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Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
A Concentration In
Composition & Theory
An emphasis within the B.S. in Music — write, arrange, and score with command of the craft.
Compose & Arrange
Counterpoint, orchestration, and form
Score for Film
Includes a film scoring course
Conduct Your Work
Conducting and ensemble experience
Behind every piece of music is a composer who understands how it all works. The Composition and Theory concentration builds on ACU’s strong theory core to make you that musician — fluent in counterpoint, orchestration, form, and the craft of writing music that works.
On top of the music major, you’ll add twenty-three credits focused on composition and analysis: Counterpoint, Form and Analysis, Instrumentation and Orchestration, and Film Scoring, plus music production, conducting, ensemble work, and a junior recital. You’ll learn to write for voices and instruments, score for media, and analyze the music that has shaped the tradition. You’ll graduate able to put what you hear in your head onto the page — and into performance.
Master Counterpoint
Learn to write independent musical lines that work together.
Analyze Musical Form
Understand how music is structured through form and analysis.
Orchestrate and Arrange
Write effectively for instruments and ensembles.
Score for Film
Compose music for film and media.
Produce Your Music
Bring compositions to life with music production tools.
Conduct and Perform
Develop conducting skills and present your work in a recital.
Writing music is among the most creative things a person can do — and a Biblical Worldview gives that creativity a deeper meaning.
Sub-Creation
To compose is to make something genuinely new — an act that echoes the creativity of the One who made us creative. Composition becomes participation in something larger than self-expression.
Frames your writing as creative work with real significance.
Order and Beauty
Music theory reveals the deep order beneath beautiful music — structure that isn't arbitrary. Studying that order is a way of noticing the patterned beauty woven into the world.
Grounds your craft in the conviction that order and beauty go together.
Craft as Stewardship
A gift for music is worth developing through disciplined work. Mastering composition treats that gift as a stewardship, not just a talent to coast on.
Motivates the patient work of mastering the craft.
Composition skills open creative careers in writing, arranging, and scoring — and strong preparation for graduate study.
Composer & Arranger
Write and arrange music for performance, ensembles, and artists.
Film, Media & Game Scoring
Compose music for film, media, and games.
Songwriter & Producer
Write and produce original music.
Music Educator & Theorist
Teach music theory and composition (teaching may require further credentials).
Graduate Study in Composition
Continue into a graduate program in composition or theory.
The Composition and Theory concentration gives you serious command of the craft of writing music.
Deep Theory Foundation
Built on ACU's four-level theory core, then extended into counterpoint, form, and orchestration.
Write for Today
Film scoring and music production prepare you for how music is actually made and used.
Hear Your Work
Conducting, ensembles, and a recital let you bring your compositions to life.
Craft as Calling
Study composition framed by a Biblical Worldview of creativity and craft.
Already drawn to the Music degree? Adding the Composition and Theory concentration is simple.
Apply & Audition
Apply to ACU and audition on your primary instrument or voice.
Start Your ApplicationChoose Composition & Theory as Your Concentration
Tell your music advisor you want this track, and they'll map it into your plan.
Build the Theory Sequence Early
The upper-division composition courses require completing the theory sequence (MUS 493).
The Composition and Theory concentration gives you the craft to write, arrange, and score with confidence. Apply or reach out today.
