles or orchestra.
Often the schools mentioned for double degree include Oberlin, Lawrence, Bard (requires double degree), Ithaca, Harvard, Yale, Tufts.
Check out Oberlin’s Musical Studies BA as well, which gives access to the resources of the conservatory. If you apply for a BA or BS at some schools with a conservatory on campus, the best teachers and performances may go to the BM students.
I believe Bard also has a “low wall” between college and conservatory and I do know a science major there who did a lot of music.
Your list is the longest I have ever seen Of course some of them have double degree programs. Also some don’t have BM programs at all but are colleges with science BA or BS.
So I think you might either do a double degree OR apply to schools without a BM program (with a few exceptions) where you can do music as an extracurricular with a few electives. But not a double major.
The Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) intercollege degree program combines the strengths of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) and the Mellon College of Science (MCS). This degree is designed for students who are gifted in both the fine arts and the natural sciences or mathematics, and who have the interest and the exceptional ability to pursue both disciplines simultaneously. Students choose their arts concentration from the following schools in CFA: Architecture, Art, Design, Drama or Music. Students choose their science concentration from among the departments in MCS: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, Neurobiology or Physics.
Smith and Hamilton offer the most flexible curricula from your choices, which would make them the most conducive to a double major in general. URochester requires the fulfillment of academic “clusters” across three major areas, which would be simple to complete along with a double major since your interests already include sciences and fine arts; Oberlin’s “curriculum exploration requirement” allows for similar flexibility. Skidmore’s motto of Creative Thought Matters appears to encourage varied interests.
Case Western and Northwestern should be on your list to explore for ease of double majoring. St. Olaf as well.
Double majoring at Cornell is difficult because there are a lot of out of major requirements for graduation. I would do a deeper dive on the 4 year plan of study for your desired majors and see if it’s possible.
Brown and Amherst aren’t on the list but they also have freer curricula without gen eds. If you have AP credit and a school accepts them, and there are fewer or no gen eds. a double major might be possible but the scheduling issue remains.
Again, I think either a double degree for 5 years OR a BS in science with music lessons, electives and extracurricular performance as a non-major would be the best options.
For the double degree you would want schools with a conservatory, school of music, or affiliated conservatory. For the BS in science and extracurricular music, in many cases, you would avoid the schools with a BM program unless there was good access to the resources the BM students have.
It takes some research to check on the latter point.
I also recommend Northwestern because of its flexibility. You can choose to do a five-year double degree or a double major which is less demanding and can be finished in four years.
Here is a full description of the various options at Northwestern (Bienen School of Music and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences or other school)>
Of course some of them have double degree programs. Also some don’t have BM programs at all but are colleges with science BA or BS.