Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Commercial Music Technology degree delves into three distinct areas: music, technology and entrepreneurship. The curriculum combines traditional approaches to the study of music performance, music history and theory and modern-day applications (including popular music analysis, live sound reinforcement, audio engineering and entrepreneurship).
Note: Students wishing to enroll in the Commercial Music Technology program must go through the audition process outlined on the Cal U website.
Curriculum
This program can be completed in four years. The curriculum shown below illustrates the scope of courses that are required for graduation from this program. In addition to courses in music history, music theory and performance, commercial music technology majors will take classes in audio and video production, digital video, Web publishing, 3-D and computer animation, and music production, as well as business courses in economics and finance.
| Course | Credits |
| General Education Courses | 40 or 41 |
| Building a Sense of Community UNI 100 First-Year Seminar |
1 |
| Composition ENG 101 English Composition I |
3 |
| Public Speaking CDC 101 Public Speaking |
3 |
| Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy Any Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy Course |
3 |
| Health and Wellness Any Health and Wellness Course |
3 |
| Technological Literacy DMT 180 Foundations of Digital Media |
3 |
| Humanities Any Humanities Course |
3 |
| Fine Arts MUS 100 Intro to Music |
3 |
| Natural Sciences CMD 221 Speech Science |
3 |
| Social Sciences Any Social Sciences Course |
3 |
| Ethics and Multicultural Awareness Emphasis MUS 300 Jazz: History, Form and Analysis |
3 |
General Education Options
|
9 |
| Core Major Courses | 33 |
| MUS 211 Keyboard Class | 3 |
| MUS 215 Comprehensive Musicianship I | 3 |
| MUS 315 Comprehensive Musicianship II | 3 |
| MUS 316 Comprehensive Musicianship III | 3 |
| MUS 416 Comprehensive Musicianship IV | 3 |
| MUS 425 Commercial Music Arranging | 3 |
| MUS 275 Music and Recording Technology I | 3 |
| MUS 375 Music and Recording Technology II | 3 |
| MUS 475 Music and Recording Technology III | 3 |
| MUS 476 Music and Recording Technology IV | 3 |
| MUS 477 Music and Recording Technology V | 3 |
| History, Form and Analysis Electives (select from list) | 6 |
| MUS 304 The American Musical: History, Form and Analysis | 3 |
| MUS 305 African American Gospel and Caribbean Music: History, Form and Analysis | 3 |
| MUS 306 The Opera: History, Form and Analysis | 3 |
| MUS 310 Music and the Media | 3 |
| MUS 313 Rock 'N Roll: History, Form and Analysis | 3 |
| MUS 314 The Music Industry: History, Form and Analysis | 3 |
| Performance Ensemble Electives (select from list) | 6 |
| MUS 187 Guitar Ensemble | 1 |
| MUS 188 String Ensemble | 1 |
| MUS 191 Choir | 1 |
| MUS 192 California Singers | 1 |
| MUS 193 Gospel Choir | 1 |
| MUS 196 Jazz Ensemble | 1 |
| MUS 197 Pep Band | 1 |
| MUS 198 Marching Band | 1 |
| MUS 199 Concert Band | 1 |
| MUS 307 Special Music Project | 1 |
| Applied Instruction Electives (select from list) | 8 |
| Brass - MUS 109, 209, 309, 409 | 1 to 3 |
| Piano - MUS 119, 219, 319, 419 | 1 to 3 |
| Percussion - MUS 129, 229, 329, 429 | 1 to 3 |
| Woodwind - MUS 149, 249, 349, 449 | 1 to 3 |
| Voice - MUS 159, 259, 359, 459 | 1 to 3 |
| Guitar - MUS 170, 270, 370, 470 | 1 to 3 |
| String - MUS 179, 279, 379, 479 | 1 to 3 |
| Special Experience Electives (select from list) | 6 |
| MUS 485 Music Tech Practicum | 1 to 3 |
| MUS 488 Music Tech Internship | 1 to 12 |
| MUS 499 Senior Project/Recital | 3 |
| Required Business Course | 3 |
| MKT 300 Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| Business Electives (select from list) | 6 |
| ACC 200 Financial Accounting | 3 |
| FIN 304 Personal Finance | 3 |
| MGT 300 Principles of Management | 3 |
| MGT 303 Entrepreneurship I: Fundamentals | 3 |
| MGT 376 Cyberlaw and E-Privacy Issues | 3 |
| Technology Electives (select from list) | 6 |
| CDC 151 Producing Media Messages I |
3 |
| DMT 220 Digital Photography | 3 |
| DMT 225 Digital Page Layout | 3 |
| DMT 240 Vector Based Graphics | 3 |
| DMT 250 Digital Imaging | 3 |
| DMT 320 Digital Video | 3 |
| DMT 331 Web Publishing | 3 |
| DMT 340 3D Computer | 3 |
| THE 311 Lighting II | 3 |
| THE 480 Digital Performance | 3 |
| EET 110 Electrical Circuits I | 3 |
| EET 160 Electrical Circuits II | 3 |
| Free Electives | 6 |
| Total | 120 |
Additional requirements, not counted toward the General Education requirements, include:
- Special Experience Course (1 course required): Any CMT listed in the Special Experience course menu
- Writing-Intensive Component Courses (2 courses required): MUS 375 Music and Recording Technology II AND MUS 477 Music and Recording Technology V
- Laboratory Course (1 course required): DMT 180 Foundations of Digital Media
Program Notes: All prescribed courses, included general education courses, may not be substituted except at the discretion of the music department. Developmental courses do not count toward the 120 credits necessary for graduation, but are calculated in your overall GPA.
Additional Requirements
- Music: Each student is required to become an accomplished performer on an instrument of their choice. This entails students being able to read, write and analyze a musical score, to perform in an ensemble setting and to then apply their musical understanding to popular or commercial applications. Students perform regularly in one (or more) of the 11 ensembles at Cal U in order to gain professional performance experience, both on and off campus. Students also complete projects in capstone music theory courses (for example, composition/arranging projects, film score projects, etc.) that aide them in applying the theoretical knowledge to which they are exposed.
- Technology: The CMT program’s five-course Music and Recording Technology (MRT) curriculum focuses on providing students with solid foundational knowledge within the disciplines of audio engineering and modern music production. The curriculum is experiential in nature, focusing on having students apply theoretical knowledge of acoustics, signal flow, recording, editing and mixing audio in various classroom projects and on-campus activities. To ensure students gain additional hands-on-experience, each student is required to earn a total of 6 credits of "special experience." These experience credits are earned through the student’s choice of on-campus practicum assignments, off-campus internships or a senior recital/project. Examples of on-campus special experience assignments include audio engineering responsibilities for any of our departmental ensembles, music recital and performance archive engineer, sporting events audio engineer, university event and ceremony audio engineer. Lastly, Cal U is one of only a few recognized Academic Avid Learning Partners in the state of Pennsylvania that prepares and tests students for professional certifications of Avid software products, including Pro Tools, one of the music industry’s standards for music production. The MRT curriculum incorporates extensive exploration and usage of Pro Tools hardware and software. Students are provided with the opportunity to take a certification exam, which (if passed) awards them with a professional certification in Pro Tools. This professional certification provides our degree seekers with an employment advantage both regionally and nationally.
- Entrepreneurship: Finding success in today’s entertainment industry depends just as much upon understanding business and entrepreneurship as upon music and media. Cal U’s CMT program requires students to take business courses that encourage them to think of their artistic skills as marketable business assets. Courses such as Financial Accounting, Principles of Marketing and The Music Industry offer students a broad perspective on how to think critically and competitively. Students also attend weekly convocation meetings in the music department that feature guest speakers, guest performances, etc. Our guests have included touring musicians, professional sound engineers, recording studio owners, lighting designers and songwriters, and each has shared their business, experiences and insight into the music and media industries.
Program Webpage
https://www.calu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bachelors/commercial-music-technology/index.aspx