Based in Hanover, New Hampshire, the college offers a Bachelor of Music degree geared toward students with little or no knowledge of music theory. Topics covered include musical notation, intervals, scales, rhythm and meter and general musical terminology. The course involves music from various backgrounds and music technology. The college also offers a master's program in digital music, an interdisciplinary program that explores the interrelationships among music, technology, cognitive and computer science, and acoustics and related disciplines.
The university has a Bachelor of Arts program targeting students who want to major in music within the liberal arts curriculum. It is designed for someone considering a 5-year undergraduate-graduate program in teacher education, or graduate studies leading to a Master of Arts or doctoral degrees. Applicants to the bachelor's program must provide evidence of satisfactory musical training by taking an admission audition. The University of New Hampshire also offers a Bachelor of Science program that targets students intending to develop talent in performance, composition or music education. The program is recommended for students considering graduate studies leading to a Master of Music or Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
The university's Music Theatre and Dance Department offers majors in music, music education and theater, with options ranging from music technology or piano performance to theatrical design, theater history, dramatic writing and music theater performance. The college offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education and another in Music Study and Performance, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater. The theater degree program provides options in acting, dramatic writing, music theater, performance and theatrical design technology.
The Bachelor of Arts major at Keene State College offers five specialized options: Composition, Music History, Music for Elementary Teachers, Music Technology and Music Theory. Admission into the degree program includes an audition. Concentration is determined in consultation with a faculty adviser. While the Music Education concentration prepares teachers of kindergarten through grade 12, the music performance specialty focuses on performance proficiency and applied study of a major instrument or voice.