Undergraduate Programs: Bachelor of Music; Artist Certificate

Bachelor of Music Degree

The Bachelor of Music degree is a professional baccalaureate degree. Students enrolled are expected to develop the knowledge, skills, concepts, and sensitivities essential to the professional life of the musician. To fulfill various professional responsibilities, a musician must exhibit not only technical competence, but also broad knowledge of music and music literature, the ability to integrate musical knowledge and skills, sensitivity to musical styles, and an insight into the role of music in intellectual and cultural life.

The Bachelor of Music program offers intensive and comprehensive preparation for a professional career in music. An applicant should already have achieved a sufficient academic and musical background that demonstrates potential for successful completion of the intended course of study. All courses revolve around a core of studies in music theory, eurhythmics, music history, and literature, designed to provide a thorough musical education, with the additional educational breadth afforded by selected general education subjects. Performance and academic requirements are demanding, but ample hours are available for lessons, practice, and performance experience. The standard time to complete the Bachelor of Music degree is four years.

CIM offers several majors within the Bachelor of Music degree, each major focused on instrumental performance, voice performance, or composition. Applicants to CIM can pursue a double major in performance and composition at the time of application. Most Bachelor of Music degrees can be combined into double majors with Music Theory and/or Eurhythmics, but these double majors can only be pursued by current students; see below for more information.

Participation in ensembles is required of all majors. Yearly distribution of credits varies according to the major field and is flexible during the four-year undergraduate program. Keyboard majors with appropriate facility usually earn ensemble credits through accompanying; others may earn credits through appropriate instrumental or vocal ensemble participation.

CIM purposefully limits enrollment in most areas to ensure maximum performance opportunities in preparation for professional life. This policy creates for the student a responsibility to provide performance services that may go beyond the minimum amounts indicated in this catalog's curricular requirements.

Students may elect to add a minor at CIM. Minors are available in performance, composition, music theory, and eurhythmics. Students should speak with the Registrar for information and process.

Overview

Candidates for the Bachelor of Music degree must complete the total number of credits as prescribed for their respective programs along with:

• a minimum of 120 credits and a cumulative GPA of 2.00;
• a completed eight semesters of principal performance study;
• all fulfilled requirements pertaining to repertoire, performance, and curriculum; and
• all graduation requirements completed within six consecutive years from the date of initial enrollment.

Students should refer to their degree audits provided by the Registrar’s Office through Populi, CIM’s student-information system.

Note that transfer students are subject to a minimum two-year, full-time residency requirement.

General Education

History

In 2020–21, the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) undertook a comprehensive revision of its general education curriculum to align with Institutional Learning Goals, better prepare students for professional careers, and strengthen the assessment of student learning. Unanimously approved by CIM’s Faculty Senate on April 26, 2021, the revised curriculum integrates general education with CIM’s specialized music training.

The curriculum revision was spearheaded by the General Education Working Group and informed by input from faculty, students, and alumni. The revised learning goals ensure students develop vital skills in communication, decision-making, cultural empathy, arts advocacy, and business literacy. These skills prepare graduates to excel in the complex, interdisciplinary demands of the music profession.

The curriculum includes courses such as Performance Psychology, Technology for the Working Musician, and Musical Entrepreneurship and Digital Communication. Students benefit from Communication-Intensive Courses (CICs), designed to integrate written, spoken, and digital communication skills into their general education experience.

This revised curriculum ensures that CIM students not only achieve academic and artistic excellence but also gain tools for lifelong professional success. By embedding high-impact educational practices, CIM’s general education curriculum fosters critical thinking, cultural awareness, and a deeper connection between music and society.

The revised curriculum adopts a core-distributional model, combining foundational core courses with distributional requirements tailored to student interests and goals. Key elements include:

• Communication for Musicians I & II: A two-semester sequence introducing writing, speech, and digital communication while embedding key learning goals through interdisciplinary guest lectures.
• Communication-Intensive Courses (CICs, 2 required): Courses designed to integrate written, spoken, and digital communication skills into their general education experience.
• Senior Seminar: A capstone course where students synthesize their learning into a portfolio assessed for communication, reasoning, and cross-disciplinary integration.

Additionally, students take music history courses and enroll in electives.

Beginning in Fall 2026, CIM further expanded its in-house general education and music history offerings so that all coursework required for CIM degrees and diplomas is available directly through CIM and taught by CIM faculty. This integrated model strengthens the alignment of academic study with CIM’s mission and commitment to career readiness while ensuring that CIM faculty and academic leadership oversee the delivery and assessment of the full curriculum.

Credit and Course Requirements

The curriculum balances structured requirements with opportunities for exploration, as reflected in the following credit distributions for instrumental and voice majors:

Instrumental Majors

Voice Majors

* Senior Seminar credit requirement: Students matriculating in Fall 2024 or later complete the three-credit Senior Seminar requirement. Students who matriculated prior to Fall 2024 complete the one-credit requirement applicable to their curriculum.

Double Major Programs

Applicants may be admitted as double majors or add a second major by the end of their second year; any stand-alone major offered by CIM is eligible for a double major, as is a double major combined with music theory or eurhythmics (see below). All requirements must be completed for both majors as outlined by this catalog. Double majors can impact time to degree, so it is important for students interested in pursuing this to work closely with the Registrar and academic adviser to schedule and implement a successful course plan. Double majors do incur a tuition surcharge as listed in the annual Cost of Attendance (https://cim.edu/admissions/financialaid/coa).

Double Major with Eurhythmics

This major prepares students to pursue teaching appointments in the field of eurhythmics. Students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and the permission of the eurhythmics department. Students must declare the double major in eurhythmics at the end of their sophomore year and no later than the beginning of their junior year. Students cannot major solely in eurhythmics. The yearly Double Major Surcharge will be charged for the junior and senior year.

Additional requirements for the eurhythmics double major:

• Third Year
  • MUDE 310: Advanced Eurhythmics: Complex Rhythm (2)
  • MUDE 312: Advanced Eurhythmics: Integrated Movement (2)
  • MUSP 201: Secondary Piano V (2)
  • MUSP 202: Secondary Piano VI (2)
  • DANC 103: First-Year Modern Dance Techniques I (3)
  • DANC 104: First-Year Modern Dance Techniques II (3)
• Fourth Year
  • MUDE 350: Eurhythmics Keyboard Practicum (1)
  • MUDE 351: Eurhythmics Teaching Practicum (1)
  • MUSP 203: Secondary Piano VII (2)
  • MUSP 204: Secondary Piano VIII (2)
  • DANC 203: Second-Year Modern Dance Techniques I (3)
  • DANC 204: Second-Year Modern Dance Techniques II (3)
• Notes:
  • DANC courses satisfy General Education/Contextualizing credits
  • MUDE courses satisfy Music Elective credits

Double Major with Music Theory

This program prepares students for graduate (Ph.D.) study and for careers as professional music theorists. Students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and permission of the music theory department. Students must declare the double major in music theory at the end of their sophomore year and no later than the beginning of their junior year. Students cannot major solely in music theory. The yearly Double Major Surcharge will be charged for the junior and senior year.

Additional requirements for the music theory double major:

• MUTH 312: 18th-Century Counterpoint (3; required for voice double majors)
• MUTH 424: Schenkerian Analysis (3)
• Three upper-level MUTH electives
  • One of which will count towards your degree program as the MUCP/MUDE/MUTH elective
  • One of which must be MUTH 396
• MUTH 390: Theory Major Literature Review (2)
• MUTH 399: Senior Thesis—Independent Study (2)
• Eight additional credits of any elective, determined in consultation with your advisor, that connects to and prepares the student for their senior thesis (8)

Artist Certificate

The Artist Certificate is a special undergraduate credential granted upon demonstration of an extraordinary level of performance skills. Note that the Artist Certificate is not an undergraduate degree; this program is not intended for students anticipating the pursuit of graduate studies, though it could lead to Graduate Diploma study at CIM. Candidates may major in bassoon, cello, clarinet, double bass, flute, classical guitar, harp, harpsichord, horn, oboe, organ, piano, timpano and percussion, trombone, bass trombone, trumpet, tuba, viola, violin, and voice. The standard time to complete the Artist Certificate is three years.

Audition procedures exercise the highest degree of selectivity, and a live audition is required. Application procedures, admission examinations, and admission requirements are the same as for all other undergraduate programs.

This full-time program typically includes the following each semester:

• principal performance studies (6 credits);
• intensive ensemble participation, including orchestra for orchestral instrument majors (3 credits); and
• a minimum of one course in music theory, eurhythmics, music literature, general education, or electives

Students may elect to take additional course work beyond the full-time minimum of 12 credits per semester. In addition, ESL is an academic course option for the first year. Additionally, each student annually presents a recital or other approved performance event and completes all jury requirements as published for the Bachelor of Music program. Students should work closely with faculty in advance to ensure that recital content aligns appropriately with program expectations; note that a recital performed in fulfillment of program requirements cannot be considered retroactively as a recital requirement for any other degree or program.

Candidates must complete at least three years (six regular semesters) in full-time residence. The normal maximum time allotted for completion of requirements is nine semesters from initial enrollment. Candidates apply for graduation through the Registrar’s Office and submit project and recital materials, along with a portfolio of artistic achievements, for evaluation to the Associate Dean of the Conservatory. Please contact the Associate Dean with any questions regarding this portfolio.

It should be noted that the Artist Certificate is not an undergraduate degree but rather a credential awarded in recognition of outstanding musical achievement. This program is not intended for students anticipating the pursuit of graduate degree studies though it could lead to graduate diploma study at CIM. Normal time to complete the Artist Certificate is three years.