@pdxtigermom Just confirmed from our friend . . . their S declared Thornton on the application. Communication w/ Viterbi ongoing.
We know someone who did something similar, at Wesleyan. Double major.
Double major is not the same thing as double degree, as others have pointed out.
Johns Hopkins and Peabody are affiliated in name only. They are quite far geographically and I have never heard of anyone doing a ādouble degreeā at both institutions. There might be one or two people who have done it, but it is even more rare than the Harvard/NEC people.
Rice does not allow double degrees with the music major.
University of Michigan makes it very clear that they are supportive of double majors. Itās tough, but people have done it. On the other hand, it is one of the few schools that does not overload its (uniquely) music majors with lots of gen ed requirements. They want their musicians practicing and rehearsing.
Bard music majors MUST declare a second major.
@music2023 I didnāt think that it was possible to do a double major out of music at SMTD. A dual degree, yes.
Correct me if Iām wrong but a double major of music and a non music subject at SMTD is by definition going to be dual degree because the music major will be a BM and the other major in another subject would be a BA or BS. Canāt be a BM in math. Also, itās always prudent to check with the music professor a student is going to study with if they are personally supportive of a student pursuing a dual degree as not all are.
ETA- A student could get a BA in music and another subject but that would not be pursued through SMTD but through LSA.
@SpiritManager Iām surprised as itās very common at Rice to have double/triple majors or multiple minors. I guess music school has different set up, their admission has different requirements as well so you may have to do dual degree instead of double major but regardless, there are other great schools where double majoring with music may be easier. JHU also has a dual degree path so that may be difficult as well.
With the caveat that my info is aging at this point, the word we got last year was that most of the instrumental teachers at Rice/Shepherd either discourage or donāt allow dual degrees, depending on the teacher. Vocal majors get more leeway, especially if the second major is in a related area, like foreign languages.
Many students at Rice have double majors with the exception of music and architecture students. The music major at Rice requires an audition to be accepted and tends to be all consuming. Architecture requires a portfolio for acceptance and is a 5 year BA/Masters program. Admissions into the Rice schools other than Music and Architecture are not as competitive as the music and architecture slots are very limited, and students can freely double or major in those schools.
@riversider - All double degrees are difficult and on average take five years (unless one goes to summer school and attends a state university which allows a lot of AP credits to replace taking classes.) The difference in the various programs is in the support of the professors and administration. There are many required courses, in sequence, for a BM in music in addition to all the ensemble obligations. Just the scheduling of courses can be very difficult if not planned right from the beginning. Bard College/Conservatory has some sample five year plans on this page which will give a clear idea of how it can work: https://www.bard.edu/conservatory/undergraduate/curriculum/
@cellomom2 Yes, thatās how it works at Michigan but not everyone āby definition.ā At Vanderbilt, for instance, you could do a double major in music performance and math. Your degree would then be a BMus in music performance and math (they donāt offer an undergraduate dual degree).
It sure is complicated.
Sorry for using the wrong terminology!
@albertsax Thanks for the clarification, it sure does get complicated! Have to consider all the different variations that are possible at different schools.
i can confirm itās true about Rice, Michigan, Vandy, Northwestern, USC, UCLA, CMU and JHU/Peabody since iāve Contacted the music professors in all those schools. Everything being said above is totally correct!
@cellomom2 Indeed it does! It gets even worse when a school offers bothāsuch as at Jacobs.
@Music2023 I have to politely disagree with you about Peabody and Johns Hopkins.
- They arenāt just affiliated āin name only.ā Peabody grants degrees that are Johns Hopkins degrees; Peabody students are allowed to take classes at the primary āHomewoodā campus and are, in fact, encouraged to do so; Peabody and other JHU student meal plans are the identical, and a student on the plan can eat at Homewood or Peabody
- They arenāt very far geographically at all, unless you consider a free 15 minute shuttle ride 3 miles away āquite farā; thatās obviously not the same as being on the same campus, but itās manageable
- Students can and do get Dual Degrees between Peabody and other JHU schools, specifically, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering (official webpage https://peabody.jhu.edu/academics/degrees-programs/double-degree/). Itās challenging and time consuming, but thatās true of any BM major doing a dual degree. Moreover, Iāve met and spoken to multiple Peabody dual degree students and alumni. My son is strongly consider being one of them, and every administrator weāve talked to has been supportive of the notion without soft-pedaling the challenges inherent therein. Peabody dual degrees not common, but itās not nearly as rare as you make it seem.
In fairness and for the sake of completeness, the Peabody/JHU relationship is somewhere between (a) being fully integrated like, say, USC Thornton or NYU Steinhardt or Michigan SMTD, and (b) two distinct affiliated schools like Harvard and NEC.
There are two primary differences between Peabody/JHU and those fully integrated programs:
- You apply separately to Peabody and JHU, and not just for dual degrees. Meaning: if you only want to major in music, you submit a Peabody application without needing to submit a Hopkins application
- The financial aid is distinct between Peabody and Homewood. Like the applications, the Peabody FA is managed separately by different staff. More importantly, itās a separate pile of money. If/when a student does a Dual Degree, they are considered a Homewood student first, and their financial aid comes from the main JHU (read: bigger) pile of money, not Peabodyās.
There are, of course, other differences, but Iām hardpress to come up with other noteworthy ones at this time.
Finally, I agree w/ @cellomom2 . For more great info on dual degrees and double-majors, and the important differences between the two, see the pinned article on the forum named āNew Discussion
Double Degree Dilemma essay (written by David Lane)ā . . . and FWIW, David Lane was the former Director of Admission at Peabody
Forgive one more comment on @Music2023 's post above. . . .
The comment that āBard music majors MUST declare a second majorā is true for Bard Conservatory students ONLY. Bard College students who are BA in Music majors do not have to declare a second major. See this webpage for more detail: https://music.bard.edu/
This is so complicated. I have one academic focused musician applying this fall.