<p>I’m aware that Bard has a dual-degree program for its conservatory students. I believe this is a five year program where conservatory students obtain a degree in music and a degree of their choice.</p>
<p>However, for students that do not attend the conservatory, is it possible to double major in two fields? Specifically, I’m asking about psychology and music. I can’t seem to find this information on their website.</p>
<p>Also, assuming that one can double major at Bard, how difficult would it be to juggle both music and psychology courses? Bard clearly holds academics in high esteem, so the psychology courses (which I understand to be fairly easy at most other universities/colleges) would be fairly time consuming (all speculation of course). I won’t even begin to speculate on what the music majors must go through.</p>
<p>Thank you very much. Any additional information would be much appreciated, too.</p>
<p>Can’t speak to music and psychology (which would be a GREAT double major in my opinion!) but D2 double moderated into Photo and Lit at Bard. It’s doable, but a lot of work - not so much for the courseload but because you need to do two separate senior projects usually. (Sometimes they will let you combine them, but both departments need to sign off on it.)</p>
<p>Thank you for the information! Very much appreciated.</p>
<p>What concerns me the most is the sheer amount of work that I may be facing with this potential double degree. If you don’t mind me asking, how has double majoring affected your daughter’s overall experience at Bard? Naturally she must be very busy, but does she still have time to maintain a social life?</p>
<p>Judging from a precursory glance at your previous posts and threads, I see that you have quite a bit of musical experience and knowledge. I hope you don’t mind me throwing another question at you, but, from your experiences, how time intensive is life as a music major?</p>
<p>I have fairly decent time management skills (which can always be further refined) but I have no idea how on Earth it will be even remotely possible to balance practicing, orchestra rehearsals and the like and garner clinical experience, do research, and procure lab hours all at the same time.</p>
<p>If you look at each program’s site online, or look in the online catalog - all the requirements for the major will be listed. I think lots of students double major at Bard but, as Stradmom said, the hard part is both the moderation process into two separate disciplines, and two full senior projects. That said, I don’t think you’ll have the much trouble juggling the time constraints. The college orchestra only rehearses one night a week and doesn’t have many concerts. On the other hand, if you join the student ensemble contemporaneous - you’ll be playing and rehearsing non-stop! As far as I can tell, Bard is what you make of it - it can be as challenging and all-consuming as desired - or not.</p>
<p>I saw this message earlier and didn’t have time to respond, but said to myself, “I should refer collegeattempt to SpiritManager, whose son is a musician and double major at Bard.” </p>
<p>Everyone my D knows there seems to be pretty busy but they also have a healthy social life. Apparently, there’s a great all night diner in Red Hook…</p>
<p>collegeattempt, You seem very, very well organized already. My d has vague ideas of double majoring in psychology and dance, but so far I think she plans to wing it. lol</p>
<p>@SpiritManager: Thank you for suggesting the online catalog. I’m not entirely sure why it didn’t cross my mind to check the required courses for each major. The course loads for both majors don’t look totally impossible to do after all. As previously stated, it appears that the multiple senior projects and the two moderation processes will be the trickier aspects of a double major.</p>
<p>The graduation requirements for a music major states that at least one performance course is necessary–does that mean participation in the college’s orchestra/ensemble is mandatory? I wouldn’t mind joining the orchestra as the hours don’t seem to be that hectic, but certainly not the ensemble given the number of hours I would have to sacrifice from my psych-related work. I would rather hope that alternative solutions exist.</p>
<p>@stradmom: That’s absolutely wonderful to hear. While I have a fairly solid work ethic, I would rather hate to be confined to my dorm 24/7.</p>
<p>@danceclass: That’s very kind of you to say. Most people would (and do) say that I’m merely worrying too much about these things, ha ha.</p>
<p>@collegeattempt - if by the ensemble you’re referring to contemporaneous, which I mentioned in my post - that is made up of mostly Bard students (both in the conservatory and in the college) - but it is not officially connected to Bard - it is completely independent. Which means there is no credit for participating in it whatsoever. Only satisfaction and exhilaration. But some players play less, some more. [Contemporaneous</a> / Index](<a href=“http://www.contemporaneous.org%5DContemporaneous”>http://www.contemporaneous.org). There are college sanctioned performance options for credit at Bard other than orchestra - from gamelan to chamber to choral etc. If you go to the current course list [Bard</a> College Course List–Spring 2011](<a href=“http://inside.bard.edu/academic/courses/current/]Bard”>http://inside.bard.edu/academic/courses/current/) and click on arts then on music you’ll see a list of performance classes offered. Scrolling through the course offerings is also a good way to get a sense of the Bard music department. (Same with the psychology offerings.)</p>
<p>These are very good sources. Thanks SpiritManager. I think I remember being told on the tour that the senior project for dancers would be a performance rather than a paper. If that’s true, and if the requirement for music is similar, it might not be too huge of an effort to create two senior projects if only one requires writing. Just a thought.</p>
<p>@danceclass - yes, the common option for music majors for their senior project is a performance either on their primary instrument, or, if a composer, a full concert of their work. It is possible to write a musicological thesis instead, but that is rarer. Moderation also requires a performance…</p>
<p>I know a lot of people double-majoring at Bard; the number of them who are able to do joint senior projects (one combining both fields) is a lot larger than you’d think. It’s more difficult to double-major than it would be at a lot of places, but not prohibitively so.</p>
<p>AT Bard you can either Double Major or Joint Major. </p>
<p>A double major is difficult. It requires two separate moderations and, more challenging still, two separate senior projects. Students do double major, and often students in music or the arts double major. They do so because they want to do a senior project in music --i.e. a concert–and yet also want to major in another subject, like psychology. I have had students double major in music and human rights, and also practicing arts and political studies. </p>
<p>You can also do a joint major, in which you do one moderation and one senior project that integrate your two majors in some meaningful way. This is VERY common at Bard. Joint majors can be in disciplines that go together well (English and Politics) or they can be in politics and music, in which the student composes music possibly on a political theme and then also writes something about it. </p>
<p>There is also the option to concentrate at Bard in a program, which is less rigorous than a major and does not require a senior project. It is like a minor.</p>
<p>I recently graduated from Bard College. I only did a single major but basically, if you do a double major with two things that go well together (say, math and physics), then you can combine your senior projects into one project. But you’re not going to do an experimental physics project, it would have to be something more theoretical/mathematical.</p>
<p>Another good example is, from what I’ve seen, you can pretty seamlessly combine any major with a language major, but it will place some restrictions on your project. For instance, German and literature? You’re doing a German lit senior project. Chinese and art? Then you’re doing something on Chinese art. (Come to think of it, if you major in say just German I have no idea what you’d do…I guess you could do whatever you want, German lit, art, politics, whatever.)</p>
<p>You CAN do two completely different majors (say, chemistry and dance) but unless you have an amazing work ethic this would be a really bad idea, because then you will have to do TWO senior projects, and believe me, one is more than enough.</p>
<p>There is also the concentration thing…I think that might be new, or else since I was never interested I don’t really know about that. AFAIK it is indeed like a minor.</p>
<p>As for juggling courseloads, this is something I never had to deal with, but I imagine it might become difficult to get your necessary number of out-of-division credits. As Bard is a small school, the course listings can easily result in tons of conflicts that make it seem practically impossible to make things work–although in such cases they are usually good about working with you. For instance, I took German 201 and was therefore supposed to take 202 to get credit, but since it conflicted with a course for my major that I HAD to take, they let me out of it.</p>