THE SENIOR PROJECT

All majors must complete a senior project by the end of the senior year.  This project may take many forms, including a concert, a written thesis, a substantial musical composition, or a combination of such activities.  The senior project requirement is also satisfied by the completion of an Honors Project, which is a project that may also encompass a composition, a concert, etc., but the Honors Project always contains a substantial written component; for this reason it is often called the “Honors Thesis”, although the project can include other components (see below).

Work on the senior project entails enrolling in Music 403 and/or 404 (the Senior Project Tutorial) or enrolling in Music 409 and 410 (Honors Thesis Tutorial; note that this is always a two semester undertaking). An Honors Project satisfies the departmental requirement for a senior project, even if it is not awarded Honors.  The tutor for the senior project must be a Music faculty member or a full time visiting faculty in Music. A Private Lessons Instructor may serve as an important resource but not as the tutor of record.

The student’s tutor is responsible for stating in writing that a student has completed a senior project.  (In the case of a senior project that is being submitted as an Honors Project, the tutor’s evaluation of the honors project will satisfy this expectation.)  Until the advisor has stated that a student has completed a senior project, that student has not satisfied the requirements for the Music Major.  The advisor alone, or the advisor and the student, may invite other faculty members to examine and evaluate the student’s senior project.  If a student feels that he or she has completed a senior project but his or her advisor disagrees, the student may appeal the matter to the Director of Undergraduate Affairs.