Bachelor of Arts

Music Composition Degree

Apply for January 13, 2025 semester start. • Get a decision within 2 weeks

The Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition will help you master your compositional craft, push your musical boundaries, and shape your unique sound for a groundbreaking career in the industry. You will gain the tools and experience to compile a comprehensive portfolio, which will highlight your diverse array of in-demand skills. Through a deep exploration of harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, analysis, and history, at the end of this program you'll have what it takes to compose across diverse styles and instruments prevalent in modern concert music.

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You’ll study all of the major musical developments from the sixteenth century right up to the eclectic range of styles that characterize contemporary composition. This ensures that once you graduate from the program you will possess a versatile skill set that enables you to create music that resonates with diverse audiences across genres, while developing your individual compositional voice.

Additionally, you’ll receive private instruction in a one-to-one weekly lesson with a Berklee Online instructor. Each semester’s private lessons will include a reading session—where an ensemble rehearses and performs new compositions for the first time, allowing composers to hear their works live—with the size of the ensemble and the scope of the composition expanding throughout the program.

Upon graduation, not only will you be prepared to gain entry to graduate studies in composition, but you’ll also be ready to pursue a career as a composer, orchestrator, music director, educator, scholar, or practitioner of music composition.

Upon completion of the Music Composition major, you will be able to:

  • Develop your own individual compositional voice
  • Compose original scores in a variety of genres and for various ensembles
  • Comprehend the contemporary music practices active today
  • Synthesize and apply historical knowledge of compositional practices to the creation of original musical works
  • Analyze musical compositions in a variety of contemporary and historical styles
  • Master the fundamentals in composition, orchestration, harmony, counterpoint, contemporary techniques, analysis, and history
  • Deepen your understanding of your musicality and your art through analysis and practice
  • Demonstrate the appropriate technological and production skills related to music composition
  • Produce a portfolio of original compositions
  • Evaluate the historical, social, and cultural context of musical compositions
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Overview Curriculum Private Lessons How to Apply Tuition & Financial Aid Apply Now for Jan. 13, 2025 semester start Request Info

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Curriculum

(120 Credits)

  • Elective Courses (12 Credits)

  • Complete any four courses, except Liberal Arts courses coded with OLART, OLSOC, or OLMSC in a given student's area of interest and professional development (guitar, voice, music business, songwriting, arranging, orchestration, etc.) It is strongly recommended that students also consider the following courses related to the major: OMPRD-202, OCOMP-320, OCOMP-395, OCOMP-493, OCOMP-490, OCWPR-130, OCWPR-231, OSONG-250, OCWPR-332, OCWPR-333, OCWPR-334, OCWPR-335. (12 credits)



How should I set up my schedule, based on the above requirements?

Check out this handy planning guide to help you understand which courses you should take during which semester.

View Sample Schedule

Private Lessons


Music Composition majors in the Bachelor of Arts degree program complete nine levels of private music composition lessons. Each level of private lessons is 12 weeks in duration and involves a weekly, one-hour, live webcam session with a faculty member of your choosing. The lessons provide the opportunity to expand your musical vocabulary, improve technique, and gain valuable insight into your own strengths and areas of development.

Private lesson instructors will share their practical knowledge and coach you through lesson material at a pace individually tailored to your needs. You’ll receive one-on-one weekly feedback on your progress and get new practice instructions and guidance through each lesson.


When / How to Enroll for Your Private Lessons

When course registration opens for the semester, you will be able to register for the appropriate private lesson course level, and then select a day, time, and instructor. Private majors in the Bachelor of Arts degree will earn two credits for the successful completion of each level of private lessons, for a total of 18 credits.

How to Apply

Apply for January 13, 2025 semester start. • Get a decision within 2 weeks
  1. Fill out the online application (15 minutes).
  2. Statement of Purpose: Create a 500-750 word essay, or a 3-5 minute video essay, in which you tell us about your background and why you are applying to the program.
  3. Portfolio: Prepare at least two examples of original compositions, presented in music notation via PDF files, along with MP3s or links to sound recordings of each composition posted to a website such as YouTube or SoundCloud. It is acceptable for applicants to submit MIDI reproductions of their music. Alternatively, you may also submit a recorded video audition of a performance of a prepared piece (original or cover) on your principal instrument. The performance should be an unedited take, approximately 2-4 minutes in length, in any style, which demonstrates proficiency and overall musicianship on your principal instrument. The video should be uploaded to a website such as YouTube, with a link provided on the application’s audition requirement field.
  4. Attach your official transcripts.
  5. Ask for two letters of recommendation.

Read full undergraduate admissions requirement details .



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Online undergraduate degree tuition vs. campus tuition

Affordable Tuition

Online undergraduate degree tuition is $62,150 for 120 credits (includes associated fees). To get started, this degree program includes a non-refundable $75 application fee.

Read full tuition and associated program fee details for this, and all other undergraduate programs here.



Available Financial Aid

Ready to Return to Berklee or Transfer in Credits from Another Institution to Complete Your Degree?

Students transferring in from an accredited institution can carry over up to 60 credits, and students with previous Berklee experience may be able to transfer even more.

Learn about our different transfer options:

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