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 Transfer of Credit The Conservatory permits music credit earned at accredited collegiate institutions to be applied toward the BMus degree provided the following two criteria are satisfied: 1. The student has done C-level work or better. 2. The course work falls within the scope of a Conservatory curriculum. Music credit which meets these qualifications will be transferred by the Registrar in accordance with specifications outlined below. In cases where the eligibility of a particular course is unclear, the final decision is made by the appropriate Conservatory division director or other designated faculty member. Refer also to the section "Transfer of Credit" in the College of Arts and Sciences portion of this catalog. Transferred music course work does not count toward fulfilling requirements in the student's major unless it is approved by the appropriate Conservatory division director(s), the Assistant Dean, and is forwarded to the Office of the Registrar. Work not approved in this way will count only as music-elective or free-elective credit toward the BMus degree. The following policies govern all transfer credit in music: The maximum amount of transfer credit granted normally will not exceed the amount of credit a student would receive at Oberlin were such work taken on campus. When determining amounts of credit for private lessons or ensemble work, the divisional faculty evaluates the work in comparison with Oberlin's expectations in terms of repertoire, progress, and instructional time. Credit is usually granted only for work taken after the student matriculated in college, except for advanced placement (AP) credit administered by the College Board, as outlined below. For advanced credit earned prior to matriculation in college, see below. For Conservatory and double-degree students, transfer credit from other institutions is limited to 17 hours per semester or 34 credits per academic year. Oberlin will not grant more than 30 semester hours credit for work (including Advanced placement credit and credit for work done in "13th year" programs such as the International Baccalaureate and French Baccalaureate programs) done before a student has matriculated in a college program. A student on personal-leave-of-absence from Oberlin may transfer no more than six semester hours for each semester or four semester hours for each quarter or trimester of leave. Students withdrawing from Oberlin may not transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions unless an appropriate office of Oberlin College has required or recommended that work be taken elsewhere. After enrolling at Oberlin to begin undergraduate work, students may transfer up to 36 credits toward a degree. Transfer students may apply up to 62 semester hours from other institutions toward the 124 required for the BMus degree. One credit of work taken at an institution operating on the quarter system is equivalent to 2/3 semester hour credit at Oberlin. Students who wish to pursue language study at another institution to fulfill a Conservatory requirement should seek approval from the appropriate divisional faculty member. Time Limits. Currently enrolled students may not transfer credit for courses completed more than one calendar year before the date of the request for transfer of credit. New or transfer students have a time limit of one calendar year from their date of entry into Oberlin to request transfer of credit, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate credit and to have appropriate documentation received by Oberlin. Course Work. All Conservatory majors and College of Arts and Sciences music majors require completion of the music theory sequence through Music Theory IV and Aural Skills IV or V (depending upon major requirements), as well as course work in music history beginning with Introduction to the History and Literature of Music. Students must begin course work in music theory and music history at the introductory level unless they demonstrate proficiency beyond that level by passing placement examinations. Placement examinations are administered in music theory and in music history during the fall Orientation period. Once the student has begun work in these divisions at Oberlin, course work taken elsewhere (during the summer or a semester away) must be approved in advance by the appropriate division director and the Assistant Dean. Overall, any course work specifically required for the student's major–e.g., secondary piano, language diction for singers, or music education course work–must be approved by the division director or other designated faculty member in whose division the course would be offered at Oberlin. Private-Lesson Credit. Students wishing to transfer private-lesson credit toward their major requirements must perform an audition for the appropriate department. In the case of new transfer students, the department will assign each student an appropriate level that describes progress toward the typical eight semesters of principal applied study. The audition should take place no later than the fourth week of enrollment. Students already enrolled at Oberlin who wish to take private lessons during the summer or while on an extended leave from the campus must secure the approval of their private study teacher prior to the commencement of the lessons. A form for this purpose may be obtained from the Office of the Associate Dean in the Conservatory. When study is done in a private studio or summer program for which there is no official transcript, the form described above, filled out and signed by the teacher, must be presented when credit is sought. A letter from the teacher may be presented in place of the form. This form or letter must include the number of lessons, their length, and the repertoire covered. It ultimately is submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Ensemble Credit. All ensemble requirements must be fulfilled at Oberlin. Transferred ensemble credit counts only as elective work. To receive credit for ensemble work done in summer programs for which there is no official transcript, students must provide a letter or other documentation from the program that describes the duration of the session, the number and length of rehearsals, the repertoire studied and performed, and, in the case of chamber music ensembles, the amount of coached and uncoached rehearsal time. Forms for transferring ensemble credit are available in the Office of the Associate Dean in the Conservatory. Students must present this form, along with the documentation, to the appropriate division director. Normally, only one credit is granted per ensemble for summer work. No transfer credit is granted for work done in a professional group for which the student has been reimbursed.