The School of Music at Western Michigan University offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music (BA) degree.
The BA is a liberal arts-style degree program for students interested in rigorous academic study and analysis of Western music, popular music, jazz, music technology, global music cultures, and other musical traditions. Approximately one-third of the coursework is in music, including music history, music theory, global music studies, and some performance. The remainder of the curriculum includes general education, a minor in another field, a world language requirement, and electives.
Students seeking the BA complete an original capstone project in their final semester. Recent capstone projects include examinations of Kalamazoo’s DIY music scene; vocal biology and functionality; the musical influences of Wilhelmine von Bayreuth and Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia; and Benjamin Britten’s Op.22 (1940) settings of seven sonnets by the Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarotti.
Graduates from the BA program often continue into graduate degree programs. Recent alumni include an active freelance journalist, a private school K-12 music teacher, and several graduate students studying musicology in top programs around the country.