Music Therapy
To learn more about this degree, including career options, admissions requirements, and involvement opportunities, visit the Degree Information website below. This First Year Semester Guide has suggested courses as recommended by this degree's academic advisor. You may have already completed courses or test scores that have met the requirements for some of these suggested courses. So, be sure to compare which courses are recommended against the requirements you have already met. To see how your previously taken coursework or test scores count at USU, visit usu.edu/orientation/testscores.
Recommended First Semester Courses
These courses are suggested by this degree's advisor and are split into two sections. It is recommended that you sign up for 15-16 credits. This section is separated into two types of Recommended Courses.
- Degree Recommended Courses are ones required for your major. Do everything you can to get into these classes. If a class is full, add yourself to a waitlist. If the class doesn’t have a waitlist option, check back frequently to look for openings. Make sure you register for a math class each semester until you are finished with math/stats.
- General Education & Other Recommended Courses are to help you satisfy general education requirements needed to graduate. You should take one or more of these courses each semester until they are completed.
Music students, who have auditioned and have been admitted to this program, should meet with Dr. Maureen Hearns for their Music classes and Cary Youmans for their general education classes.
Degree Recommended Course
| CREDITS | COURSE | COURSE OPTIONS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | MUSC 1105* (BCA) - Fundamentals for Music Majors | ||
| 1 |
MUSC 1170* - Keyboard Harmony I |
||
| 1 |
MUSC 2180* - Computer Applications in Music Proficiency Exam |
||
| 2 |
MUSC 1310* - Introduction to Music Therapy |
||
| 1 |
MUSC 1800* - Percussion Techniques |
||
| 1 |
Large Ensemble - Consult with advisor |
||
| 1 |
Pre-Music Individual Instruction - Consult with advisor |
General Education & Other Recommended Courses
We recommend taking 15-16 credits your first semester, including USU 1010: Connections. Most students take one or more breadth courses their first semester to work toward general education. The breadth areas listed below are recommended for this major, but if you have satisfied a requirement with previous credits or test scores, don't take a course in that area.| CREDITS | COURSE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | USU 1010 - University Connections | Most incoming students take USU 1010 - University Connections. It is a two-credit academic course designed to ease your transition to Utah State by helping you understand the purpose of higher education and how you can intentionally take advantage of the many opportunities and challenges available to you as a college student. |
| Varies (3-5) |
Math Class If you don’t have a current prerequisite needed to get into a course, or if you aren’t sure where to start in math, take a proctored ALEKS placement exam. Math prerequisites expire after one year, so your prerequisite will only be valid to get you into another math class if it was earned after: |
The highest level of math required for this major is: STAT 1040* (QL) or STAT 1045* (QL) or STAT 1080* (QL) Prerequisites for these courses may be seen by clicking on the course link. If you qualify, register for the course(s) above. If not, register for the highest course for which you are able from the list below:
|
| 3 | ENGL 1010 (CL1) - Writing as Inquiry You may have already satisfied this requirement by completing any of the following:
|
OR ENGL 2010* (CL2) - Research and Argument Across Perspectives or ENGL 2020* (CL2) - Professional Communication |
Prerequisites and Course Descriptions
The classes marked with an asterisk (*) have prerequisites. For course descriptions and prerequisite information, click on the course in this guide or see the University Catalog and click on "Courses."
If you have met a class prerequisite via AP or IBO scores or college credits, but have not yet transferred them to USU, you can request a temporary prerequisite override. Not getting your test scores/credits to USU before August 1, 2024 will result in that class being dropped. Temporary override requests take up to 3-4 business days to process. Once processed, the Registrar’s office will reach out to you via email.
When You Can Register
Registration opened for all students on April 11, 2024 and is an ongoing process. Incoming students can begin registering for classes as soon as they complete the second orientation module. For specific dates on when registration will close, check the USU Catalog.
Waitlist Information
If the class you want to register is full, and it uses the waitlisting feature, you will see an option to join the waitlist. If the course has an opening, an email is sent to the student first in the waitlist line. That student is given 24 hours to add the class online. Once the first week of classes starts, the time a waitlist student has to add a class is shortened to 12 hours. You can view your position in the waitlist through your student schedule in Banner.
Advising for First-Year Students in this Major
For general registration questions, please contact our office at orientation@usu.edu or (435)797-0283, or respond to the text message you recieved from (435)200-3628 regarding registration. Our normal business hours are Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will also have extended hours on April 10 and April 11 from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. where the Orientation Office will be answer questions via text message and email.
Music students have two advisors, a faculty advisor and a general education advisor. We encourage you to meet with both advisors each semester.
We expect students to carefully review Module 2 before contacting us.
Your faculty mentor is:
Director, Music Therapy Program
Email: maureen.hearns@usu.edu