Academics & Advising
- All music degrees require the completion of at least 124 credit hours. The Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as the Bachelor of Music degree in music education (choral/general and instrumental/general) require 128 hours, with the music education area degrees and the Bachelor of Music degree in performance and education requiring 160 credit hours.
- All music majors fulfill the core curriculum requirements of the university.
- At least 40 hours of the total curriculum must be courses numbered at the 300-level or above.
- Candidates for undergraduate degrees must have at least a 2.0 grade point average (GPA).
- At least 45 semester hours of work must be completed at Butler. At least 30 of the 45 hours must be in the college granting the undergraduate degree.
- Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in any music course that is required for their degree.
- Except in the case of transfer students, all applied study must be done with a Butler University School of Music faculty member, including curriculum-required lessons, as well as any additional lessons that are necessary for the preparation of a degree-required recital.
- Normally, a student is expected to take his or her final 30 hours of academic work at Butler University; however, the dean of the college concerned may, for reasons deemed valid, allow intrusions up to 30 semester hours if the student has completed at least 64 semester hours at Butler with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
- During the fall and spring semesters, fulltime, degree-seeking students may, with the approval of the department chair or dean whose subject matter is involved and if resources are available, register for a maximum of two courses per semester on a non-credit basis without additional tuition, with the exception of independent study and applied music (individual instruction). Students should register for special non-credit courses at the end of the registration period.
- In most areas, students are given a choice of applied instructor dependent upon teacher availability and approval of the Chair of the School of Music.
- Each student who makes use of a University-owned band or orchestral instrument is responsible for any damage or loss. There is also a fine for unauthorized use of University-owned instruments.
- Applied Upper Divisional Exam: An upper divisional examination is required of all music majors whose degrees require applied major study beyond the sophomore level. Students must audition for upper-level applied study during jury examinations following the fourth semester of lower-level applied study. Failure to pass the upper divisional will require repetition of lower-level applied study until such time as the exam is passed; applied credits taken during this period will count as electives but will not fulfill the required applied credits.
- A student who does not pass the upper divisional exam may reapply by the end of the next semester of applied study. If a student does not pass on the second attempt, the student may not complete a music degree that requires the applied upper divisional exam. A student must have attained upper-level status in applied music in order to present a degree-required recital.
- Students in a degree program that does not require an upper-divisional examination may continue to take lessons at the major level (200-level) without passing an upper divisional examination, with the approval of the applied instructor.
- If a Butler student, regardless of major, is taking applied lessons, he/she must register for the lessons for credit and pay the appropriate applied music fee. Students may not pay a music faculty member directly for private instruction.
- Music education students are required to pass an upper divisional examination in music education at the end of the sophomore year.
- Music composition students are required to pass an upper divisional examination in composition. This is normally done at the completion of the fourth semester of composition study.
- Students must pass a recital hearing before presenting an instrumental or vocal degree-required recital.
1. Academic Advising Responsibilities and Suggestions
Advisor and Advisee Responsibilities
Both the advisor and you, as the advisee, have responsibilities and must be active participants for an effective and beneficial advising relationship.
Advisor Responsibilities
You can expect your advisor to
- Assist you in understanding the purposes and goals of higher education and its effects on your life and personal goals
- Understand and effectively interpret the curriculum, graduation requirements, and university and college policies and procedures
- Assist you in gaining decision making skills and in assuming responsibility for your educational plans and achievements
- Encourage and guide you as you define and develop realistic goals
- Encourage and support you as you develop clear and attainable educational plans
- Provide you with information about and strategies for utilizing the available resources and services on campus
- Monitor progress toward meeting your goals
- Assist you in working closely with your professors
- Be accessible for meetings via office hours, one-on-one appointments, telephone or email
- Maintain confidentiality
Advisee Responsibilities
As an advisee, you are expected to
- Schedule regular appointments or make regular contacts with your advisor during each semester
- Arrive prepared to each appointment with questions or material for discussion
- Be an active learner by participating fully in the advising experience
- Accept responsibility for your decisions
- Ask questions if you do not understand an issue or have a specific concern
- Keep a personal record of your progress toward meeting your goals
- Organize official documents in a way that enables you to access important information when needed
- Complete all assignments and follow through on recommendations your advisor gives
- Gather all relevant decision-making information
- Clarify personal values and goals and share with your advisor accurate information regarding your interests and abilities
- Become knowledgeable about college programs, policies and procedures
Advising Suggestions from the School of Music Faculty
Before your appointment
- Know what the suggested courses for the following semester are for your degree
- Look through the course offerings for the following semester, and have the 4-digit codes ready for the courses you’re interested in (including applied music)
At your appointment
- Bring the degree requirements sheet and the semester-by-semester suggested sequence sheet posted on the website with you to your advising appointment
- Remind your advisor if you dropped or withdrew from a course
- Together with your advisor, you will complete an “Advisor/Advisee Course Registration Agreement”
Overall/Long-term planning
- Be thinking about study abroad opportunities as early in your academic career as possible! You need to plan for these in advance because of sequential course offerings.
- Be planning ahead for the semesters that recitals or auditions will be taking place, so you have time to practice.
2. School of Music Course Offerings
3. Course Rotation Schedule
4. Registration Holds
5. Transfer Credit
6. Changing Majors; Adding an Emphasis, Secondary Major, or Minor
By submitting a “Major/Program Change Form,” available in the School of Music office (Lilly Hall, room 229), a student may change majors or add an emphasis, secondary major, or minor. After completion, the form is returned to the School of Music office for processing.
7. my.butler.edu
8. Faculty Advisor Assignment and Evaluation
All students are assigned a faculty advisor, generally according to the student’s degree plan (music education, performance, etc.), who meets with the student each semester prior to the start of the registration period. Once they have met with their advisor and he/she has removed the advising “hold” on the student’s account, returning students enroll themselves in classes online. Online access to enrollment is through my.butler.edu.
As per the University Bulletin, “The Butler student is responsible for knowing and meeting degree requirements, consulting with an advisor prior to each registration period, enrolling in appropriate courses to ensure timely progress toward a degree, and discussing issues related to academic performance. However, the availability of an advisor does not relieve the student of the responsibility of knowing and following the published programs and policies. Each student should become an expert on the program being pursued, and on the regulations and procedures of the University. A student must maintain high standards of conduct to continue in, and to be graduated from, the University.”
All students have an opportunity to evaluate their advisor annually.
Music majors are required to attend 16 performances/events per year according to the distribution guidelines below. Note that for students who are student teaching, studying abroad, or in full-time internships during the academic year, only 8 performances/events will be required for that year. Arts-related lecture events will also count.
Annual event attendance distribution:
- 8 in music
- 2 in theater
- 2 in dance
- 2 in visual arts
- 2 of student’s choice (from any of the previous categories)
- Exceptions: If student teaching, studying abroad, or in a full-time internship, the distribution for that year is cut in half across all categories to include 4 in music, 1 in theater, 1 in dance, 1 in visual art, and 1 of the student’s choice (from any of the previous categories).
Music students have the opportunity to work independently with a member of the music faculty on a project of special interest. The student finds a member of the faculty who agrees to be the Project Director; agrees upon a topic, as well as the format of the final report (paper, lecture, etc.); and then submits a Petition for Independent Study form to the School of Music office (Lilly Hall, room 229). All requests must be approved by the Chair of the School of Music.
Independent studies may NOT be used to replace a required class. In addition, not more than six hours of credit in independent study can be counted toward an undergraduate degree.
Any research paper in the School of Music may be repurposed for one succeeding paper. However, under the faculty advisor’s guidance, the second paper must be expanded or reconsidered appreciably according to the level and purpose of the paper.
Style Manual for Research Papers
The Chicago Manual of Style, current edition, will be the reference for matters of style and bibliography for all School of Music writing; it is available online through the Irwin Library homepage at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Students may also consult two style guides that derive from the Chicago Manual, Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses and Dissertations (available in Irwin Library: PN203 .T8 1996) or Richard Wingell’s Writing About Music: An Introductory Guide (ML3797.W54 2002) as resources to assist in the preparation of all research papers. The authority on spelling and usage is the Oxford English Dictionary, available through the Irwin Library homepage at http://www.oed.com.
At the end of each fall and spring semester, students are given the opportunity to evaluate their faculty for every class in which they are enrolled, including applied lessons and ensembles. Evaluation forms are distributed during a class session, and typically are collected immediately. The exception is for applied music; the student returns his/her completed evaluation to the JCA main office.
Students are encouraged to complete this task thoughtfully and comprehensively; faculty members are not granted access to the completed evaluations until after the grades for the class have been submitted.