YSM announces revamped B.A./M.M. degree program

High-school students can now apply to the Yale School of Music's bachelor of arts/master of music program. Previously open only to Yale College students making plans for graduate school, the revamped degree path allows high-school students to plan simultaneously for college and graduate school. The program is designed for outstanding instrumentalists who are also interested in pursuing a liberal-arts education.

As had been and remains the case, Yale College students can apply to the program during their junior year. Now, high-school students everywhere can apply to attend college and graduate school at Yale. That is, admission to the five-year program is through acceptance into both Yale College and the School of Music, either during the third year of the College's bachelor of arts program or before matriculation into Yale College.

The program, in its expanded form, offers undergraduates the opportunity to spread master's-degree course requirements and study with YSM faculty over the course of five years. Similarly, Yale College students who begin the program in their senior year can complete some requirements toward their master's degrees before graduating and enrolling at the School of Music.

The revamped B.A./M.M. program should be particularly appealing to pre-college students who might otherwise have trouble deciding whether to go the conservatory or university route. YSM's B.A./M.M. degree offers students the opportunity to pursue both degrees at the highest levels of education, and at the only music school in the Ivy League.

Among those who've taken advantage of the program are Philadelphia Orchestra assistant conductor Kensho Watanabe '09BS '10MM, who studied biology at Yale College and violin at YSM, and Charlotte Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Victor Wang '14BS '15MM, who also studied biology at Yale College and received his master's degree from YSM.