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Meet the many types of students who make up the Berklee Online community, from military members and touring musicians to lifelong learners and more.
Berklee Online students come from everywhere and every walk of life: military members, touring musicians, lifelong learners, and more. Some enroll to sharpen the skills that fuel their careers; others arrive curious and open to where music might take them. Together, they form a global, flexible community where collaboration happens across time zones, genres, and generations. Here are some of the kinds of students you’ll encounter in a Berklee Online course:
Military Students
Berklee Online offers a 30 percent tuition discount to US service members, veterans, and qualifying family members. With a dedicated Military Affairs team available to help navigate courses and programs, it’s no wonder 10 percent of all Berklee Online students are military students!
Read about veterans Tim Donley who formed the band The Resilient, Billy Ray McClelland who earned his bachelor’s degree in guitar from Berklee Online using his GI Bill, and Eric Lewis, who started his own music non-profit.
Tim DonleyBilly Ray McClellandEric Lewis
Learners of All Ages
Because of Berklee Online’s flexible nature, we see learners of all ages in our courses and programs. This includes young students who can keep up with the curriculum, like 10-year-old Seba Stephens and 14-year-old Audi Ellis, who pursued professional certificates, and 17-year-old Thomas Thunder, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree.
Audi EllisSeba StephensThomas Thunder
On the other end of the spectrum, Marchell Jackson earned her Songwriting bachelor’s degree after more than 60 years as a professional jazz vocalist and recording artist, and Paul Zarvis is earning his degree in music production at the age of 64.
Marchell JacksonPaul Zarvis
Unlike campus-based colleges where the average age of a student is in their 20s, we see a wide range of students of all ages.
Transfer Students
Many Berklee Online students enter their programs with existing credit thanks to our generous undergraduate and graduate degree transfer policies, which also include partnerships with community colleges.
Read about Berklee Online alum Dexter Kodat, who transferred to Berklee Online from the Community College of Philadelphia, and started working at the iconic Electric Lady Studios in NYC. In addition, some students can take advantage of prior learning credits, where they can earn up to 30 credits by demonstrating their proficiency in a subject through life and professional experience. Guitar degree student Alex Born earned 18 prior learning credits for his experience owning a music school.
Dexter KodatAlex Born
Degree Completion Students
For students who left the Berklee College of Music campus before graduating, Berklee Online offers the degree completion program where some students have the option to complete their degree through Berklee Online. This includes folks like Sheri Alexander, who had to leave Berklee College of Music in 1979 because of a health issue, enrolled in the degree completion program, and walked at the 2019 Commencement ceremony.
Sheri Alexander, pictured as a Berklee student in 1979, left, and as a Berklee graduate in 2019, right.
Music Professionals
Professional musicians know that adapting with the industry is vital. That’s why you’re bound to meet a music professional in a Berklee Online course. We often work with professionals who are changing fields within the music industry, or want to add another skill set to their repertoire.
We saw that with Mark Kelley, bassist for The Roots, and Leon Silva, saxophonist for Justin Timberlake and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who both finished their degrees through Berklee Online, 20 years after starting them on campus.
Mark KelleyLeon Silva
Often we are lucky to have globally acclaimed artists study at Berklee Online, including: Alessandro Cortini, former keyboardist for Nine Inch Nails; Ryan Lewis; members of the band Train; Portugal. The Man; members of the band Sugarland; Stefan Lessard, bassist for Dave Matthews Band; Trey Anastasio of Phish; Fraser T. Smith; Trevor Horn; and Kip Winger.
Touring Students
When opportunities come knocking, Berklee Online students can answer by being able to take their studies on tour with them. In a similar vein to students who are music professionals, we have had many students who take Berklee Online courses from their tour buses and hotel rooms.
This includes Kamilah Marshall, a long-time backing vocalist of Taylor Swift who completed her Berklee Online degree while on the record-breaking Eras Tour, as well as country singer Katelyn Brown, who earned her Music Business degree while on tour with husband Kane Brown.
Kamilah MarshallKatelyn Brown
Music Enthusiasts
Some Berklee Online students are taking courses, earning a certificate, or a degree, not because they’re looking to further their career, but for their own personal enrichment. We see students come to Berklee Online with established careers, but want to express themselves outside of their 9-5 by learning songwriting, how to record, or how to play the guitar, like Dr. Richard Boyatzis, who is one of the world’s leading scholars on emotional intelligence, behavior change, and leadership.
Dr. Richard Boyatzis
By no means is this list exhaustive, but we hope it gives you a better idea of what kinds of students you’ll meet at Berklee Online, and how our student population looks a little different than traditional colleges and music institutions.
If you’d like to speak with an Advisor, feel free to call 1-866-BERKLEE (or +1-617-747-2146 if you’re outside the US) or send us an email at advisors@online.berklee.edu. You can also schedule a 30-minute consultation!
