Degree and Diploma Programs

These performance experiences are augmented by courses in the musical studies, career studies, and liberal arts departments, as well as uncommonly frequent performance opportunities.

Curtis offers studies toward a Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, and Professional Studies Certificate. Additional information about these programs can be found here.

Upon acceptance to Curtis, all undergraduate students are automatically placed into the non-degree, undergraduate Diploma program. Students who wish to enter the Bachelor of Music program must meet that program’s entrance requirements by submitting the most current official transcript of high school and (if applicable) college academic work, as well as standardized test results (Please note: Submitting SAT scores is optional). Any change from one program to another by post-secondary-school diploma students must be made no later than the end of the second year at Curtis. Diploma students wishing to apply for entrance to the bachelor’s degree program must complete the Degree Program Transfer Application and submit it to the registrar for consideration.

Curtis follows the AP policy of the University of Pennsylvania, available at https://www.college.upenn.edu/ap-equivalence. Foreign language AP scores of 5 may be awarded 3 college credits, if they are earned in a language that is not the native tongue of the student. No other AP credit will be awarded.

With permission from the dean, students who have completed Curtis’s liberal arts requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree may enroll at no cost at the University of Pennsylvania for additional courses not available at Curtis, under the reciprocal agreement between the two schools.

The Diploma program for post-secondary-school students lasts two to four years. The Bachelor of Music program requires three to five years. The Professional Studies Certificate, Post-Baccalaureate Diploma, and Master of Music programs may be completed in two to three years.