The electronic music minor focuses on the study of creating music using the tools of modern technology. It is designed to complement the music major or programs in other media by providing instruction in advanced skills of audio production, sound synthesis, and computer-assisted composition.
Course Requirements
Lower-Division Courses
Music survey requirement
Take one course from the following list. A similar music survey/history course taken here or at another institution may be approved by the department - email music@ucsc.edu if you have questions regarding a possible substitution.
MUSC 80C requirement
| MUSC 80C | History, Literature, and Technology of Electronic Music | 5 |
Music theory requirement
Students must take the Theory Placement Exam in order to test into the appropriate western music theory course (MUSC 14, or MUSC 30A). If a student places into MUSC 30A via the exam, they will automatically satisfy the minor's theory requirement. Students who place into MUSC 14 must pass the course to satisfy the minor's theory requirement.
| MUSC 14 | Beginning Western Theory and Musicianship | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
Upper-division electives
Take three of the following courses. Testing out of MUSC 123A (formerly MUSC 123) is possible via placement exam. If a student tests out of MUSC 123A via exam, they still need to do three upper-division courses and should plan to take another course from this list, outside the 123-series.
| MUSC 105H
/DANM 205H
/MUSC 81A/MUSC 81H | Hip Hop Music and Culture in the 20th Century | 5 |
| MUSC 123A | Electronic Music: Synthesis & Composition I | 5 |
| MUSC 123B | Electronic Music: Synthesis & Composition II | 5 |
| MUSC 123C | Electronic Music: Synthesis & Composition III | 5 |
| MUSC 150N | Noise, Music, Politics | 5 |
| MUSC 150P | 20th-Century Popular Song | 5 |
| MUSC 150R | Field Recording: Mapping and Composing Sound, Identity, and Place | 5 |
| MUSC 206B
/DANM 217
| Computer-Assisted Composition | 5 |
| MUSC 206C
/DANM 217A
| Composing for Instruments and Live Electronics | 5 |
Workshop requirement
Take two of the following courses. All courses in list, except MUSC 167R, can be taken more than once/repeated for credit.
| MUSC 73 | Music and the Ocean | 3 |
| MUSC 129 | Live Electroacoustic Music Ensemble | 2 |
| MUSC 167 | Workshop in Electronic Music | 2 |
| MUSC 167R | Recording Workshop | 2 |
| MUSC 267
/DANM 267
| Workshop in Computer Music and Visualization | 2 |
Technical sound elective requirement
Take one course from the following list. A similar music course that has a technical focus may be approved by the department - email music@ucsc.edu if you have questions regarding a possible substitution.
| MUSC 71 | Laptop Music | 5 |
| MUSC 80K | Sound in Art, Science, and the Environment | 5 |
| MUSC 80L | Artificial Intelligence and Music | 5 |
| MUSC 80R | Music in the Digital Age | 5 |
| PHYS 80U
/MUSC 80U
| Physics and Psychophysics of Music | 5 |
| MUSC 72 | Fundamentals of Music Technology | 2 |
| FILM 171A | Sound | 5 |
| THEA 114 | Sound Design and Engineering for the Theater | 5 |
Programming requirement
Take one of the following courses. A similar programming course taken here or at another institution may be approved by the department - email music@ucsc.edu if you have questions regarding a possible substitution. A test-out option is available for CSE 20. If a student tests out of CSE 20 via the exam, they will automatically satisfy the minor's programming requirement. Students who place into CSE 20 must pass the course, or another from the list, to satisfy the minor's programming requirement.
| CSE 5J | Introduction to Programming in Java | 5 |
| CSE 20 | Beginning Programming in Python | 5 |
| PHYS 160 | Practical Electronics | 5 |
| ECE 101 | Introduction to Electronic Circuits | 5 |
| ECE 153 | Digital Signal Processing | 5 |
| ECE 171 | Analog Electronics | 5 |
Planner
The table below is for informational purposes and does not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.
Two-Year Electronic Music Minor Plan
^Satisfies programming requirement; can be replaced with CSE 5J, or other classes
~Satisfies music theory requirement; can be fulfilled by placing directly into MUSC 30A via the Theory Placement Exam
#Satisfies technical sound elective; can be replaced with MUSC 80K, MUSC 80R, MUSC 80U, MUSC 71, MUSC 81T, or other classes
*Satisfies the MUSC 11/MUSC 80P requirement; can be replaced with MUSC 11A, MUSC 11D, or MUSC 80P
General Education (GE) Codes
The MUSC 11/80P requirement will satisfy one of the following GE codes, depending on which course the student chooses to take: MUSC 11A - IM; MUSC 11D - CC; MUSC 11B & MUSC 80P - ER.
MUSC 167 satisfies the PR-C code GE requirement.
Students must complete all other general education requirements.