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Music Placement Examinations
All new students, including students from other faculties who are interested in pursuing a music minor or major, may sit diagnostic placement examinations in theory (courses with MUTH or MUJZ prefixes) and musicianship (courses with MUSP prefixes) if they wish to register for 200-level courses in these subjects. Placement examinations take place once a year.
For a precise schedule and exam descriptions, refer to Placement Exams.
For B.Mus. and L.Mus. students (except those in a Jazz program) as well as students in other bachelor programs who would like to pursue a Music minor or major, the following placement exams are available:
- Theory - MUTH 150 and 151
- Musicianship (Ear Training) - MUSP 140, 141, 240, and 241
- Musicianship - MUSP 170 and 171
Note: Students who have successfully completed equivalent musicology courses from a CEGEP, college or university, or have passed the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Level 10 History exam, are exempt from Western Musical Traditions (MUHL 186). See Placement Exams for more detail about MUHL 186 exemption.
For B.Mus. Jazz Performance, B.Mus. Faculty – Jazz, and L.Mus. Jazz Performance students, the following placement exams are available:
- Jazz Ear Training - MUSP 123 and 124
- Jazz Keyboard Proficiency - MUJZ 170 and 171
- Jazz Materials - MUJZ 160 and 161
- Theory (B.Mus. Faculty - Jazz students only) - MUTH 150 and 151
Note: Students who have successfully completed equivalent jazz history courses from a CEGEP, college, or university are exempt from Jazz History Survey (MUJZ 187). See Music Placement Exams for more detail about MUJZ 187 exemption.
New B.Mus. and L.Mus. students will receive the placement examination results on their Program Audit (PA). See mcgill.ca/music/student-resources/undergraduates/academic-resources/program-audit for details. Exemption note(s) will be added to the transcripts for those who have been exempt from one or more course(s) via placement exams. Credits will be granted for courses from which students are exempt by way of placement exam(s). Students are generally not permitted to register for a course from which they have been exempt, unless they receive departmental approval. In such cases, a zero credit exemption will be noted for the course from which a student is exempt.
Students accepted into the Licentiate in Music (L.Mus.), who have completed the degree of Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.) at a Canadian or North American university (or the equivalent elsewhere) within the preceding three (3) years, will not be required to sit the Music Placement Examinations and will be exempted from required Theory, Musicianship, and Music History.