<p>I'm an incoming freshman student for the Marshall School of Business, but I'd like to fit in a music class in somewhere because playing music has been probably my most cherished hobby for 11 years. </p>
<p>Here is my current class schedule, but I'm pretty sure I'll be bored with just 4 classes worth a total of 16 credits (I came from a workaholic-rigorous school): </p>
<p>BUAD 304 Organizational Behavior
ECON 205 Principles of Macroeconomics
ARLT 100g Chinese Imagination : Culture in Fiction
HIST 106g Chinese Lives: An Introduction to Chinese History </p>
<p>I'm interested in signing up for a music composition class: MUCO-130Ax Basics of Music Theory, and I can rearrange my ARTL (Arts and Letters) class to a different time slot to accommodate it. </p>
<p>When I tried to fit in the music class, it wouldn't allow me to commit the changes because "MUCO-130A section 42705 requires departmental authorization." </p>
<p>Can I contact the Thornton Music Department to permit me to take this class, or is this strictly for music majors? I see some non-music majors taking "Beginner" instrumental classes--and I'm curious as to how they registered for them--but I'm mainly interested in pursuing composition and furthering my piano performance skills alongside my business curriculum. I'd like to start music classes in my first semester of USC. In the future, I might want to take more music classes, possibly as a minor, so I'd appreciate any input as to how to register for them.</p>
<p>Well, I'm a science major, and I registered for beginning guitar without getting departmental authorization.</p>
<p>Since that music composition course requires departmental authorization, obviously you should talk to someone from the school of music. I'm not sure if the class is open to non-majors, but it doesn't hurt to try, right? :)</p>
<p>There's a form you fill out called a D-Clearance form. You can get one from an advisor in the relevent school. Sometimes it's just as easy as filling out the form, sometimes they actually care whether non-majors take it. Judging by the 'x' lable (means 'restricted), this may be their way of making sure that music majors <em>don't</em> take it. Many x courses are for non-majors only.</p>
<p>courses marked x are explicitly meant for non-majors to take</p>
<p>"departmental authorization" almost always means D-clearance. It's a straightforward process to get, you just have to find the right person who can grant it for you; once you find them chances are they will just take your id number and clear it in the computer.</p>
<p>I wouldn't worry about being "bored". Take it easy your first semester and don't go overboard. College classes are far different from high school or even AP classes and it's very easy to underestimate your time committments.</p>
<p>Jokebook- contact the advisor in that department, the professors don't usually have anything to do with the clearance process.</p>
<p>jbusc- just for your information, an 'x' can mean any sort of restriction, non-majors is just the most common one. For example, 400 level independent study classes are 'x'ed so that grad students can't take them (grads are allowed a couple of 400 level electives) and are forced to take the 500 level for independent study. There are probably a couple of other obscure uses for the 'x' label too, but it's not exclusively for designation as a non-major class.</p>