Courses & Registration Majors, Minors, Certificates

Students graduating with a Music degree may be eligible to receive acknowledgment of an Arts & Science Minor or Major upon completion of the appropriate courses with the minimum required grades along with any high school prerequisites within the specific discipline. Note that is an option within your degree and not a requirement for graduation. 

The specific course requirements for the Minor or Major programs may be found in the Arts & Science Calendar, by discipline.  Any questions regarding Minor or Major program requirements may be directed to the appropriate program office within the Faculty of Arts & Science. 

It is important to note that students of the Faculty of Music do not receive priority in enrolling in courses of the Faculty of Arts & Science. Therefore, access to courses within some disciplines may be challenging. In addition, certain courses within some disciplines may be restricted to students of the Faculty of Arts & Science. Students are urged to consult the Faculty of Arts & Science timetable to determine the feasibility of completing the desired Minor or Major. Students can also consult with the respective Departments to determine the possibility of successfully completing a Minor or Major. 

How to declare a Minor or Major: 

1.Complete all of the course requirements according to the Arts & Science Academic Calendar. 

2.Submit the Declaration of Completion of a Minor of Major Form to the Registrar’s Office (must be done after the last date to drop courses in the winter term of the final year of study and before the end of term). 

3.Successful completion of the Minor/Major will result in an annotation on your academic transcript upon graduation. 

Currently, the following Minor programs offered through the Faculty of Music: 

History and Culture
Composition
Historical Keyboard 

The course requirements for each of these programs are available in the Academic Calendar below the table corresponding to the specialization in that area. Students are not required to complete a Minor towards the degree/diploma. However, for those who choose to do so, the Minor will substitute for the Music Electives required for their program.

Students have the option of completing one or more Certificates in Music while working towards their undergraduate degree. Note that is an option within your degree and not a requirement for graduation.

Currently, the following certificates are offered: 

Health Applications in Music 
Music Technology 
Piano Pedagogy 
Popular Music Studies and Ethnomusicology 
Popular Music Studies and Ethnomusicology with Ensemble Option 

Certificates are offered in conjunction with either a Bachelor of Music or Bachelor of Music in Performance degree. 

To obtain a Certificate, students must complete a sequence of courses in the respective area (1.5 credits total). This opportunity encourages students to explore the intersection between music and another discipline and broaden their musical perspectives in the process. Certificates also allow students to focus their interest in one or more specific area of music beyond their designated program and receive an annotation on their academic transcript as a result. As all degree programs require the completion of a prescribed number of Music Electives courses completed as part of the Music Elective requirement can be counted towards 

Certificate requirements are listed in the Academic Calendar. In cases where the Certificate requirements exceed the Music Elective requirements, additional courses must be completed to satisfy the Certificate requirements. 

How to declare a Certificate: 

Current Bachelor of Music students can declare a Certificate by logging into ACORN, and enroling in the appropriate Certificate Subject Post code; see codes and instructions below. 

For students intending to graduate in June 2025, the deadline to declare a Certificate is April 4, 2025. An assessment will be done once grades are available, and an annotation added to your academic transcript.  If you have already submitted the “Declaration of a Certificate” form, we ask that you still complete this process on ACORN to declare your Certificate. 

Steps to Declaring a Certificate on ACORN:

1. Log on to ACORN.
2. Select Academics — Enrol & Manage — Program.
3. Select “Add a Program” and enter the Certificate Subject Code as per the above chart (e.g. MSCERPMET). Students in the Bachelor of Music in Performance must choose the appropriate Certificate code, with a “P” at the end.
4. Review the details and click the Enrol Button.
5. A pop-up will show up if the subject code is added successfully.
6. Select the Programs tab and view the enrolment.