5 Year Dual Degree

The Frost School of Music offers a distinctive Five-Year Dual Degree, consisting of the Bachelor of Music in Instrumental Performance and the Master of Arts in Live Entertainment Management (on-campus version only). Designed for high-achieving Frost School undergraduate students, this degree program allows students to continue their education without interruption and earn a master’s degree at a faster pace. This accelerated plan will help students increase their employment opportunities while decreasing the costs associated with earning a graduate degree.

Other combinations of undergraduate and graduate degrees are also possible with dual enrollment and may be completed within 5 years. Note that not all graduate degrees are available for accelerated studies and not all undergraduate degrees combine well with graduate degrees. Please explore the recommended degree combinations offered by clicking on the link below.

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For the graduate admissions page, please click here.

To be eligible, undergraduate students must have a plan of study with 12 graduate credits in their 4th year (6 fall semester credits and 6 spring semester credits). In order to meet this criterion, students may:

• Earn transferable IB, AP, Cambridge, or dual credits from high school
• Earned credit or tested out of English or Math courses with appropriate SAT, ACT, or ALEKS Math Placement scores.
• Take summer school classes
• Transfer credits from other institutions

• Be admitted to the graduate school in junior year to an appropriate degree
• Earn and maintain a 3.6 GPA or better

Students should discuss the dual degree program with an academic advisor.

• First through third year: undergraduate credits only
• Fourth year: 12 graduate credits (6 credits per semester) in addition to undergraduate credits
• Fifth year: 9 to 12 graduate credits each semester
• Total: 120 undergraduate credits and 30 graduate credits minimum.*

Both Bachelor of Music and Master of Arts degrees are awarded at the completion of required coursework.

*Some degree programs require more than 120 (undergraduate) or 30 (graduate) credit hours.

• Will tuition remission apply for the fifth year for me if I receive tuition remission now?

  Here is the link for information on tuition remission. You are encouraged to reach out to CanesCentral for exact details that pertain to your situation. Generally, tuition remission is for eligible dependents and is limited to undergraduate status. In your 5th year, you will be considered a graduate student and subjected to all policies that apply to graduate students. Also, according to University of Miami Total Rewards, "Eligible dependents are limited to a maximum of 128 attempted credits or such other higher credit number as meets the requirements of the degree.”

• Can I select any graduate program for the fifth year of study or does it have to be the M.A. in Instrumental Performance or the M.A. in Live Entertainment Management?

  Please see the chart for the graduate degrees that are available for your degree. Degree combinations are identified as: approved, recommended, available, and not available. Availability will require consultation with the undergraduate advisor and graduate program director.

• If I plan to study for the fifth year, what would this entail for my fourth year?

  You may not use graduate courses to satisfy the degree requirements for your undergraduate major or minor. You must satisfy all courses in your undergraduate major and minor in addition to the graduate courses. Graduate courses in the fourth year will not double count for the undergraduate degree or minor and the graduate degree. An undergraduate student may take up to 6 credits/semester in the fourth year of study.

• Can the fifth year be done online (the online M.A. Live Entertainment Management program?

  The fifth year may not be used for the online M.A. in Live Entertainment Management (MLEM). This degree option is only for the on-campus MLEM degree programs.

• Is this program eligible for the 5th year to be done abroad (study abroad)?

  The 5th year is not available for study abroad. This degree option is only for the on-campus graduate degree programs.

For more information about this program, please contact the Frost School of Music Admissions.

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