BA/BS Music, Sound, and Culture at Tufts University

Programme overview

The Music, Sound, and Culture major consists of 10 or more courses falling within three categories: Foundation (3 courses), Concentration (5 or more courses), and Free Choice (2 courses). The open structure of the Music, Sound, and Culture major enables a rigorous, balanced study in many disciplines of music—such as composition, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, musicology, performance, psychology, technology, and theory—and varieties of music, such as classical, popular, international, film music, and more.

Faculty: School of Arts & Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Medford, MA, United States

What you will study

Sample classes: Sound and Structure; Music Scholarship at Tufts; Performance; Composition for Film: Film and Multimedia Composition; History of Blues.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to the School of Arts and Sciences, not to the major; applicants apply through the Common Application, Coalition Application (Scoir) or QuestBridge. Admission is holistic (transcripts, activities, essays, recommendations, standardized testing when submitted). Deadlines: Early Decision I November 2, 2026; Early Decision II and Regular Decision January 4, 2027. No programme-specific requirement is published for this major.

USD 74,862 a year (2026-27). Undergraduate tuition only for the 2026-27 academic year (single rate for School of Arts and Sciences and School of Engineering undergraduates); excludes housing, food, mandatory fees ($1,696), books and health insurance. Source

First-year applicants may apply in Early Decision I (binding), Early Decision II (binding) or Regular Decision, applying to the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering or School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts.

The only entry point for transfer students is the fall semester.

First-year deadlines: Early Decision I November 2, 2026 (notification mid-December); Early Decision II January 4, 2027 (early February); Regular Decision January 4, 2027 (by April 1).

First-year applications are submitted via the Common Application, the Coalition Application powered by Scoir, or QuestBridge.

Transfer application due March 15, 2027 via the Common Application for Transfer; BFA and BFA+BA/BS portfolio due March 22, 2027; decisions by mid-May.

Tufts is test-optional: applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores. Applicants whose primary language is not English submit TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo scores unless they studied three years in an English-language school.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.tufts.edu/apply/applying-to-tufts/

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