Double Degree Program Degree Requirements

College Major Study Requirement

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• Double-degree students are admitted as BA students.
• Double-degree students must, before the end of the fifth semester, elect an area or field in which to major in the college.
• Double-degree students who have not declared a major after the end of the fifth semester will be allowed to enroll only with the permission of the Academic Advising Resource Center.
• Students who declare one of these majors are eligible to convert their degree to the BS; conversion to the BS is optional, and these majors are also available as part of the BA:
  • biochemistry
  • biology
  • business
  • chemistry
  • computer science
  • data science
  • economics
  • environmental science
  • financial economics
  • geosciences
  • global health
  • mathematics
  • neuroscience
  • physics
  • psychology
• After initially declaring a major, a student may subsequently elect a different major and drop the previously declared major with the consent of the heads of the departments or programs involved. If a student who has converted to the BS is no longer declared in a BS-eligible major, the Office of the Registrar will switch the student’s degree to the BA.
• Double-degree students may pursue a major in more than one department or program, and—if allowed by the department or program—may pursue more than one major within that department or program. Students pursuing the BS may declare additional majors within the College of Arts and Sciences, including those not designated as BS-eligible; however, the degree awarded will remain the BS.
• A double-degree student may not pursue a BA major in music, nor a minor in music.

Conservatory Major Study Requirement

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• Students are required to pursue full-time one or more conservatory majors in every semester of enrollment. As such, students accepted to the BM degree program as part of the Double Degree Program declare a major as part of the admissions process.
• Any student interested in changing majors or in adding a second major must initiate that request through the Office of the Associate Deans of the Conservatory. A student must audition in the department of the new major before changing performance majors or before adding a second performance major. An interview with the appropriate Conservatory division director is required for changes involving majors other than performance. Other supplemental materials may be required as well, as determined by each division.
• If students are denied continuation in a major by action of the Academic Standing Committee, they may appeal to the Committee for permission to enroll for the following semester without a conservatory major for the purpose of finding a new major; regardless of the circumstances, more than one semester of enrollment without a conservatory major is not permitted.

Music Theory Core Courses

The core courses of the music theory requirement prepare students to hear, perform, and communicate about multiple aspects of music in diverse repertoires.

• MUTH 131 - Music Theory I
• MUTH 132 - Music Theory II

Music Theory Elective Courses

Two additional music theory courses at the 200-level (MUTH 250-299) are required. These include topic- and repertoire-based classes that are chosen in consultation with academic advisors.

At least one of these two 200-level courses must have the post-tonal (PT) attribute. Courses carrying the post-tonal attribute are typically taken during a student’s second year.

Some majors and concentrations require students to take 300-level music theory electives as well, referred to as upper-level theory.

See a list of courses with the PT attribute.  

Curriculum Exploration Requirement

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The Arts and Sciences curriculum exploration requirement supports breadth by introducing students to a range of scholarly approaches in different subject areas within the three divisions of the College: the arts and humanities (ARHU), natural sciences and mathematics (NSMA), and social sciences (SSCI).

There are two parts to this requirement:

• Students are required to complete two full academic courses or the equivalent in each of the three divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences (ARHU, NSMA, and SSCI) with courses in two different departments or programs within each division, as determined by the course prefix.
  • One full academic course or the equivalent must be completed in each division by the end of six semesters.
  • One full course (four credits) with the DDHU attribute may count toward the ARHU requirement, but will not count toward the 88-credit college course requirement.
     See courses with the DDHU attribute.  
  • Transfer students may count toward this requirement up to one full academic course or the equivalent in each division, from the courses they transfer to Oberlin. Transfer students must complete at least one full academic course or the equivalent in each division while at Oberlin. The courses (Oberlin and/or transferred from another institution) counted toward this requirement must be in two different departments or programs within each division, as determined by the course prefix.
• Students are also required to complete two additional full academic courses or the equivalent outside their maximal division. The maximal division is defined as the division of a student’s major.

 See a list of courses with the ARHU attribute.  
 See a list of courses with the NSMA attribute.  
 See a list of courses with the SSCI attribute.  

Cultural Diversity Requirement

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The Committee on Diversity Studies administers this requirement.

This requirement encourages students to understand cultural diversity in complex ways and in multiple contexts by taking courses that attend to questions of difference, imbalances in political and social power, diversity in cultures and the interactions among and between cultures, and methodological approaches to the study of diversity. In awarding Cultural Diversity (CD) credit for international study away programs and some U.S. study away programs, this requirement recognizes that study away is a profound pedagogical encounter with diversity that complements the engagement of diversity in courses across the Oberlin curriculum.

• The required three full courses with the CD attribute must be completed in at least two different departments or programs, as indicated by the course prefix.
• These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
  • Students who study away in a full-semester, credit-bearing international program will receive CD credit equal to one course.
  • Students who study away in a full-semester, credit-bearing U.S. program that directly addresses diversity may petition the Committee on Diversity Studies to receive CD credit equal to one course.

 See a list of courses with the CD attribute.  

Quantitative and Formal Reasoning Requirement

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The Committee on Quantitative and Formal Reasoning administers this requirement.

This requirement is designed to empower students to be able to use quantitative and formal reasoning in their academic and professional work, as well as in their personal lives. Courses carrying the Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (QFR) attribute aim to help students develop the ability to use tools, algorithms, or strategies to solve problems, make decisions, or evaluate evidence, and to equip students with the ability to formally evaluate models or sets of evidence. QFR courses emphasize developing and evaluating assumptions, organizing and structuring data, and conducting analyses to make sound judgments and conclusions. QFR courses often focus on quantitative data, but the hallmark of QFR is the application of formal logic and explicit rules for decision-making.

• At least one of the required two QFR courses must be completed by the end of the sixth semester.
• These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
  • Courses completed during study away may not usually fulfill this requirement.
  • Transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on quantitative and formal reasoning toward this requirement.

 See a list of courses with the QFR attribute.  

Writing Requirement

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The Committee on Writing administers this requirement.

The writing requirement is designed to help double-degree students develop the ability to:

• communicate effectively in writing,
• understand writing as a process,
• engage in writing as a form of critical thinking,
• demonstrate rhetorical flexibility by addressing various audiences and purposes in their writing, and
• demonstrate awareness of the conventions and forms of writing in particular disciplines.

Double-degree students are encouraged to work closely with their conservatory teachers to hone their music-specific writing skills as they progress through their degree requirements, with particular encouragement to engage in writing artistic statements, program notes, and grant proposals.

• It is strongly recommended that both of the required writing intensive (WINT) / writing advanced (WADV) courses be completed by the end of the fourth semester of study.
• A third course with the WADV attribute is highly advised.
• These courses must be completed at Oberlin College.
  • Courses completed during study away may not usually fulfill this requirement.
  • Transfer students may petition to count one transferred course with a comparable focus on writing toward this requirement.

 See a list of courses with the WINT attribute.  
 See a list of courses with the WADV attribute.