Double Degree FAQ

Yes, many students complete the BM and BA in four to four and a half years. Around 40% of double degree students finish in less time, often with the help of AP/IB credits or dual enrollment courses. For more details on transferring pre-/post-matriculation credits, visit the Office of the Registrar’s website.

In the first two years, students focus primarily on completing Conservatory core music requirements, with room for limited College courses. Starting in the third year, students can explore a broader range of academic subjects. The typical course load is 18-24 credits (5-8 courses) per semester, though double degree students may take up to 26 credits per semester. By the end of their second year, double degree students should have completed at least 8 College courses, and 10 courses by the end of their fifth semester for satisfactory progress toward completing the BA degree.

Students must apply separately to the College of Arts & Sciences and the Conservatory of Music, using the Common Application for both. Each school has a specific application timeline and admission criteria. Once accepted to both schools, students can matriculate into the double degree program. Students admitted to one school may later apply to the other through the Change of Status process.

No, applicants are reviewed independently within each school based on the merits of their application materials.

Double degree students who receive financial aid are eligible for up to ten semesters of aid. Changing to a single degree program reduces eligibility to eight semesters. A Change of Status may affect merit scholarships but will not alter the overall level of financial support. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Double degree students receive advisors for both their degrees. Conservatory advisors are usually their private music instructor/applied study professor for lessons. College advisors for first-year students provide general academic support, and students are then reassigned a major-specific faculty advisor once they have declared their College major. 

In addition, staff in the Academic Advising Resource Center and the Conservatory Dean's Office act as support for combining degree requirements to ensure students stay on track for graduation in both degrees.

Double degree students must complete all of the requirements listed for their BM degree and complete the general course and major course requirements for the BA degree. 

• 214 total credits
• One major in each degree program
• 3 full Winter Term projects
• General Course Requirements
• 2 full courses in each college division (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics)
• 2 additional full courses outside maximal division (the division in which the greatest number of courses is completed)
• 3 full courses with the Cultural Diversity (CD) attribute
• 2 full courses with the Quantitative and Formal Reasoning (QFR) attribute
• 2 full courses with the Writing Intensive (WINT) or Writing Advanced (WADV) attribute
• 4 Aural Skills courses
• 4 Music Theory courses
• Minimum overall GPA of 2.00
• Minimum of 7 semesters in residence at Oberlin

There are no penalties to dropping one of the two degrees. If you decide you no longer want to pursue the double degree program, you must complete a Change of Status form. A general guideline is to make the change as early as possible since that provides the most flexibility in charting a new course. Visit the Office of the Registrar’s website for more information.

No, students may complete one degree before the other, but degrees are conferred simultaneously, and students can only participate in Commencement once.

Here is an example of a first-semester schedule for a double degree student pursuing a performance major (woodwinds) and an undeclared College major. 

• Applied Private Lessons & Studio Class, 6 credits
• Applied Chamber Music Coaching, 2 credits
• Large ensemble: Oberlin Orchestra, 2 credits
• First-Year Seminar Program: City as Symphony, 4 credits
• Music Theory I, 4 credits
• Aural Skills I, 2 credits
• Piano Skills I, 2 credits

Total: 22 credits

A student’s schedule will differ based on individual interests and the number of credits transferred in, as well as placement exam results and when the double degree program is started. For example, this schedule delays the “Introduction to the History and Literature of Music” course typically taken in the first semester by conservatory students. Additionally, no AP credits were transferred in and there was no higher placement in foundational courses (Aural Skills or Piano Skills). 

Double degree students in the Conservatory live in any of our 21 dorms or 4 housing co-ops on our quaint 440-acre campus for their entire time as a student, as required by the school’s housing policy. Campus housing is open to and combines students from both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Conservatory of Music.