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Music Technology - B.S.

Explore the intersection of music and technology and master the tools shaping today’s music industry with the Music Technology B.S. program. Specialize in audio recording, music production or performance while gaining hands-on experience in recording, engineering and digital music creation. Whether you are producing, performing or composing, this program equips you with the skills to thrive in studios, live events, film, TV and beyond. 

This program can be completed in its entirety at Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State Stark.

Stark Contact

Michelle Bagwell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
116 Fine Arts
330-244-3358
dbagwell1@kent.edu

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Bachelor of Science in Music Technology

The Bachelor of Science degree in  Music Technology Degree program at Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ at Stark offers students a unique and innovative opportunity to explore the intersection of music and technology. With a curriculum that combines hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, students are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the ever-evolving music industry. Students are immersed in a comprehensive and dynamic learning environment, from audio production and recording techniques to music theory and composition. The program’s dedicated faculty members bring a wealth of industry experience and expertise, providing students with invaluable mentorship and guidance. Graduates of the Music Technology Degree program emerge as versatile and skilled professionals ready to make their mark in the world of music technology. 

 

Program Information for Music Technology - B.S.

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in Music Technology prepares students as musicians within a broad field of constantly changing technology. Students study in courses that develop expertise in music computer technology for application in the recording industry, audio-engineering and music production.

The development of music technology has had an enormous impact on the music industry. There are many career opportunities for talented musicians in music technology. Skilled musicians can apply formal training to recording careers, studio performance, arranging or producing and live performances. Opportunities are also available in non-traditional, contemporary popular music venues, the movie industry, television, multi-media events and music for advertising, as well as traditional performing arts venues. The growth of music technology has made knowledge and experience in this area a necessity for all students preparing for a career in any area of the music industry. To compete effectively in the contemporary music world, one must possess a strong traditional music background, plus the technical expertise required to make the most of a rapidly changing and developing technology.

The Music Technology major comprises the following concentrations:

  • The Audio Recording concentration provides students the opportunity to learn advanced audio recording techniques.
  • The Music Production concentration provides students the opportunity to learn how to use technology to realize creative work such as original music, arranging and production.
  • The Performance concentration provides students who want to perform the necessary technological tools to succeed in the modern music industry.

Admissions for Music Technology - B.S.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ Campus: First-year admission policy on the Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State students who have not attended another institution since Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ State must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Function as competent and versatile professional studio musicians who perform in diverse commercial music venues.
  2. Compose and arrange music.
  3. Create appropriate sound for visual media.
  4. Create music productions of professional quality.
  5. Produce professional audio recordings, both live and in studio, from start to finish.

Coursework

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) (min C grade required in all courses)
MUS 11121THEORY I 4
MUS 11122THEORY II 4
MUS 17111PIANO CLASS I 11
MUS 17112PIANO CLASS II 11
MUS 21113MUSIC PRODUCTION I 3
MUS 21114MUSIC PRODUCTION II 3
MUS 21221AUDIO RECORDING I 3
MUS 21222AUDIO RECORDING II 3
MUS 21341CONTEMPORARY POPULAR MUSIC THEORY 3
MUS 22111UNDERSTANDING WESTERN MUSIC (KFA) 3
MUS 22121MUSIC AS A WORLD PHENOMENON (KFA) 3
MUS 32211WESTERN MUSIC HISTORY I 3
or MUS 42131 MUSIC OF THE UNITED STATES
or MUS 42161 HISTORY OF JAZZ
MUS 32230NAVIGATING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY 3
MUS 40092MUSIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNSHIP (ELR) 2
MUS 42165HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY POPULAR MUSIC (WIC) 23
4
Ensemble, choose from the following: 38
MUS 25011
UNIVERSITY CHORUS
MUS 25225
UNIVERSITY BAND
MUS 35213
STUDIO ENSEMBLE
MUS 45141
KENT STATE UNIVERSITY CHORALE
MUS 45142
CORO CANTARE
MUS 45143
CANTIQUE
MUS 45212
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MUS 45221
SYMPHONY BAND
MUS 45223
WIND ENSEMBLE
Applied Studio Musicianship, choose from the following: 48
MUS 36913
APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP 5
MUS 36914
ELECTRIC GUITAR APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36915
ELECTRIC BASS APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36916
DRUM SET PERCUSSION APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36917
KEYBOARD APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP 1
MUS 36918
CONTEMPORARY VOICE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36919
FLUTE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36920
CLARINET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36921
SAXOPHONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36922
TRUMPET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36923
HORN APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36924
TROMBONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
BUS 10123EXPLORING BUSINESS 3
or ENTR 27056 INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP
or MGMT 24163 PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
63
6
3
60-3
63-6
6-7
6
General Elective (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credits hour, including 39 upper-division credit hours)1
Concentrations23
Choose from the following:
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

Students who complete the Applied Studio Musicianship requirement with MUS 36917 may replace MUS 17111 and MUS 17112 with music (MUS) electives.

2

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

3

Ensemble (eight separate semesters): All music technology majors must enroll in an ensemble appropriate to their major performance area.

4

Applied studio musicianship (four semesters and 8 credit hours): Students must pass the sophomore proficiency threshold (36000 level) after two semesters and senior proficiency threshold (46000 level) for graduation.

5

Students register for MUS 36913 for all other popular music instruments not listed.

6

If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Âé¶¹¶ÌÊÓÆµ Core Social Sciences category.

Audio Recording Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) (min C grade required in all courses)
MUS 31221AUDIO RECORDING III 3
MUS 31222AUDIO RECORDING IV 3
MUS 41181ACOUSTICS AND TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC 2
MUS 41221AUDIO RECORDING V 3
MUS 41222AUDIO RECORDING VI 3
MUS 41240AUDIO ELECTRONICS I 3
MUS 41250LIVE SOUND PRODUCTION 2
Applied Studio Musicianship, choose from the following: 1,24
MUS 36913
APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36914
ELECTRIC GUITAR APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36915
ELECTRIC BASS APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36916
DRUM SET PERCUSSION APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36917
KEYBOARD APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36918
CONTEMPORARY VOICE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36919
FLUTE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36920
CLARINET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36921
SAXOPHONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36922
TRUMPET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36923
HORN APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36924
TROMBONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
Minimum Total Credit Hours:23
1

Applied studio musicianship (two semesters and 4 credit hours): Students must pass the sophomore proficiency threshold (36000 level) after two semesters and senior proficiency threshold (46000 level) for graduation. Students who do not pass the sophomore proficiency threshold or senior proficiency threshold are required to enroll in applied studio musicianship courses until the threshold is complete.

2

Students who choose to complete an additional concentration may not apply studio musicianship hours toward both concentrations. Applied studio musicianship hours and additional concentrations can be taken during the same semester after the sophomore proficiency threshold (36000 level) is complete.

Music Production Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) (min C grade required in all courses)
MUS 21213CLASS COMPOSITION I 2
MUS 21214CLASS COMPOSITION II 2
MUS 31113MUSIC PRODUCTION III 3
MUS 31114MUSIC PRODUCTION IV 3
MUS 41113MUSIC PRODUCTION V 3
MUS 41114MUSIC PRODUCTION VI 3
MUS 41181ACOUSTICS AND TECHNOLOGY IN MUSIC 2
MUS 41255MUSIC PRODUCTION SEMINAR 1
Applied Studio Musicianship, choose from the following: 1,24
MUS 36913
APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36914
ELECTRIC GUITAR APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36915
ELECTRIC BASS APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36916
DRUM SET PERCUSSION APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36917
KEYBOARD APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36918
CONTEMPORARY VOICE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36919
FLUTE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36920
CLARINET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36921
SAXOPHONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36922
TRUMPET APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36923
HORN APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36924
TROMBONE APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
Minimum Total Credit Hours:23
1

Applied studio musicianship (two semesters and 4 credit hours): Students must pass the sophomore proficiency threshold (36000 level) after two semesters and senior proficiency threshold (46000 level) for graduation. Students who do not pass the sophomore proficiency threshold or senior proficiency threshold are required to enroll in applied studio musicianship courses until the threshold is complete.

2

Students who choose to complete an additional concentration may not apply studio musicianship hours toward both concentrations. Applied studio musicianship hours and additional concentrations can be taken during the same semester after the sophomore proficiency threshold (36000 level) is complete.

Performance Concentration Requirements

Concentration Requirements (courses count in major GPA) (min C grade required in all courses)
MUS 41250LIVE SOUND PRODUCTION 2
Applied Studio Musicianship, choose from the following: 1,216
MUS 36913
APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP
MUS 36914
ELECTRIC GUITAR APPLIED STUDIO MUSICIANSHIP