Music Minors

Explore our three music minors to decide which might be right for you. 

• No audition is required to participate in our minor programs.
• The Music Minor requires at least one course in Music Theory and students must take the Theory Placement Exam for accurate course placement. 
  • The Hip Hop Minor and the Music, Media and Enterprise Minor do not require Music Theory.

NEW! Hip Hop Minor

The Hip Hop Minor welcomes students from every major with interests spanning the arts, humanities, social sciences, education, business, music, media, and beyond. As one of the few comprehensive Hip Hop Studies minors in the country, the program examines Hip Hop as a global cultural movement, artistic practice, intellectual tradition, and creative industry. Students explore the history, aesthetics, philosophies, and social impact of Hip Hop while engaging with the culture through interdisciplinary scholarship and hands-on creative experiences.

The minor offers a diverse curriculum that includes courses in Hip Hop history, DJing, emceeing, beat making and sampling, graffiti and visual culture, breaking, music production, entrepreneurship, and the business of music. Foundational courses provide students with a critical understanding of Hip Hop's cultural significance, while electives allow them to tailor the program to their individual academic and professional interests. Graduates leave with the ability to critically analyze Hip Hop's influence on society, develop creative and technical skills rooted in its artistic traditions, and apply those experiences to careers in education, music, media, arts administration, entertainment, entrepreneurship, community engagement, and cultural leadership.

Courses include:

• The Art and Politics of Hip Hop
• Hip Hop Sampling and Beat Making
• Bebop to Doowop to Hip Hop: The Rhythm & Blues Tradition 
• DJing 101: The Art and Skills of Being a DJ
• Hip Hop 50: Hip Hop Music, History and Culture
• and many more.

Review the Hip Hop Minor curriculum

Some offerings in Hip Hop are also available as a Music General Education (GE) course.

Hip Hop Faculty

• Stevie "Dr. View" Johnson, Assistant Professor of Creative Practice in Popular Music
• Jason Rawls, Assistant Professor of Hip Hop
• Otis Sharp, Associated Faculty, Hip Hop

Questions? 

Email Jason Rawls.

Ready to declare?

• Students with last name A–L email Tony Valle, African American and African Studies Academic Advisor. 
• Students with last name M–Z Email Emily Klepinger, School of Music Academic Advisor

Music Minor

The Music Minor program requires only 15 credit hours in music. This can be an excellent way for students in other majors to pursue their passion for music and continue their involvement from high school during their undergraduate experience. Music minors may choose to participate in ensembles, take music history and theory courses, and/or take private lessons (with instructor permission).

Review the Music Minor curriculum

The Music Minor requires at least one course in Music Theory. The Theory Placement Exam (TPE) is required for accurate course placement. 

• Explore Taking the Theory Placement Exam (TPE) 

Questions or ready to declare? 

Email Emily Klepinger, School of Music Academic Advisor.

Music, Media and Enterprise Minor

The Music, Media and Enterprise Minor is open to students in any major program and draws students from all across campus — marketing, finance, logistics, strategic communications, economics, electrical engineering, journalism and more.

The minor offers a full complement of courses, including entrepreneurship, music production, media economics, music cultures of the world, media ethics, media entertainment and communications law. The core classes give everyone a solid foundation in music business and entrepreneurship and the electives allow everyone to customize the program — along with their major studies — to achieve their professional ambitions.

Students examine music creation, distribution and the rapidly-evolving technologies that make them possible. They graduate with an understanding of the role and value of music in the marketplace and society, and how to critically analyze and create opportunities in music production and promotion. Program graduates work for record labels, production and marketing companies, concert producers and venues, and as independent entrepreneurs.

Review the Music, Media and Enterprise Minor curriculum

Questions? 

Email David Bruenger, MME Program Director

Ready to declare?

Email Emily Klepinger, School of Music Academic Advisor.