Berklee Online Academic Partners

For many musicians, completing a bachelor’s degree at Berklee is a life-long dream. Berklee Online’s Academic Partnerships provide you with the quickest and most affordable pathway to:

  • Gain access to Berklee’s world-renowned curriculum in a compatible discipline
  • Build upon the skills honed in your associate's degree
  • Complete your bachelor’s degree and all without having to relocate to Boston

Check below to see how easy it is, and to find out if your school is included.


About Our PartnershipsCurrent Partner SchoolsHow to Apply

About Our Partnerships

Our Associate Director of Academic Partnerships and Transfer services Wendy Kozak-Wilks talks about Berklee Online’s Academic Partnerships



Current Partner Schools

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If your program is not listed

Request an Unofficial Transfer Evaluation to see how your previously completed credits will apply to one of our degree programs.


If your school is not listed

If you represent a regionally accredited institution and would like to explore an academic partnership with Berklee Online, please contact Associate Director of Academic Partnerships and Transfer Services, Wendy Kozak-Wilks.

American River College

American River College (ARC), located in Sacramento, California, is a public, open-admission institution with over 30,000 students from all over the world. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. California residents who are first-time, full-time college students are eligible for a year of tuition-free education through the Los Rios Promise Program.

Of the 116 California Community Colleges, ARC is the only institution that offers a fully online music degree. Students in the ARC online and/or main campus music programs can complete their undergraduate degree in music through an articulation pathway with Berklee Online or the Berklee main campus.

Programs

American River College Berklee Online
Associate of Arts (A.A.)
Associate of Arts in Commercial Music: Business (AA)
Associate of Arts in Commercial Music: Recording (AA)

Resources

Bunker Hill Community College

Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest community college in Massachusetts, with more than 19,000 students enrolled annually. BHCC, founded in 1973, is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and College (NEASC).

Programs

Bunker Hill Community College Berklee Online
Music Concentration (A.A.) Interdisciplinary Music Studies

Resources

Community College of Philadelphia

The Community College of Philadelphia is a public, open-admission institution that provides both academic resources and support services to help students achieve their academic goals. As the largest public institution of higher education in Philadelphia, the College has served more than 685,000 of the city’s residents since 1965.

Programs

Community College of Philadelphia Berklee Online
Music Performance (A.A.) Interdisciplinary Music Studies
Sound Recording and Music Technology (A.A.S.)

Resources

EMMAT

Located in Bogotá Colombia, Escuela de Música Medios, Arte y Tecnología (EMMAT) was founded by graduates of the Berklee College of Music and the Art Institute of New England. EMMAT trains its students in contemporary music, music production, and the music industry and the arts.

Programs

EMMAT Berklee Online
Contemporary Music Interdisciplinary Music Studies
Music Composition for Media
Music Production

Resources

Illinois Central College

Located in the Greater Peoria area within driving distance of three major cities; Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis, Illinois Central College was established in 1966 in response to the Illinois Master Plan for Higher Education to meet the post-secondary needs of the citizens of the District and to supplement the area schools and four-year colleges.

The College was formed on the belief that individuals have worth and dignity in their own right and should be educated to the fullest extent of their abilities and motivation. Education of each citizen creates a better community for all. The College strives to provide quality education appropriate to each individual’s needs within the bounds of fiscal responsibility and to represent the diversity of their district to enrich the learning experience and create a broader and better understanding of the greater global community.

Programs

Illinois Central College Berklee Online
AA in Music

Resources

Montgomery County Community College

Founded in 1964, Montgomery County Community College has grown with the community to meet the lifelong learning needs of Montgomery County residents, visitors and businesses. Known for academic excellence based on the successes of more than 90,000 alumni, they have been recognized multiple times for having the nation’s top faculty and for being the most technologically advanced community college in the country.

Their mission is to offer a high-quality, affordable, accessible education that leads to relevant, rewarding transfer and career opportunities.

Programs

Montgomery County Community College Berklee Online
AA in Music
AAS in Sound Recording and Music Technology

Resources

Projazz Instituto Profesional

Projazz Instituto Profesional is an acclaimed performing artist institution providing comprehensive training to artists of high creative, critical and interpretive level in the field of popular music, contributing to the development and growth of the artistic environment and the national and international cultural industry. This is done through a student-centered training model, based on competencies, thus strengthening their training itinerary with high standards of quality and relevance.

Programs

Projazz Instituto Profesional Berklee Online
Intérprete en Jazz y Música Popular Mención Instrumento/Canto (4 years)
Composición y Medios Instrumentales Mención Música Para Cine y Medios Audiovisuales (4 years)
Composición y Medios Instrumentales Mención Instrumento/Canto (4 years)
Producción Musical (2-year)
Programa Especial de Titulación Para Músicos (2-year)

Resources

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica College – a two-year community college accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – opened in 1929 with just 153 students. It has now grown to a thriving campus with more than 32,000 students and offerings in more than 100 fields of study.

Programs

Santa Monica College Berklee Online
Music - Applied Music (A.A.) Interdisciplinary Music Studies
Music - Music General (A.A.) Interdisciplinary Music Studies

Resources

Tri-C (Cuyahoga Community College)

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) opened in 1963 as Ohio's first community college and remains Ohio's oldest and largest public community college.

For more than 50 years Tri-C has provided high quality, affordable education and programs to more than 900,000 members of our community.

Transferring students from Tri-C now have the option to pursue a degree completion pathway on the Berklee main campus or at Berklee Online.

Programs

Tri-C Berklee Online
Recording Arts and Technology (A.A.S) Music Production
Associate of Arts (A.A.) (music courses included)

Resources

"But I think Berklee was a continuation of what I was feeling at the Community College of Philadelphia, with my professors and my classmates, where it was like, ‘Okay, this is where I should be. These are the people who I should be surrounding myself with, and this is the kind of work that I should be doing.’"

~ Dexter Kodat (Graduate from the Academic Partnership Program)

Read more about Dexter's journey in our Take Note article.

Recent transfer graduate, Allegra Hernandez

How to Apply

Students who have enrolled in a designated associate’s program at our partner schools are eligible for an expedited admissions process. This allows students to bypass certain parts of our application process, such as submitting letters of recommendation and paying the application fee.

  • 1

    Step 1: Fill out an abbreviated Berklee Online Application, which will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. The abbreviated application means you’ll only have to fill out the following sections:

    • Program Information
    • Personal Information
    • Address
    • Biographical Information
    • High School
    • Higher Education: College or University

    Important note: Once you have completed these sections STOP and go to step 2. You do not need to submit your application.

  •    2  

    Step 2: Fill out the Articulation Agreement Identification Form—once you complete this, we will submit your application on your behalf and you can continue to step 3.

    Important notes:

    • If you are applying for the Guitar Performance, Piano Performance, Voice Performance, Songwriting and Producing Music, or Music Composition for Film, TV, and Games program, you will be asked to submit your demonstration of musicianship at this time.

    • If you have completed secondary and/or postsecondary academic credentials outside of the US or Canada, you will also want to submit the Initial International Credential Review Request at this time.

  •    3  

    Step 3: Submit copies of your transcripts.

    You can find more information on how to submit your academic records/transcripts on our Admissions Requirement page.

  •    4  

    Step 4: Congratulations! You’re done. Once we receive your necessary transcripts, you will get your admissions decisions within 2 weeks!