How to Declare a Major or Minor in Music

Every student wishing to declare a major or minor in Music must officially declare the major or minor and be assigned a Faculty Mentor. To officially declare a major or minor, please schedule an appointment with the Music Program Coordinator.

Schedule an appointment

About Advising as a Major or Minor in Music

Current UWG students

• Current UWG students who intend to switch their major to or add Music should schedule an appointment with the program chair located in the Music office.
• Be advised that the program begins in the Fall semester;
• Music-specific courses are part of the program from day one.
• A successful audition is also required to declare a major or minor in Music.

Transfer/Readmission/Other Students

If you are transferring to UWG from another music program, or have chosen to begin your music journey with us, please contact the music program for the next steps you will need to take. Contact the Music Program at music@westga.edu or (678) 839-6516

Current music majors or minors

Current music majors or minors wishing to change their field of study should also schedule an appointment with the program chair once their new degree program is known.

Incoming Freshman Music Majors

• Incoming Freshman Music Majors will be assigned an advisor in the Advising Center through 45 credit hours, and a faculty mentor will be assigned to mentor the student through the various requirements of the Music major. Advising is the joint responsibility of the student and the assigned advisor and faculty mentor. Although this responsibility is shared, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to seek the assistance of his/her advisor and faculty mentor, and to utilize the information contained within the Undergraduate Catalog, this Guidebook, and the appropriate Student Program Notification and Evaluation Form. Students minoring in music are jointly advised by their primary advisor and the Music Program Coordinator.
• The Music Program Coordinator and/or Music Faculty Mentor, prior to the pre-registration period, provides further assistance with advising and registration. This meeting is dedicated to helping students with the planning of their course schedules for the upcoming semester. The Music Faculty Mentor must sign off on the student's schedule before the student can enroll, so it's important that mentorship meetings occur prior to advisement. The information listed below will help the new music student to get started.
• To enroll in excess of 18 credit hours of course work, students are required to obtain special permission. Permission is customarily granted to students who are in good academic standing. Prior to enrolling for an overload, students must seek permission from the Music Program Coordinator, the Chair of English, Film, Languages, and Performing arts, and the Dean of the College of Arts, Cultures, and Scientific Inquiry.
• All new and transfer students planning to major or minor in music must audition for the Music faculty on the principal performing instrument or voice and be evaluated and advised for placement in a program prior to the their first semester of study.
• In the fall semester of the Freshman year, students must enroll in courses in Area F of the Core Curriculum: MUSC 1000 Comprehensive Music Laboratory, MUSC 1301 Music Theory I, MUSC 1401 Aural Skills, MUSC 2600 Principal Applied (Performance majors: 2 credit hours; Music Education and Composition:1 credit hour), MUSC 1501 Keyboard Skills, and the large ensemble appropriate to the major instrument or voice.
• Students must register for Principal Applied (the principal performing instrument or voice) each semester offered until the appropriate number of credit hours have been earned in MUSC 2600 and MUSC 4600. Students enroll in Principal Applied at the 2600 level (Freshman and Sophomore), and after successful completion of the level-change examination, 4600 level (Junior and Senior).
• Students pursuing two degrees must meet all of the requirements for both degree programs.
• Music majors enroll in MUSC 1000 (Section 01) Comprehensive Music Laboratory each semester except for summers and the semester of the internship, either until they have completed 6 semesters of satisfactory attendance, or until graduation if they have earned an S grade for each fall and spring semester enrolled. Transfer students may transfer equivalent Comprehensive Music Laboratory credit earned at other institutions, if approved by the Program Chair.
• Passing the Keyboard-Skills course sequence constitutes keyboard proficiency (i.e., MUSC 1501, 1502, 2501, 2502). Students must enroll in Keyboard Skills each term offered for a minimum of four semesters and until successful completion. Credit for courses in the sequence may be obtained through examination. Credit by examination for any course must be validated by the course's faculty and processed through Music Program Coordinator and the Office of the Registrar. The requirements for each proficiency level are included in the various Keyboard Skills course syllabi.

After meeting with the Music Program Coordinator

After a student has met with the Music Program Coordinator and has been given approval to change their major/minor, a student will need to complete the College of Arts, Cultures, and Scientific Inquiry Major/Minor Change Form.

CACSI Major/Minor Change Form