A Difference of Degree

Prospective Arts Majors have two degree options:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree with a major in the arts OR Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree for artisits/performers

• Bachelor of Music (BM) Degree for musicians

The BA degree is the typical liberal arts degree - students who major in English, History, and other Humanities majors also earn BA degrees. The BFA or BM degree is more focused and intense.

"There is a world of difference between a BA in music and BM in music" says Anthony Celentano, School Counselor and Military Advisor at Pope John XXIII High School (NJ), who holds a BM and MM (Master of Music). "A BA in music will be pretty much like any other BA degree - lots of courses outside of your major with approximately 12 or so courses in your major. That's not a lot of music for the student who is looking for an intense musical experience. A BM in music essentially is a professional degree. With my 120+ credits for my BM, only 36 were liberal arts courses. The remainders were music or degree-related courses: private lessons, conducting classes, music history, music, theory, etc."

The degree you choose depends on your college and career goals. If you have a high degree of commitment to your art and desire an intense, often competitive college experience, a BFA or BM might be right for you. If you would rather study a variety of subjects along with your arts major, a BA may be the way to go.

What Type of College is Right for Me?

Visual and performing arts students have several types of colleges to consider. Conservatories and stand-alone arts schools offer an immersion-type experience for students earing BM or BFA degrees. All of the students you meet at this type of school will be artists, and the atmosphere is often highly competitive.

Some larger universities offer BFA/BM Degrees as well as BA Degrees in the arts. You may find somewhat self-contained music or arts schools within the larger university. In this atmosphere, you could pursue the more specialized degree while still keeping the door open to taking a few liberal arts courses (which would be unavailable at specialized music or arts schools). In addition, a university-based arts program might give you the option of pursuing a double degree, such as a BM in music and BA in history. (A double degree would require more than four years, however).

A Look Inside the Portfolio

In addition to completing a typical college application, students in the visual or performing arts should prepare a portfolio or audition (per each application's requirements). Each arts program has different requirements, so you should contact the schools as early as possible to obtain their portfolio or audition requirements.

Although your portfolio or audition is an important partof the application, arts programs also heavily consider your academic record and test scores.

"Some [colleges] place greater value on academics, while others lean more toward the student's portfolio or audition," according to a workshop on arts programs presented at several NACAC meetings (compile by Kavin Buck, UCLA; Jane Buckman, Cornish College of the Arts; Ed Schoenberg, Otis College of Art and Design; and Jenny Woo, UCLA). "Most colleges balance the student's creative talent with their academic achievements".

Assessing Your Abilities

If you're interested in pursuing an arts major and career, now is the time to seek objective opinions of your abilities in the field. James Gandrew, Dean of Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University (IL), offers this advice to young musicians: "In addition to asking for honest advice and evaluation from high school ensemble and private teachers, students can get outside assessment from musicians at a local symphony, dance company, theatre, etc. Of course, everyone doesn't live in a big city, so this may require driving one to two hours or more to get this advice, but it's worth it".

Visual arts students can receivev portfolio evaluations and college information at one of the National Portfolio Days sponsored by an association of art schools and art departments at universities. For more information, talk to your college counselor or art teacher.