- Our faculty members are practicing contemporary composers, producers and performers
- Our remarkably low 7:1 student/teacher ratio ensures ongoing personal interaction with faculty.
- Take unique interdisciplinary courses and honors classes
Whether you dream of becoming a singer-songwriter, music producer, or film and television music composer, Converse’s Contemporary Music and Media Applications degree is the major for you. At Converse, we will provide you with a solid foundation in musical creation and analysis, practical skills in music business and entrepreneurship, and hands-on experience making music with the equipment you will use in your professional life after college.
Degree Offered
- BMA in Contemporary Music (Media Applications)
Related Programs
About Contemporary Music and Media

Contemporary music is always changing and growing. A degree in Contemporary Music and Media Applications from Converse University will equip you with the skills the day you graduate. With the rise of streaming, and new ways for performers to connect to their audiences, successful musicians of the future will utilize technological innovations and entrepreneurial talent.
In addition to top-notch musical skills, a degree in Contemporary Music and Media Applications from Converse will ensure you are technically and creatively ready for a career in contemporary music.
Create Your Own Ensemble

At Converse, you can create your own ensemble centered on your interests. You’ll earn class credit while developing relationships with fellow student musicians who’ll be your musical network for life. Any genre will be open for ensemble creation. You might choose electronic music, rock, hip-hop, jazz, a cappella – the sky’s the limit!
Our Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) in Contemporary Music/Media Applications blends musical creativity with digital media. It it our goal to prepare you to become an expert in the use of easy-access technological devices and programs that are the lifeblood of today’s music, such as laptops and inexpensive music editing software.
Your coursework will combine music technology and theory/composition into a single degree. You will receive training and hands-on experience in creating contemporary music with digital media. By graduation you will have a portfolio of original musical works created during your studies. You will also learn to be an entrepreneur, through coursework in the business of music.
Sample Courses
- Electronic Music for Video and Performance
- Recording and Sound Reinforcement
- Composing with Electronic Media
- Music and Social Change in the 1960s
- Principles of Harmony
- Piano Class
- Music History
What are common careers in Contemporary Music and Media?
- Performer
- Composer
- Film and video game scoring
- Commercial Music
- Producer
- Studio Manager
What are Contemporary Music and Media alumni doing?
Our alumni are professional performers, composers and educators in the field of music. Nothing speaks quite so highly of the Petrie School of Music as the achievements of our accomplished alumni who are leaving their mark on the professional world.
Department News
Faculty
Music Faculty Present ‘Music for Parkinson’s Patients’ at Conference
April 13, 2022
Dr. David Berry, Don Scott, and Liz Eggerding presented ‘Music for Parkinson’s Patients: One Melody, Many Rhythms’ at the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association in April …
Alumni
Making a Difference: Libby Cuttino Tilson ’79
March 11, 2022
Libby graduated from Converse in 1979 with a Bachelor of Music in music education. Following graduation, she received a Master’s in Music with a concentration in Choral Conducting from Southern …
Converse Students
Five Music Students Advance to SCNATS Mid-Atlantic Regionals
January 5, 2022
Congratulations to our Converse music students for advancing during the SC National Association of Teachers of Singing (SCNATS) Musical Theatre and Contemporary Music auditions in Fall 2021. These exemplary performers …
Programs of Study
Converse offers over 100 majors, minors, certificates, and graduate programs across 2 campuses and online.