<p>It is always easier to double major for a BA than to get two separate degrees - a BM in Music and a BA or BS in another subject. That generally takes five years and is only encouraged and supported in a few programs. There are the occasional BA in Music, such as at UCLA which are effectively more like a BM - as it is a separate school of music within the university. In general, double majoring is easier if it is within one college.</p>
<p>^^^ So are there any research universities that offer a BA Music not inside a separate school of music? Or is that too rare for the OP to even consider?</p>
<p>Most of the OP’s choices don’t have a separate school of music (UCLA?). That’s what I originally thought, but I had to check. </p>
<p>I’m wondering, though, if it’s easier to double major at a LAC versus a research university (without a school of music) because of the reduced major requirements typical at a LAC.</p>
<p>This is the best guide to the difference in music degrees between a BA, double major, and double degree. Mandatory reading for all students considering studying music; <a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html</a></p>
<p>As for UCLA - the BA for performance is in a separate school of music. However, there are also academic music courses which are in a different college at UCLA which would be open to the OP. But yes, many of the OP’s original reach schools, for example Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Brown etc do not have separate schools of music for undergrad. And the study of music in those schools is academically focused, (history, musicology, theory) as opposed to a pre-professional performance track. Students double major all the time at the Ivies, and comparable schools, with music and another subject.</p>
<p>^ originally OP was asking about safeties though. I agree with the list of original reach schools as well as the ones suggested later in the thread for reaches, but OP needs to have 2 safeties and a bunch of matches. With all these criteria, I understand it’s a daunting process.
I would suggest Oberlin but it sounds like it’d be a poor fit plus apparently the Conservatory faculty frown on double majors.</p>
<p>Oberlin actually would be a good fit, but maybe not for the OP, as it’s not in a city and it’s small. The college, as opposed to the conservatory, offers a BA in Music and there’s a great music scene there with lots of opportunities.</p>
<p>Safeties for the OP could be in the UC or CSU system. CSU San Diego or San Francisco State, for instance, would be true safeties.</p>
<p>Thank you @SpiritManager. That’s a very useful document. I’m not sure if it answers my question, though. Ha. Would it be easier for the OP to get a BA, double majoring in Econ and Music, from a liberal arts college or from a research university? And by “easier” I’m asking, are the requirements for a music major typically less at a liberal arts college than a research uni? They usually are for econ, so I’m wondering about music. Let’s say Wesleyan versus Columbia. Maybe I’ll have a look myself and figure it out, but I was hoping that other posters might know offhand.</p>
<p>@Dunboyne - every liberal arts college has its own requirements for a music major - some will be easier than others. For instance Vassar has very few general distribution requirements and a solid music department. It’s common to double major there, as it is at Williams. Bard, on the other hand, requires separate senior projects for a double major, and one must moderate into both majors, although I believe they have an option to combine the two fields into one project. And there are also a lot of distribution requirements in general. But students do double major there all the time! (My son is getting two degrees - a BM in the conservatory, and a BA in the college - a different animal.) And universities also have different requirements from school to school - for instance Harvard requires 50% of one’s courses to be in music for a BA. I believe that’s on the high end…</p>
<p>^^^ Thanks, that’s interesting. I was looking at Wesleyan and they seem to be on the high end too, upwards to 50% of the courses in music. I guess econ is more standardized, typically ~10-12 courses. </p>
<p>So what I was driving at was that if the OP was really bent on earning that double major, then a LAC may have been the ticket to an easier program with major reqs. But it doesn’t look like that is necessarily the case with music, as it seems to vary quite a bit, as you say. </p>
<p>Back to the original problem of finding safeties.</p>
<p>The OP has a 2360 SAT. For an in-state research uni, I don’t think she needs to go below the selectivity of UCSD for a safety (maybe UC Davis or UC Santa Barbara). She has NYU and Barnard listed as safeties, but I wouldn’t put them as such; NYU and Barnard are matches. @SpiritManager mentioned U of Miami. Check it out for a safety/likely. It looks like you can do a BA in music with a double major outside the school of music.</p>
<p>It might not be a bad idea anyway, OP, to target a few relatively wealthy LACs. You might end up with substantial merit aid. For a LAC safety, Rhodes College was suggested before. I second that. It’s in Memphis, so you wouldn’t be playing Hinterland-Who’s-Who in a city that size.</p>
<p>For a match LAC, you have Barnard. I’d also suggest Wellesley College. I’m not sure how you feel about women’s colleges that don’t offer the men that Barnard has floating around in Columbia/NYC. If you’re ok with the idea, Wellesley has an excellent econ department that places very well in grad programs, an outstanding alumni network, and I believe it has an econ / intl relations interdisciplinary major. I’m not sure what the music dept is like but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t solid. Wellesley is about 15 miles outside Boston, so maybe half the distance that the Claremonts are to LA. It’s somewhat isolated, but you wouldn’t start talking to the squirrels. Unless that was your thing.</p>
<p>For a reach LAC, Wesleyan has been suggested and that would be a good choice. @circuitrider had good things to say about it in an earlier post. Their econ is very good.</p>