A music minor is a great option for a student who is passionate about music, performance or conducting, but who chooses to major in another field. Our program aims to broaden, as well as deepen, students' understanding of the art of music and offers a good deal of flexibility, as outlined in the requirements below. In addition, many students at Duke have a serious interest in music and participate in our undergraduate ensembles, studio and classroom instruction, without pursuing either a major or minor.
Minor Requirements
A minimum of 5.5 course credits are required for the listening-focused minor, of which at least 1.0 full academic course must be above MUS 213
The listening-focused minor requires:
- MUS 163L Listening Lab (1.0 credit)
- A “course cluster” consisting of four full-credit electives (at least 1.0 full academic course must be above MUS 213 [MUS 401 excluded])
- Two semesters of MUS 114 Artistic Practice Workshop, taken concurrently with an approved artistic practice (ensembles, lessons, sound production, composition, other) (0.25 credits per semester)
Two semesters of Artistic Practice Workshop
Options to fulfill the artistic practice requirement include:
- participation in an existing music department ensemble, an active campus ensemble or band, or a community-based music group;
- cultivation of artistic knowledge, such as beat making, studio production, composition classes, or applied music lessons.
All students must participate in some form of ensemble. Therefore, a student who chooses (2) must also participate in an ensemble for at least one semester.
Students majoring or minoring in Music MUST complete the core requirements for a letter grade. S/U grading will NOT count toward the completion of the Music major or minor.
Waiver of Music Minor Requirements
A request for waiver of any requirement for the music major or the music minor, together with supporting documentation where appropriate, should be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS).
After reviewing the request, the DUS may decide that the student needs to take a departmental examination in the area before a final decision can be made. Waived courses earn no credit towards the 34-course graduation requirement, nor will grades for them appear on your transcript.)