BA Music (Music and Culture) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Bachelor of Arts program in music with a concentration in music and culture is a broadly based liberal arts program offering the most elective flexibility of any ASU music major. You develop artistic and research skills by performing, composing and writing about music of all genres, including the classical and popular music of Western Europe and the United States, and a variety of forms and genres from the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Faculty: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts | Department: School of Music, Dance and Theatre | Study mode: full-time | Location: Tempe, AZ, United States

What you will study

Sample courses MHL 140 Sounds and Cultures MTC 125 Music Theory I MTC 221 Music Theory II MHL 490 Capstone Project I: Undergraduate Thesis Research MHL 491 Capstone Project II: Undergraduate Thesis MHL 499 Individualized Instruction What If Current ASU students, see how your courses can apply to another major and find out how to change your major .

Career pathways

Our graduates are prepared for a variety of career paths, including: Career Growth Median Salary More Information Historian Growth: 3.0% Median Salary: $76,750 Learn more Library Media Specialist Growth: 2.6% Median Salary: $68,270 Learn more Museum Curator Growth: 4.9% Median Salary: $63,420 Learn more Music Producer Growth: 1.2% Median Salary: $73,710 Learn more Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners Growth: 1.9% Median Salary: $46,420 Learn more Musician/Singer Growth: 0.3% Median Salary: Not available Learn more Show more Example job titles and salaries listed are not necessarily entry level, and students should take into consideration how years of experience and geographical location may affect pay scales.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Important: Applicants must submit an ASU application for undergraduate admission in addition to a separate School of Music, Dance and Theatre application . Admission to the School of Music, Dance and Theatre is based on an audition. Auditions take place in November (spring admission) and in January and February (fall admission) of each year. Admission to the music program is highly selective and based on an audition process. Students are admitted as music audition students and must successfully complete the audition before enrolling in music major courses. Upon admission to both ASU and the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, the applicant's major is changed to music. If a student is admitted to ASU but not to the School of Music, Dance and Theatre or misses the audition deadline, the student remains a music audition major and must successfully pass the music audition milestone in the first semester to gain admission into the program.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,177 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the undergraduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit Source

International applicants: USD 22,792 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the undergraduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loa Source

Entry terms: Fall and Spring semesters plus Summer; the estimator lists Fall 2026, Spring 2027 and Summer 2027 admit terms. Transfer students may start in multiple terms throughout the year.

First-year applications open on or around July 1. ASU's priority admission date is Nov. 1. The application fee is $55 for Arizona residents, $85 for domestic nonresidents, $75 for ASU Online and $90 for international nonresidents; apply with the ASU application or the Common Application (one only). ACT or SAT scores are not required for admission. FAFSA priority filing date: Jan. 15.

Transfer students apply with the ASU application or the Transfer Common Application; ASU uses rolling admission without hard deadlines for transfer applicants and decisions follow two to four weeks after all items are received. The application fee is $55 for Arizona residents, $85 for domestic nonresidents, $75 for ASU Online and $90 for international nonresidents. ACT or SAT scores are not required.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply

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