Why study Music?

The Music minor at the College-Conservatory of Music prepares students in the field of music as a complement to almost any other major. Non-music majors across the university choose the Music minor to develop valuable skills for the marketplace, build cultural awareness, and participate in the artistry of music-making. Students anticipating careers in many fields find involvement in music an essential aspect of their undergraduate experience. In the Music minor, students engage with musical materials, analysis and techniques, while also studying music as a cultural and historical process.  

The curriculum is adaptable so that students may design their coursework to emphasize a particular skill area, or sample more broadly from multiple areas. Courses are offered in the histories of various musical styles and cultures, ethnomusicology, music theory, music composition, music technology, jazz studies, commercial music production, and performance studies.

Students already pursuing a degree in any college at UC can add the minor to their program.

CCM is a college within the University of Cincinnati, a major undergraduate university and graduate research institution of more than 40,000 students. The synergy created by housing CCM within a comprehensive public university gives the college its unique character and defines its objective: to educate and inspire the whole artist and scholar for positions on the world's stage.

Career Possibilities

Students who complete a minor in music graduate with a special qualification. The music minor reflects both a breadth of knowledge and a specific ability in the art form. This experience in music informs and complements careers in business, education, media, healthcare, social sciences, international relations and many other fields.

Major Maps

• Guide: Music (Minor) 2024-2025
• Guide: Music (Minor) Curriculum 2023-2024

Advising

Students considering the Music minor should contact the program director before sending an application. Each year, the program director will ask students in the program for updates on their music-related study.

UC Advantages and Special Opportunities

Described by the New York Times as “one of this country’s leading conservatories,” CCM offers students unparalleled opportunities to perform, learn and live in a thriving next-generation city known for its intense interest in the performing and media arts.
Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, CCM’s state-of-the-art facilities provide a highly creative and multidisciplinary artistic environment. The college serves as the largest single source of performing and media arts events in Ohio, and few schools can match the quality of its performing ensembles and theatrical productions.

CCM’s roster of eminent faculty offers professional training in all areas of the performing and media arts, including composition, musicology, theory, conducting, music education, opera, musical theatre, acting, technical arts for the stage, dance, arts administration and media production. Members of CCM’s faculty regularly receive distinguished honors for creative and scholarly work, and many maintain strong professional ties to leading arts entities.

Students will find an immensely competitive but mutually supportive and personalized “family” atmosphere. With its emphasis on experienced-based learning, CCM provides students with access to internship and performance opportunities with major organizations like the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Cincinnati Ballet. Students also benefit from the fact that Cincinnati frequently hosts major media and performing arts events and is home to Music Hall, one of the nation’s most beautiful and revered performance centers.

Admission Requirements

All applicants must be current UC students. Ten to fifteen minor applicants are accepted each year.

In applying for the minor, students affirm their understanding that:

• admission to classes intended for music majors may be restricted
• certain classes may require students to supply a laptop and software applications
• certain ensembles may require the student to audition and to provide their own instrument
• private lessons may be taken by any UC student as an elective course when studio space permits, but lessons do not count toward a Music minor 
• access to practice rooms for Music minors is limited due to high enrollment at CCM

Applications are accepted year-round. 

To apply to join the Music minor program, students should:

1. send an email with the subject line "Music minor application" to holly.pratt@uc.edu.
2. attach a PDF copy of their most recent degree audit
3. attach a Word document essay of approximately 400-500 words discussing their educational and career goals and why they wish to minor in music.

Questions should be directed to Professor Pratt.

Accreditation

CCM's founding schools (the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the College of Music of Cincinnati) were both charter members of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The requirements for entrance and graduation in all music programs are in accordance with the published regulations of NASM.