A degree in the field of music opens the door to a number of different career paths, including, but not limited to, a career as a musician, audio engineer, conductor or music instructor. Different types of music degrees allow for different career options and, like many other fields of study, there are four main types of degrees available for contemporary music majors.
Associate Degree
An Associate degree in contemporary music studies is based around the core foundations of contemporary music: contemporary music theory, the history of contemporary music, applied music and the business of contemporary music. Depending on the program, graduates with an Associate degree can go into the performance field, the audio recording industry, the marketing and promotion field or the any other field associated with the business side of the music industry. Associate degree programs in contemporary music generally take 2 years to complete and only require a high-school diploma or its equivalent for enrollment.
Bachelor Degree
A Bachelor degree in contemporary music is a 4-year program that can either be built up from an Associate degree or serve as the student's first contemporary music degree. There are numerous majors offered for contemporary music students, including composition, performance, music education, audio engineering, music production and contemporary music theory. Graduates with a Bachelor of Music degree (B.M.) often go on to become performers, enter into the recording industry or continue their contemporary music education with the goal of becoming music instructors.
Master's Degree
Contemporary music programs that offer a Master of Music (M.M.) degree are often geared specifically toward students who wish to become performers or instructors in one capacity or another. Master of Music degrees often focus on performance, composition and music instruction to prepare the student for their life as a performer or instructor and are generally tailored to the specific needs of the student, unlike the undergraduate degrees that require students to tailor their needs to the courses presently available.
Doctoral Degree
The highest level of study for a contemporary music major is the Doctor of Music Arts degree (D.M.A.) for performers and the Ph.D. of Music for educators and theorists. Students looking to pursue a D.M.A. degree in contemporary study are invariably seeking to become performers of contemporary music while Ph.D. graduates can go on to become educators, theorists and musical therapists. Many programs require a student to have a Master's degree prior to applying to the doctoral program; however, some do allow applicants with B.M. degrees.
Tags: contemporary music, Associate degree, become performers, contemporary music, contemporary music theory