Bachelor of Arts in Musik

The Bachelor of Arts with Major in Music Degree consists of a strong Music program with a broad range of additional academic studies. Students in this program will take many of the classes, ensembles, and private lessons which are available to those in the Bachelor of Music Degree programs. Graduates with the BA in Music Degree may continue their studies in Music or in other Liberal Arts programs, or work in a variety of related fields.

Why Study Music at Nyack?

The Bachelor of Arts with Major in Music is a substantial, but versatile major that provides a foundation for graduate studies in music and related fields. Bachelor of Arts students choose this program because of its broad spectrum of musical and academic experience.

• Solid academic program
• Has a generous elective component that permits further study in music, bible, and liberal arts as desired
• Comprehensive music learning but lighter requirements than those in the Performance program
• Provides a platform from which to enter music and related fields, as a performer or scholar, as a teacher, music therapist, studio musician, or other professional
• Gives the option of choosing a concentration in Jazz Performance, Broadway Performance, or Collaborative Piano Performance

At a Glance

• Credits: 120 Standard
• Completion Time: 4 years
• Accreditation: New York State Board of Regents, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, National Association of Schools of Music

What Will I Study?

During the Freshman year, students take Core academic courses, Applied Lessons, either instrumental or voice, piano class as needed, Theory lessons at the appropriate entering level, and an ensemble. Since the first year is virtually identical in all majors, they may proceed as BA students with a similar program and electives in subsequent years, or they may elect a different music program. The following outlines the program goals:

• Excellent learning opportunities in music theory, history, and performance
• Comprehensive Liberal Arts education in all fields, as invaluable career preparation
• Spiritual development throughout both Music and Bible core courses
• Course options including international study and service-learning

Our Mission

Nyack College, a Christian and Missionary Alliance educational institution, through its undergraduate, graduate and seminary programs, pursues its historic mission of preparing men and women to “take the whole Gospel to the whole world.”

Core Values

Nyack seeks to exalt Jesus Christ and fulfill its mission by being:

Academically Excellent The academic excellence of Nyack has been recognized by the Middle States Commission on Accreditation, The New York State Department of Education, and The Association of Theological Schools.

Globally Engaged We live in a world that demands engagement from all of its citizens. Nyack will meet these 21st-century challenges with a commitment that for us dates back to the 19th century.

Intentionally Diverse Nyack is the most ethnically diverse Christian College in the history of American higher education. We celebrate this as an important part of both our effectiveness and our identity.

Personally Transforming This transformation is what occurs when students encounter Jesus Himself on our campus and abandon their citizenship of a self-centered, materialistic world in favor of becoming citizens of the Kingdom of heaven.

Socially Relevant Nyack graduates do more than take the words of Jesus to those who have never heard. Our graduates take the love of Jesus to those who have not known love.

A Little History

Over one hundred and thirty years ago, God ignited an overwhelming love for people of every race and tongue in the heart of a Canadian named A.B. Simpson. In those days, Simpson was pastor of a large and affluent church in Manhattan. In response to what God was doing in his own life, Simpson urged his congregants to reach out to the immigrants who were pouring into the city. He even went so far as to bring the poor and the downtrodden into his church. When he began to do this, many in the church were less than pleased.

So in a Sunday morning sermon in 1882, Simpson declared, “I am not interested in being a respectable Christian.” He left the church and began a new venture in which his burning desire to serve all people could be satisfied. He left his church to start a school in which people would be trained to take the Good News of God’s love wherever this news needed to be heard.

That school today is known as Nyack College.

Since its inception on the back of a Broadway stage in 1882, Nyack College has grown to become an institution of over 2,500 students pursuing a wide variety of graduate and undergraduate degrees on multiple campuses. At the heart of it all, is a burning commitment to bring the good news of God’s love wherever this news needed to be heard.

A.B. Simpson described this commitment as taking “the whole gospel” to “the whole world.” Today, as Nyack College serves students who represent “the whole world,” the result is a diverse and vibrant community unlike any other in higher education.