FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University will offer a bachelor of arts degree in music starting this fall. While students have been able to study music as a minor, the tremendous growth and success of SHU’s performing arts program brought about the expansion.
The new program will be based in the department of media and performing arts in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts (SCMA), which is part of the College of Arts & Sciences. Coursework will prepare students to become professional musicians, music educators, producers and audio engineers.
Joe Carter, director of SHU’s academic music program, and Sara “Sally” Ross, associate professor and department chair of media and theatre arts, worked together to establish the new major. It will require students to complete 48 credits: 36 from required courses consisting of music theory (12 credits), music history and literature (9 credits), applied music (13 credits) and piano proficiency (2 credits). Students also will pursue 12 credits for their concentration, in either performance or music production.
“A music major is a logical and prudent next step as Sacred Heart continues to expand its arts curricula. It is, in part, a response to the unprecedented growth of the academic music program over the past several years. By offering an average of 20 music elective classes each semester, along with private lessons on 20 instruments, plus instrumental and choral ensembles, the academic music program has grown to be the largest performing arts program at SHU,” said Carter.
Students will be required to participate in an audition-based assessment to determine if they will be admitted into the program. They will have to present entry-level musical abilities with growth potential. Students who have a performance concentration will perform 60-minute recitals in their junior and senior years.
“We are excited that this major will enable students to pursue their passion for music while gaining versatile skills that will open the doors to a variety of creative careers,” said Ross.
To learn more, visit the music degree program webpage.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 386 Colleges–2021 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best Business Schools–2021 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theatre. www.sacredheart.edu