The Exciting World of Music Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Music Technology take a combination of advanced music courses and supporting (non-Music) coursework. This program is designed for students who wish to pursue a career in music production and engineering, studio or live sound recording, composing, or other music-related careers.
Musical Acoustics is a course that introduces the physical properties of sound and how those properties affect our perceptions of sounds. It also covers the theory of wave physics and signal processing.
Career Opportunities
Whether you are an accomplished professional in a state-of-the-art studio or an aspiring hobbyist with a laptop, technological advances have given all of us greater power to manipulate music. Yet with so many possibilities comes a challenge: how do you turn your passion into a viable career?
The Bachelor of Music in Music Technology enables you to make the transition from traditional musical training into a career that utilizes new technologies. The program combines coursework in performance (classical or jazz on an acoustic instrument or voice), studio and live sound engineering, and composition with study of electronic music, audiovisual composition, and systems programming.
The Music Technology BM is also available with a Computer Science and Music option, which prepares you for a broad range of careers in multimedia production, music and AI, digital audio synthesis, and application/plug-in design. CS + Music graduates are prepared to lead and participate in a vibrant workforce community that intersects constantly evolving technological platforms with the creation and distribution of entertainment media.
Coursework
The program blends rigorous professional training in music with intensive interdisciplinary study of electrical engineering, computer science, design, and arts entrepreneurship. This unique combination opens the door to many different career options in the modern professional audio and music technology industries.
Students will gain extensive knowledge in acoustics, recording techniques and studio equipment. They will also learn about MIDI, synthesizers and audio editing software.
Faculty members bring a broad range of experience from fields such as music, physics, computer engineering, sound art, and cinema. The department has a wide range of facilities that allow for hands-on learning and experimentation.
This team-taught course introduces students to teaching music through school ensembles of all kinds. Emphasis is placed on curriculum development, musical literacy and inclusive practices in music education.
Portfolio
Applicants to the CS + Music program must submit an online portfolio that provides a deeper sense of depth than grades and test scores, and showcases activities, interests and accomplishments related to the degree. The portfolio should include (but is not limited to) music compositions, recordings, songwriting, performance videos and examples of your work in music production and engineering. In addition, applicants are required to participate in a live or recorded audition on their instrument or voice as part of the application process. Other optional items could include a website, games or apps that you’ve developed and code project repositories.
Final Exam
The Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology is a unique, four-year degree that combines the rigorous training of traditional university music studies, including music theory, aural skills, and keyboard skills with cutting-edge technology. You’ll take innovative courses in audio recording, sound reinforcement, digital and analog synthesis, music production with interactive electronics, and more.
Intensive capstone seminar for musicology majors designed to prepare students for graduate school admission and senior thesis or project development, the cultivation of scholarly writing skills, and the exploration of special topics or issues tailored to student interests and faculty expertise. 3 undergraduate hours.
Explore the intersection of musical creation and computer science through a series of large programming projects that culminate in the final exam. Restricted to entering CS + Music students and music technology majors with strong programming experience; or consent of instructor. CS 103RA or equivalent recommended.
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