Prospective undergraduates
At the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music, our mission is to inspire artistry and discovery, together. Our students earn more than a music degree in the foothills of the Rockies: Diverse opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and a spirit of inclusive excellence await you! We develop multiskilled, multifaceted universal musicians who are well-equipped to participate in the 21st century as artists, educators and scholars; as broadly based professionals with flexible career options; and as passionate, compassionate world citizens.
Home to the first university-level music entrepreneurship center in the country, the College of Music offers seven degrees in 26 fields of study—i.e., a full range of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs, including three degree types for undergrads (BA, BME, BM) with options for BA degree emphases in music production and songwriting, plus options for dual degrees. Discover our 13 academic areas.
Undergraduates may pursue degrees in performance, music education, composition, musicology and more; and may customize those degrees with certificates or credentials in Music Entrepreneurship, Music Technology, Music Theory, Singing Health and Arts Administration. A quarter of our undergraduates pursue dual degrees or minors outside music.
Welcome + info
Enjoy a visit to the College of Music, explore an introduction and tour of our college and delve into student life.
329
undergrad students
8:1
student-to-faculty ratio
75%
of required classes have <20 students
30
ensembles in different genres
25%
99%
placement
3
for dual degrees
13
Follow us
Jordan Pyle (BM ’17, oboe performance)
During her undergraduate studies at the CU Boulder College of Music, alumna Jordan Pyle studied oboe with Teaching Professor of Oboe Peter Cooper and was named a Presser Scholar and Norlin Scholar. She went on to an interdisciplinary career as a performer, music teacher and marketing specialist. Jordan currently holds the position of 2nd oboe/English horn with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, for which she is on a one-year leave. She has previously performed with the Las Colinas Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and more. In 2025, Pyle won a one-year position with the Colorado Symphony and her musical life came full circle: She will spend the 2025-2026 season performing alongside her former teacher Peter Cooper.
Sam Conner (BME ’22, instrumental music education)
Alumnus Sam Conner, a double bassist and educator, impacts hundreds of young performers as an orchestra teacher in the Denver metro area. Just three years after graduating from the College of Music, Conner was named 2025 Outstanding Young Music Educator of the Year by the Colorado Music Educators’ Association. We’re proud of Conner and hundreds of our alumni in teaching positions across the country.
CU Boulder Trumpet Ensemble 2025
College of Music students and alumni achieve success on the national stage. Take the CU Boulder Trumpet Ensemble as an example. At the 2025 National Trumpet Competition, five undergraduates (Leilani Spurlock, Sydney Hoehl, Elise Ehlert, Gwen Milette and Katherine Votruba) won first place in the Collegiate Small Ensemble Division with their performance of Jason Dovel’s “Centrifuge”—the first all-female ensemble to ever win this competition. Their mind-bending performance has racked up hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
Indigo Fischer (BM ’19 flute performance + Arts Administration micro-credential)
Mirroring her curriculum at CU Boulder, Indigo Fischer’s career path melds flute performance and arts administration. Fischer currently serves as Artistic Operations Manager at Music Academy of the West in Montecito, California. Of her multifaceted career, Fischer shares, “Developing a holistic skillset is a requirement in the current landscape. A degree in music from a well-rounded institution such as CU Boulder gives you transferrable skills for many career paths.”
Contact
Questions? Contact us at undergraduate.music@colorado.edu.