Dual Degree Programs for Music and Computer Science/Engineering?

BTW —Herb and Lani Alpert have given over 100 million dollars towards arts education.

http://www.herbalpertfoundation.org/foundation_home.shtml

Not to mention that they have been married some 40 some odd years, another notable accomplishment, and they still like performing together, they performed not long ago in my area, I was not able to go…then again, I don’t think he would be doing the theme music from the original “Casino Royale”, so I would be upset lol

I don’t have any information regarding bass studios or CA schools, but I am the parent of a senior, dual degree student (music/science) at a prestigious university. I have two recommendations for high school students considering dual degree programs (in addition to the other advice that is all over CC).

  1. If applying to a program with separate music and academic programs such as Harvard/NEC, JHU/Peabody, Eastman/U Rochester, note the distance between the music classes/practice rooms and the academic classes. The shuttles may seem convenient, but by the time a student gets to the shuttle stop, gets to where she’s going, walks to the necessary building, and reverses the process, a good deal of time has passed. This affects one’s ability to schedule enough classes each semester or find time to practice. It’s definitely possible to pursue a dual degree at these schools, but it takes an exceptional student and good advising to make it work. Also, consider where the student will live and when he/she will be practicing. Does she want to take a shuttle from the music campus back to the academic campus dorm at 1 am (if the shuttle even runs that late)? Conversely, does she has time to “run” to an academic TA’s office hours in between two music commitments? Even if a student has a car or a bike, distance is a much bigger factor than some believe it to be. The logistics of this are easier on a campus such as Oberlin, Lawrence or Northwestern.

  2. Merit aid at schools with separate programs should also be considered. My child is a senior and is the ONLY dual degree student left in his entire studio and peer group. Everyone else has dropped either the music degree or the academic degree. Dropping the degree that provided the scholarship is a huge consideration. Eastman allows dual degree students to get aid from them OR from U Rochester, not both. If U Rochester offers more, and the student accepts that aid but later drops the academic major, she loses the academic scholarship, which is NOT replaced by a music scholarship in most cases. The reverse is also true. If a student wants a dual degree from, for example, Oberlin, and accepts a large scholarship based on academic merit, she will lose that scholarship if she drops the academic major. At that point, there is typically no music merit aid available for an existing student. The aid was offered to the student as an incoming freshman based on a declared major, degree or program. If the student makes a change to that path, she may lose scholarship money. Some schools (Northwestern, Lawrence, Michigan and Vanderbilt in some cases, etc.) offer merit scholarships based on the overall application, and the student is able to keep that aid no matter what the major or degree.

Now that I’ve typed all of this, I realize it would probably be better in a different thread. Sorry!

Thank you, Mom103! That is very helpful information. I’m thinking now that my son would probably be best served by focusing on his academic major, but take lessons and play in the orchestra. I’m hoping that the teachers he might be interested in will still accept him into their studios if he is a non-major; this will require some research.

@carlsbadbruin It is a rare non music major student who gets a chance to study with a top teacher in a School of Music. It’s more likely to be with graduate students. (Who may be just fine, of course.) It’s often at colleges without a School of Music where non-majors get to study with top adjunct teachers brought in by the college - often from nearby symphony orchestras. I would be very surprised if non majors at UCLA get to study with the School of Music professors. However, it might be possible pay them privately for lessons.

@carlsbadbruin, in addition to what SpiritManager says about access to private lesson instructors, some schools restrict orchestra participation or, at least participation in the “top” orchestra in the case of multiple orchestras, to music majors. (Sometimes there is slack for accomplished string players that is not available to winds or percussion.) Just another item to check at each school - is orchestra playing a possibility to a non-major, or not.

Hi, Thank you for the heads up on possible limitations. As my son develops his list of schools, that will definitely be one of questions we ask.