Music History and Liberal Arts

Study Music History and Liberal Arts with Berklee

Gain a well-rounded music education by delving into arts, history, creative writing, and other disciplines.

Courses

Courses are best for students who are looking to meet a specific need, or simply want to get started with Berklee Online. No application necessary.

  • Next semester starts April 1
  • 12 Weeks
  • 5-10 Hours Per Week
OLMSC-130
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
This action-oriented course is designed to help you build your own knowledge of, and confidence in, math in practical ways that relate directly to the world of music.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-100
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Explore what it means to be an artist, from a philosophical and practical perspective while learning how to plan and sustain a creative career.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-111
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Develop academic writing and expository prose techniques for creating clear and coherent written works necessary for college-level work.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-160
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Learn effective techniques for producing any kind of video, including a music video or short film.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OCDAN-103
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
This course will take you through an analysis of dance trends and their absorption and cultivation in American culture, focusing on urban styles and their evolution in commercial and social settings. We will examine iconic dances as movement trends stemming from ordinary spaces in society, reflecting the socio-political ideology of the culture and show how they define the eras of their origins.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OMUTH-105
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Enrich your mind, body, and spirit by learning about the psychological, neurological, and immunological changes that can happen when you engage with music.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLSOC-180
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Successfully complete your music industry-related projects by setting up a process for planning, executing, and monitoring your work to achieve your goals.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-170
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Discover the history of rock ‘n’ roll from the people who lived it, and learn about the prime innovators and the historical context in which the genre and its subgenres have alternately flourished and struggled.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OCTHR-103
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Script Analysis for Theater offers insight into the role of form and structure in theater. Examining genres, aesthetics, and movements across time and around the globe, students will finish the course better prepared to deliver their own work to the stage.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLSOC-150
Level 1 Level 1
Undergraduate Course
Gain a thorough understanding of film and TV, and learn to communicate effectively with directors, producers, and others involved in the production process.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-231
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Discover the diverse ways that art is meaningful to the human experience by looking at a variety of media from the Western European tradition, including painting, sculpture, and architecture throughout the ages.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-216
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Learn to write clearly and strongly in your own unique voice, bringing your full self to your writing process every time you write.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-201
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Strengthen your writing skills and creative expression by exploring works of fiction, personal narrative, poetry, playwriting, and even music journalism.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-215
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Learn to craft and control your writing, enhance your ideas, and write better lyrics through the study of poetry.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-205
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Learn video game design by drafting ideas, prototyping, testing, and revising. This is the process that is at the heart of the video game industry.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-220
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
This course is a survey of music in film, covering everything from the late 1800s to the present day.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-233
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Explore the development of Western European music from Antiquity and the Middle Ages through the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-234
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Gain an understanding of how music was developed in the West through the study of composers, compositions, and key characteristics of a number of musical genres.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OMPRD-250
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Learn all the steps and tools necessary to create a high-quality audiovisual experience and maximize the use of video, audio, and graphic content on Final Cut Pro.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLMSC-250
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
This course explores the mechanisms that transform acoustical signals into the neural patterns that we perceive as music: melody, rhyme, rhythm, and harmony. You will learn neuroanatomy and signal processing along with the personalized experience of music and how it can relate to expertise, emotion, preferences, and creativity, all from a neuroscientific perspective.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLSOC-210
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Explore why we listen to music, what we use music for, why we have the musical preferences that we do, and how music creates communities and social change.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLSOC-226
Level 2 Level 2
Undergraduate Course
Explore how technological innovation and convergence impact the production and consumption of new media content, and learn how key economic concepts influence and evolve within this economy.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OMBUS-391
Level 3 Level 3
Undergraduate Course
Develop the mindset, knowledge, and insights required to pursue an entrepreneurial track and learn to leverage your creativity for business innovation.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLSOC-307
Level 3 Level 3
Undergraduate Course
Explore the mental processes underlying musical behaviors and how emotion, environment, cognitive capacity, and other factors influence how we perceive music.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290
OLART-400
Level 4 Level 4
Undergraduate Course
Explore the ins and outs of career development and learn from Berklee alumni and employers about what you need to succeed in the music industry today.
  • Credit: $1,545
  • Non-Credit: $1,290

Certificates

Gain the professional credentials and marketable skills you need to succeed in your specific area of the music industry. Certificates range from foundational-skill building to graduate-level. No application necessary.

  • Next semester starts April 1
  • 3-18 Months
  • 5-10 Hours Per Week
Advanced Professional
8 Courses · 24 Credits
This customizable program allows you to earn an Advanced Professional Certificate in General Music Studies by choosing eight courses from any interest area.
Professional
4 Courses · 12 Credits
This customizable program allows you to earn a Professional Certificate in General Music Studies by choosing four courses from any interest area.

Degree Programs

Degree programs are the most affordable and flexible option for earning your music degree from Berklee College of Music. They are the best option for students who want a music education degree and the full Berklee experience.

  • Apply for June 24 semester start.
    • Get a decision within 2 weeks
  • Master's Degree: 1-3 Years
    Bachelor's Degree: 2-4 Years
  • 5-10 Hours Per Week
36 Credits
Expand your knowledge and skills in four areas critical to advancing a career in the music industry: music business, music production and technology, songwriting, and film scoring.
120 Credits
“Build your own” music major by selecting coursework from a number of disciplines that align with your personal career goals.
45 of 120 Credits
This major is geared specifically for new and entering students who are not yet ready to declare their major.

New! Masterclasses

With Berklee Online’s new Masterclasses, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from Berklee's acclaimed instructors over the course of one live session for only $99.

Get Access to Free Handbooks

Gain access to real course content from Berklee Online's 12-week, instructor-led online courses. From foundational concepts to advanced techniques, these free handbooks cover a variety of topics, all designed to provide you with marketable skills in music.

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