Catalog HOME General Information College of Arts and Sciences Conservatory of Music   General Guidelines   Facilities   Instrument Collection   Degrees & Diploma   Requirements for Graduation   Advising & Academic Standing   Enrollment   Grading   Major Study   Transfer of Credit   Advanced Credit   Concerts & Recitals   Miscellaneous Information   Summer Programs Double-Degree Program Registrar's Office Requirements for Graduation Institutional Requirements for Conservatory Degrees. The degree of Bachelor of Music is awarded upon completion of: 1. Course and non-course requirements for one or more majors leading to the BMus degree. 2. 124 semester hours of course credits, 62 of which must be earned at Oberlin or in Oberlin College programs, 76 of which must be earned in Oberlin Conservatory courses (excluding those entitled "Liberal Arts") or in music courses completed elsewhere for which transfer credit has been awarded, and at least 24 of which must be in Arts and Sciences courses. 3. The residence requirement. 4. Three Winter Term credits. The degrees of Master of Music Education, Master of Music in Teaching, or Master of Music in Conducting and Opera Theater are awarded upon completion of: 1. The requirements for a specified undergraduate major. 2. The course and non-course requirements for the graduate major. The degree of Master of Music in Performance on Historical Instruments is awarded upon completion of: 1. The course and non-course requirements for the graduate degree. An undergraduate diploma from Oberlin is not required. 2. Required number of course credit hours for the degree. 3. Four semesters of residence. The Performance Diploma is awarded upon completion of: 1. Specified course and non-course requirements. 2. 48 semester hours of course credits. 3. Four semesters of residence. The Artist Diploma is awarded upon completion of: 1. Specified course and non-course requirements. 2. 24 hours of course credits. 3. Four semesters of residence. Residence Requirement. No student in an undergraduate Conservatory degree program or diploma program may graduate without at least four semesters of residence at Oberlin or in Oberlin College programs. At least 24 of the last 30 hours of credit required for the BMus degree must be earned in residence at Oberlin. Expository Writing Proficiency. Students with an SAT verbal score below 580 or an ACT score below 24, or a TOEFL score below 600 must complete one course chosen from the RHET 111-119 series in the Rhetoric and Composition Department. All double-degree students must adhere to the College of Arts and Sciences writing requirements, found under "Requirements for Graduation" in the College of Arts and Sciences section of this catalog. Finish Away. A student in an undergraduate degree program who lacks not more than six hours of the amount required for graduation may request approval for Finish Away status from the Assistant Dean in the Conservatory in order to complete these hours at another institution; if any of these six hours are requirements for the student's major, the major department must also be petitioned for approval of Finish Away status. Eligibility for Commencement. A student must be registered for work sufficient to complete, by the end of the last semester in residence, all requirements for the degree(s) sought, in order to be eligible to participate in the annual Commencement exercises following that semester. In addition, students must complete all non-course requirements by the end of classes prior to the Commencement in which they wish to participate. Students who have permission to finish their work away from Oberlin may participate in Commencement exercises only after all requirements have been met. Winter Term. Students in the BMus degree program are required to earn three January Winter Term credits. No course credit may be earned for Winter Term study. Participation in January Winter Term programs at other institutions may be counted toward the Winter Term requirement only if that program corresponds to the Oberlin Winter Term in spirit, duration, and format, and if no academic credit is earned. Transfer students are required to participate in all remaining Winter Terms up to three. (Please see "Winter Term" in the "Academic Life" section of this catalog for a list of requirements.) Meeting with an Advisor. Before selecting Winter Term projects, Conservatory students must meet with their Conservatory advisors to discuss objectives and goals for Winter Term. Following that discussion, students should be prepared to suggest projects that fulfill the expectations identified in conjunction with their advisor. Role of the Sponsor. The primary role of the sponsor is to ensure the quality of a student's project. Interaction between the sponsor and student during the course of winter term is variable, dependent upon the specifications and requirements of the project. All projects should result in a report, capstone event, performance, or product that allows the sponsor to determine that the requirements have been met. The Concert/Recital Attendance Policy. All Conservatory students are strongly encouraged to attend three Honors Recitals and at least nine Conservatory-sponsored concerts and recitals each year, one selected from each of the nine categories below, chosen to represent a broad spectrum of the Conservatory's offerings. 1. An orchestral concert. (A concert by the Oberlin Orchestra, Oberlin Chamber Orchestra, or an Artist Recital Series orchestra concert.) 2. A concert by the Oberlin Wind Ensemble or the College-Community Winds. 3. A chamber music concert. (A concert by an ensemble from trio to octet, one player to a part.) 4. A vocal recital, choral concert, opera, etc. 5. A concert sponsored by the Jazz Studies Department or the Ethnomusicology Department. 6. A new music concert. (A concert by the Contemporary Music Ensemble or the Oberlin Percussion Group; a TIMARA concert, or a Student or Faculty Composers' concert.) 7. An early music concert. (A concert of music before 1750, or concert performed on original instruments, or an organ recital of music before 1750.) 8. A full-length faculty or student recital by a member of a department other than that in which the student is enrolled. 9. A guest performer or guest composer concert, including an Artist Recital Series concert.