Semester 1fall
MUSA 1100Fundamentals of Music Theoryusually fall
Building the department map…
Building the department map…
Department paths
Courses with no prerequisites inside the department that unlock the most downstream work.
The shortest canonical route from each entry point to a gateway course.
Generated from Boston College’s catalog, prerequisite, and concentration data. Spotted an error? Departments can adjust labels, ordering, and notes without a code change, so contact us.
A suggested order for the 5 courses on the map, built from prerequisite chains and how often each course has run in fall and spring across the last 1 regular terms. It is not the department’s plan, and it is not a promise a course will run. Confirm against the department’s own advising material.
Semester 1fall
Semester 3fall
Semester 5fall
Semester 7fall
Each of these unlocks the largest share of downstream work on this map. Courses from other departments can appear here when they genuinely gate MUSA coursework.
Intro tiers at the top, advanced work below; arrows point from a prerequisite to the course it unlocks. Courses from other departments appear where they gate MUSA work. Click any course to see what it requires and unlocks without leaving this page; hovering lights up its neighbors. The lists on this page carry the same courses in text form.
Showing the 5 MUSA and feeder courses that have prerequisite links. 15 more MUSA courses have no recorded prerequisites. They are listed under Tracks below, not drawn as loose dots here.
The concentrations and majors that build on MUSA, and how their requirements are structured. Expand a program to see which courses satisfy each group, then plan it in the Planner.
Requirements2 required · verify with the official sheet
Three foundational music studies courses (9 credits) One elective on Western art music (3 credits) Two electives at any level on any topic (6 credits) OR One elective at the 3000 level or higher (3 credits) One independent senior project at the 4000 level (3 credits)
Requirements21 required · verify with the official sheet
Requirements
Freshman Year5 required · verify with the official sheet
Freshman Year All students with a serious interest in music should try as freshmen to take, or test out of, MUSA1100 Fundamentals of Music Theory. Students can test out of Fundamentals through AP, IB or equivalent programs, or through the Music Department’s placement exam. Students who have simply a
Recommended Course of Study: Minors1 required · verify with the official sheet
Recommended Course of Study: Minors Minors should ideally complete MUSA2100 Harmony, MUSA2200 History of Western Art Music, and either MUSA2300 Musics of the World or MUSA2310 Popular Music before completing three electives in Music. If minors need to take MUSA1100 Fundamentals before MUSA2100 Harmo
Upper-level clusters, grouped by the gateway that opens them.
The deepest prerequisite chains in MUSA. These are the routes that take the most semesters to climb.
4 courses deep, ending at MUSA 3106
All MUSA courses in the Boston College catalog
Grade medians are for verified students. Sign in with your school email to see them.
Use your school emailInstructors on MUSA sections in Fall 2026, from the registrar's schedule.
No clubs or organizations on record under MUSA yet.
This shows once five students share their club memberships.
MUSA does not run a page here yet. When it does, its events show up here and on the Boston College campus feed.