Hello! I am applying to colleges this fall and am looking for prestigious schools with strong programs in both Biology and Vocal Performance. Every time I google search, my results give me top schools in either one field or the other. I would love any advice or recommendations regarding good schools for these majors, as well as applications for their programs! Thank you!
1 Like
I would suggest you put this in the music majors forum. If you are looking for a BM in vocal performance along with a bachelors in biology, please remember that you will need to audition for the music performance BM part of your application.
One suggestion I’ll give is Oberlin. You would need to audition for the conservatory, and apply to both the conservatory and the college. It would likely take you five years to complete both of these undergrad majors.
Lawrence University is also very amenable to music majors having another major.
And I might be wrong, but I believe Bard requires a second major for its music majors.
I’m not sure what you mean by “prestigious”. In terms of vocal performance, I think conservatories are the most prestigious. But you can’t get a biology degree there.
Why do you want to major in these two majors?
2 Likes
Size, budget, type of music, looking for double major, major/minor, or STEM major with good music opportunities?
St. Olaf is strong in both music and biology as is Luther. You can get nice merit for music at Luther.
5 Likes
Something like this ?
The Case program is for a BA in music. Not a BM in performance.
@compmom your thoughts?
1 Like
I looked for vocal and it came up. But ok.
I agree Bard is worth a look. Very strong with music and science degrees and seems to be generous with scholarships. We know several grads who have been very happy and successful there.
1 Like
Hi AW2025, I would echo the suggestion to go on the Music Forum. You could benefit from reading the Double Degree Dilemma essay pinned near the top, which uses hypothetical individuals to discuss the different ways to study music, In the meantime I will outline options.
So you can do a BA or BS in science and a BM (Or sometimes MM) in a double degree program. Oberlin, Bard and Lawrence have been mentioned as well as St. Olaf, as good schools for double degrees, but there are many including large universities and partnerships between universities and conservatories. Harvard has a double degree (BA/MM) with NEC and Tufts has a double degree (BA/BM) with NEC. Yale has a double degree with the School of Music. Northwestern has Bienen etc. etc. Double degrees take 5 years generally. Bard requires double degrees of all Conservatory students.
Some people do combine music and science in a double major (BA music, BA or BS science) but it can be intense and difficult and may take more than 4 years. Combining science and music is especially difficult, in a double major, because labs and the rehearsal, practice and performance demands of music may create scheduling conflicts. (Note this is for one degree with two majors, which is different from a double major.)
You can also do a major/minor, most likely with the major being science and the music being the minor. You could still do extracurricular music, lessons and performance, often with funding and even for credit, along with classes for the minor.
Finally, you could do a BS or BA in science and continue music via lessons, practice, and extracurricular performance, again often funded and for credit. You would be able to take music classes as electives. I know a student who went to Bard for science and did not do the Conservatory, and is in a PhD program for music. Oberlin has Musical Studies BA for students interested in other academic subjects. These schools and others have “low walls” between conservatory and college.
However, if you do choose that path, you have to check to see if there is a BM program on campus and if that means grad student teachers, fewer opportunities to perform and so on since the better prof’s and performances might go to the BM students. You might even choose a school that does not have a BM program.
It is okay to apply to different options and choose in late senior year, too, if you are unsure.
Life is flexible- more flexible than it feels like. I know a voice student who got a BM but went on to study for a doctorate in Medieval Studies. I know a professional musician who didn’t even major in music and is doing well. I know a student who went to MIT for something I don’t understand who did PhD in composition. But also a kid who got a BM and works in children’s tv. Etc. You can combine music and science in all kinds of ways, or do one at a time. You will figure it out.
I should add that many of these schools have classical voice and I have maybe assumed that was what you wanted. If you want jazz, popular, contemporary, folk, songwriting and so on, or even choral, I would make different suggestions so let us know.
4 Likes
Has the thread title been edited? It says the you’re looking for a vocal performance minor; but the discussion reads as if a BM was mentioned previously.
There are many schools that have strength in both areas. What do you hope to do with the biology major? Are you aiming to be a health professional, or are you looking to pursue graduate study in the life sciences… or teaching… or…?
You could study what you want to, with strength in both areas of interest, at schools ranging in size from under 1500 students, like Lawrence, to ones with over 45,000 undergraduates, like Ohio State. There are so many choices that you probably need to share a few more criteria that you’re looking for, in order to narrow down what is suggested. Budget? Geographic constraints? Preferences for social “vibe,” urban/suburban/rural, class sizes, weather…?
1 Like
@aquapt I think the responses, including mine, were to the post, not the title. You are right: the title would seem to have a more narrow focus.
I think when music is mentioned, that people often go to BM 's and double degrees. I personally am a fan of the route of BS in science with either a minor in music (as requested) or extracurricular music. In either case, better perhaps to do it in a school that does not have a BM program because of possible prioritization of BM students.
The OP wanted suggestions for schools but it is a bit more complicated than that. I would suggest any school that doesn’t have a BM program but a good music department, and an excellent science program. Could be MIT, Stanford, a lot of LAC’s and universities. So we would need more info.
I hope @AW2025 comes back and tells us why she wants to study these two areas of study. That will help guide our answers.
Yes, one can major in biology and minor in music…but I think it would be a challenge to minor in music performance which is an auditioned major. That is why I responded the way I did.
@AW2025 i would suggest that you contact the music departments at colleges where you find biology programs you feel are what you want. See what the music department chair, voice applied teachers, and choral ensemble conductors tell you. Our kid did this but with instrumental folks, and found them to be VERY helpful.
Sample of one. Our kid’s intention was to minor in music. But she found it was just challenging to fit all the courses into her schedule once she started. She was also a STEM major. BUT she did play in the college orchestra as first chair all four years, and took private lessons, and got a performance scholarship each term (wasn’t big but every penny counts). She also was able to play in some community based productions recommended by her applied teacher.
We know vocalists who attended great colleges and joined some fabulous church choirs where the repertoire was amazing! Another option for a vocalist.
1 Like
St Olaf is very strong in Biology and related majors and of course for music. They often have premed/music double major/minor so it’s definitely doable there.
Lawrence Wisconsin or Oberlin may also work (they have both conservatory and LAC) but I’m guessing the conservatory+college model is less hospitable to a Music Major or minor who also wants to major in Biology.
Amherst, Grinnell, Brown would likely make it very easy to combine both.
Oberlin is fine for this double major, but I don’t think this student can minor in music performance there. As noted above, to double major in music performance and biology, one needs to apply to and audition for the conservatory, and apply to the college as well. And expect to take five years to complete the program.
I believe the conservatory/university options noted by @compmom require the same.
I think a “minor” in music performance could be the challenge here.
A minor in music is different from a minor in music performance. BA programs in music tend to be academic/liberal arts music often with some performance component, but most “performance” remains extracurricular. There are always exceptions to every rule. (Oberlin’s Musical Studies may be one such exception.)
If a student wants to study performance and doesn’t want to do it as an extracurricular (lessons, performance) then a BM or double degree would be needed in most instances.
OP can check with Oberlin, Bard, Lawrence and other schools about options for a focus on science with some element of performance studies.
2 Likes
One other thing: for a non-audition application, you can submit a music supplement with recording/video, music resume, and music letters of reference (1-2). This should be done if justified by talent and accomplishment and can help with admissions at a lot of schools.
3 Likes
Susquehanna University and Ithaca College have a minor in performance. You can major in biology at nearly any university but just check the course offerings to see if they have the areas for your interest.
5 Likes
Both Ithaca and Susquehanna have BM programs so again, it is worthwhile to see if the best teachers and performance opportunities go to the BM students. You have to audition into these programs once on campus, and take some required classes, for entry into the music major-at both these schools.
There are no doubt many other examples of performance minors. But the option remains of going to a school that does not have a BM degree and doing music as an extracurricular with electives, along with a BA or BS in biology. In practice, not sure that would be any different from the Ithaca or Susquehanna experiences but there would not be BM students present so equal access to teachers and performances.
1 Like
It would be helpful if @AW2025 came back and told us why they wanted this combination of college studies.
2 Likes
Jumping in to clarify that at Oberlin, it is not a double major, but a double degree- one degree from the Conservatory in music performance (BM) and one degree from the College in the other subject (BA), and is set up to take 5 years. One cannot double major in a Conservatory subject and a College subject. One can double major in the Conservatory (ie Jazz Piano and Voice) or in the College (ie English and History).
There is also the option to minor in music, but it is through the College, with courses taken in the Conservatory. Here is a description of the music performance minor:
2 Likes
Oberlin has the Musical Studies program Musical Studies Major | Oberlin College and Conservatory though it doesn’t seem like a fit. In the meantime, we still don’t know if the OP wants classical/opera or popular and songwriting. For others, here is a description of the Musical Studies program:
Oberlin’s Musical Studies Program offers students in the College of Arts and Sciences the opportunity to study music from cultural, critical, and creative perspectives. Our majors engage with everything from video game music to the history of popular forms, taking courses from both the college and the conservatory. Designed for students with serious prior musical training, the major emphasizes critical thinking, writing, and communications skills grounded in practical musical experience. Students in the program build foundations in music theory, musicianship skills, and music history, and continue more advanced work with a selection of courses chosen to enhance their individual interests.
A Flexible and Complementary Major
The Bachelor of Arts music program is a partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and Conservatory of Music, offering students an interdivisional approach to musical study. Majors take courses in both divisions and earn a BA degree with a focus on music. Many students pair musical studies with other majors in the arts and sciences, from politics or Africana studies to cinema studies or theater and dance. With its combination of history, theory, and creative practice, the musical studies curriculum prepares graduates for a wide range of careers in music education, conducting, ethnomusicology, music theory, performance, and other related disciplines.
1 Like