Undergraduate Piano Degrees
All music degrees at UNLV are fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
Bachelor of Music
The Bachelor of Music degree is designed for the student who intends to pursue a professional career in music and who has already spent considerable time developing musical skills. This particular degree can also prepare students for further graduate study in music. Bachelor of Music degree students substitute music courses for fifteen credits of the university core requirement. All Bachelor of Music piano students participate in weekly repertoire classes. Four areas of specialty are available within the Bachelor of Music degree: Performance, Education, Composition, or Jazz Studies. Performance majors earn approximately twenty-five per cent of their college credits in piano lessons, and take specialized courses in piano literature, ensemble, accompanying, keyboard harmony, and piano pedagogy. Education and Composition Majors earn about fifteen per cent of their credits in piano and take complementary courses in their specialized area. [see catalog for requirements of each specific degree]
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts degree provides the option to pursue music as a major in the context of a liberal arts curriculum by offering an intensive study of music as an intellectual discipline as well as a performing art. In short, it aims at a well rounded approach to an undergraduate degree. Piano studies account for about ten percent of this degree program. Students take classes, ensembles, and applied music lessons with majors in the Bachelor of Music program but have the option to take up to 25 elective credits in other disciplines as part of the degree. There are two tracks available for a BA: History and Literature, and Recital culminating in a lecture presentation or research paper for the former and a recital for the latter. [See catalog for requirements]
Graduate Piano Degrees
Master of Music
The music department offers the Master of Music degree in Performance, Accompanying, and Composition. Composition majors should consult the catalog requirements for that degree. Performance majors participate in ensembles, complete a research project in literature and pedagogy, and give a major recital at the end of the course of study. A new degree in Accompanying was instituted in 1995. This course of study emphasizes collaborative musical performances, including chamber music, accompanist/musical director activities with UNLV Opera Theater, Musical Theater, and Dance, as well as traditional accompaniments. Students on this track give two recitals: one encompassing vocal literature, and one focusing on instrumental music. [See catalog for requirements]. Many graduate students are employed part-time as teachers for class and private instruction. (see assistantships and part time employment).