Online Degrees & Certificates

AA in Music: General

Program Description

 

The Associate in Arts degree in Music is a comprehensive course of study preparing the student to transfer to a four-year institution in music or a music related field, or to enter the music industry or a related field upon completion. Foothill's Music Department offers a wide variety of courses to satisfy the diverse interests and needs of its students. In addition to core courses in comprehensive musicianship and history/literature, the department also offers courses such as Music of American Cultures, Music & Media: Hendrix to Hip-Hop, and many others. The department's award-winning faculty are active as composers, authors, performers, arrangers, and publishers in the Bay Area and throughout the U.S. The department has some of the newest and most comprehensive facilities in the country. Our performance facilities have been newly renovated and all of our classrooms are equipped with Steinway pianos and/or top of the line sound reinforcement/multimedia delivery systems. The Interdisciplinary Electronic Arts Center has many new features such as a new media classroom with MIDI keyboard stations fully equipped with the latest in recording and sound production design.

Learn more about the program on the Music website. 

Program Learning Outcomes

Through the study of music history/literature, students examine music masterpieces from multiple eras and cultures, synthesizing information and making judgments as they evaluate how music reflects individual composers' lives, as well as the contemporary social/historical context in which the compositions were created and performed.

Through music theory/composition, students analyze the structure of music and learn to create their own original works satisfying specific and complex compositional requirements.

Through music performance, students learn how to apply and express their historical, theoretical, and artistic understandings in a presentation addressing an appropriate audience.

Using this three-lens framework, students increase their community/global consciousness as they learn to appreciate how music is a potent tool for understanding individual and cultural uniqueness within the larger context of our common humanity.

Career Opportunities

Career prospects in the music industry are diverse and abundant. With the advent of digital music delivery systems and alternative media, music is an integral part of the media revolution. Students have the opportunity to enter the industry in a variety of positions directly and indirectly related to this media revolution. Careers are not localized: due to the growth of new media and the communication available via the internet, opportunities exist in many locations.

Award Type(s)

AA = Associate in Arts Degree

Units Required

Major: 43

Online Courses for Music: General

The courses listed BELOW are offered as online courses at least once every two years. Please see the Class Schedule for verification.

• For a complete listing of online courses offered during the current quarter, visit Online Course Information.
• If you need any additional degree information or confirmation, please contact the Counseling Division.

NOTE: Students having difficulty attaining an associate degree because of timing or availability of classes should consult with a counselor to submit a petition for course substitution.

Associate Degree Requirements

A minimum of 90 units is required* to include:

Completion of one of the following general education patterns: Foothill General Education, CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)

Core courses (35 units)

Support courses (8 units)

*Additional elective course work may be necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement for the associate degree.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, a grade of "C" or better is required for all core and support courses used for the degree or certificate.

Core and Support Courses

Core Courses (35 units)

Select SEVEN courses from the following:

Support Courses (8 units)

Select EIGHT units from the following:

For a complete list of degree requirements, please visit Music: General 2024-2025 in Degree & Certificates.

Based on the 2024 - 2025 degree program.