Quick answer: A Bachelor of Music (BM) is an intensive professional performance/conservatory-style degree — roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of your credits are in music, and admission almost always hinges on an audition. A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in music is a liberal-arts degree with music as your focus — usually 30–50% music credits, more room for other subjects or a double major, and sometimes no audition required. A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a professional studio-arts degree most common in musical theater and multidisciplinary/contemporary programs, blending intensive training with production and performance work. The right choice depends on how single-minded your music-career goals are and how much academic breadth you want.
Here’s how to tell which one fits you.
The three degrees at a glance
| BM (Bachelor of Music) | BA (Bachelor of Arts) | BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Music credits | ~65–75% | ~30–50% | ~60–70% |
| Best for | Performers/composers aiming at a professional music career | Musicians who want breadth, a double major, or flexibility | Musical theater, contemporary/commercial, multidisciplinary artists |
| Audition | Almost always required | Sometimes required, sometimes optional | Usually required (often audition + interview) |
| Typical home | Conservatories & schools of music | Universities & liberal-arts colleges | Conservatories & specialized arts programs |
| Academic breadth | Narrow, music-intensive | Broad | Narrow, arts-intensive |
Bachelor of Music (BM): the professional performance track
The BM is the most focused of the three. Expect the majority of your coursework — often 65–75% — in applied lessons, ensembles, music theory, aural skills, music history, and your concentration (performance, composition, music education, jazz studies, and so on).
Choose a BM if: you’re confident you want a career centered on music, you’re ready to audition, and you want the deepest possible training. This is the standard degree at conservatories and dedicated schools of music.
The trade-off: less room for coursework outside music, and less flexibility if you later want to pivot or double major.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Music: breadth and flexibility
A BA in music sits inside a liberal-arts framework. Music is your focus, but only about 30–50% of your credits are in it, leaving space for general education, electives, or a second major.
Choose a BA if: you love music but also want to study something else seriously (psychology, business, computer science, pre-med), you’re weighing a double major, or you want to keep career options open. Many BA programs have lighter audition requirements — or none at all — which can also make them a strong option for late-blooming musicians.
The trade-off: less intensive musical training than a BM, which matters if your goal is elite-level performance.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Music: the studio-arts hybrid
The BFA is a professional studio degree. In music, you’ll most often see it in musical theater and in contemporary/commercial and multidisciplinary programs. It combines intensive performance training with production, collaboration, and stagecraft.
Choose a BFA if: you’re pursuing musical theater or a genre-crossing, performance-heavy path where the training is as much about doing the work professionally as studying it.
The trade-off: like the BM, it’s specialized — great if the focus matches your goals, limiting if it doesn’t.
How to actually decide
Ask yourself three questions:
- How certain are you about a music career? Very certain → lean BM/BFA. Want to hedge → lean BA.
- Do you want (or need) to study something besides music? Yes → BA. No → BM/BFA.
- Are you ready to audition at a high level? Yes → all options open. Not yet → a BA can be the smarter entry point, and you can still transfer into a BM later.
One thing families often miss: the same school can offer all three, and the audition bar, curriculum, and career outcomes differ dramatically between them. Choosing the right degree type is often more consequential than choosing the school.
Frequently asked questions
Is a BM better than a BA in music?
Neither is “better” — they serve different goals. A BM gives deeper professional training; a BA gives breadth and flexibility. The better degree is the one that matches your career plans.
Can I switch from a BA to a BM later?
Often yes, though it usually requires an audition and may extend your timeline. Some students intentionally start in a BA to strengthen their playing before auditioning into a BM.
Do BA music programs require an audition?
Sometimes. Many BA programs have lighter audition requirements or none at all, while others audition for placement or scholarships. Always check the specific program.
Which degree is best for musical theater?
Most musical-theater training happens in BFA programs, which combine singing, acting, and dance with professional production work.
Which music degree makes it easiest to double major?
The BA, by design — its lighter music-credit load leaves the most room for a second major.
Written by Dr. David Lee Fish, Ph.D. — professional musician, former music department chair, and cover-story author on the best music schools for In Tune Monthly. Dr. Fish helps college-bound musicians and their families find best-fit programs and navigate auditions. Book a free intro chat.