Academic Units
CCM is comprised of eight academic divisions, many of which are further subdivided into departments or programs. Learn more about our divisions below or explore individual programs to see why greatness begins at CCM.
Christopher Segall, Interim Division Head
CCM’s Division of Composition, Musicology and Theory (CMT) offers student composers, musicologists and theorists opportunities to create original works, understand the social and historical contexts of music, and develop analytical procedures. The division places great emphasis on merging the theoretical with the practical in biennial graduate student conferences, an in-house and student-run journal (Music Research Forum), residencies by leading composers and the Thinking About Music lecture series featuring distinguished speakers. It serves as a resource for all music students, enriching the creative and intellectual life of CCM and of the broader university community.
Kevin Michael Holzman, Division Head
The Division of Ensembles and Conducting offers professional training programs for choral, orchestral and wind conductors leading to MM and DMA degrees and for jazz musicians leading to BM and MM degrees. The program also offers a BM in commercial music production. The division provides ensemble experiences for CCM students that offer professional training in ensemble rehearsal, performance, musicianship, technique, style and repertoire.
Performing ensembles rest at the foundation of a great school of music. CCM’s student musicians acquire extensive experience performing the major ensemble literature of their discipline and gain rigorous training in performing as ensemble members under the leadership of conductors.
The division’s professional training programs provide an education in the arts enabling CCM’s conductors and jazz musicians to assume leadership roles as professional conductors, performers and educators and to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century with flexibility and ingenuity.
The successes of graduates of CCM’s conducting programs are attested to by the numerous alumni working internationally as conductors, educators and scholars. CCM’s conducting program was previously ranked in the top five among all American music schools by U.S. News & World Report.
Kimothy Pensyl, Division Head
CCM's Division of General Studies offers a Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) with a major in music, which combines the breadth of a traditional liberal arts curriculum with a focus on both the academic and applied aspects of music.
General Studies also offers an academic minor and a wide variety of Fine Arts Elective courses, which are open to all UC students.
Andrew Villemez, Interim Division Head
Offering students a variety of performing opportunities and study with a renowned faculty, the Division of Keyboard Studies has degree programs in piano, organ, harpsichord and collaborative piano. In facilities that include 200 pianos, eight harpsichords, a fortepiano, a clavichord, eight pipe organs, separate practice rooms for keyboard majors and three traditional performance halls plus several other performing spaces, students will find an environment conducive to improving their musical and performing skills and to prepare themselves for professional careers.
Kevin Burke, Division Head
The Division of Media Production’s undergraduate program is designed to provide students with the theoretical and applied foundation necessary for successful careers in filmmaking and digital cinema, episodic and commercial television production, broadcast news media and talent development, interactive and new media, social media, audio and video production and sports media.
CCM Media Production emphasizes hands-on learning that is student-centered and professionally relevant, with required internships at professional media companies and opportunities to develop award-winning media content both within and outside the classroom. In recent years, students have traveled to Germany, Poland, Alaska and California to produce award-winning work that have been broadcast on national and international television networks and accepted in film festivals on five contents.
Students benefit from small class sizes and an innovative, flexible curriculum that reflects industry demands and student needs. The full-time, award-winning faculty have extensive professional backgrounds and emphasize current professional media production tools, techniques and connections to the industry. As a result, students acquire the hands-on skills, professional experience and digital portfolio necessary to transition successfully into the professional world. Students and recent graduates are also connected with the program’s extensive network of successful alumni working in media markets across the country and throughout the world. To broaden their marketability, students majoring in Media Production must complete a minor or certificate of their choice, tapping into the unlimited potential of programs from across the university.
As the largest undergraduate program at CCM, Media Production majors are uniquely positioned within a creative culture at CCM that fosters collaborations with actors, musicians, dancers, set designers and other performing artists as they develop their digital storytelling skills for film, television, Internet and mobile media distribution.
The program also offers an academic minor.
BettyAnne Gottlieb, Division Head
Music Education programs at CCM grew out of the rich musical and educational traditions of the "Queen City of the West." Today, the Division of Music Education continues the traditions begun well over a century ago. The division, drawing upon widely varied institutional and community resources, offers bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. Through an outstanding artist-faculty, challenging curriculum, superb ensembles and excellent facilities, students pursuing degrees in music education are provided with an incomparable program of professional preparation.
Daniel Weeks, Interim Division Head
Offering students a variety of performing opportunities and study with a renowned faculty, the Division of Performance Studies includes degree programs in classical guitar, all orchestral instruments and voice.
All performance majors receive weekly lessons as well as support classes in pedagogy and repertoire of their instruments. Board examinations before a panel of area faculty occur annually or semi-annually. All performance majors must participate in appropriate ensembles which provide valuable learning experiences in addition to the private studio work. The performance major culminates in the senior year with the presentation of recital, required of all performance majors.
Rebecca Bromels, Division Head
The Division of Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration (TAPAA) offers undergraduate or graduate instruction in the following disciplines:
- Acting
- Arts Administration
- Dance
- Musical Theatre
- Opera (Performance, Coaching, Directing)
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Theatre Design and Production
- Costume Design and Technology
- Lighting Design and Technology
- Makeup and Wig Design
- Sound Design
- Stage Design, Props and Scenic Art
- Stage Management
- Technical Production
Few schools offer more comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, directors, musical theatre performers, actors, designers, technicians and arts managers than CCM. Utilizing a superb faculty of professional artist-teachers, CCM’s programs in opera, musical theatre, drama, dance, arts administration and theatre design and production attract remarkably talented students from around the world.
Students in the Division of TAPAA have the opportunity to participate in a wide-ranging scope of degree programs, classes, major productions, studio productions, master classes, summer projects and professional internships.
Students are exposed to a wealth of learning opportunities, thanks not only to the sharing of resources among all the programs within the division, but also through interaction with other divisions at CCM.
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is an accredited institution of the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), and a member of the University/ Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA). The “Film & TV” and “Multimedia” tracks of CCM’s BFA program in Media Production are also fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
The University of Cincinnati and all regional campuses are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Ready to Take Your Next Step?
Applications to enroll at CCM open on August 1 and close on Dec. 1 each year.
Next Lives Here
At the University of Cincinnati, we realize the impact our teaching, research, artistry and service can have on our community and the world. So, we don’t wait for change to happen. We break boundaries, boldly imagine and create what’s Next. To us, today’s possibilities spark tomorrow’s reality. That’s why we are leading urban public universities into a new era of innovation and impact, and that's how we are defining Next for the performing and media arts.
We're about engaging people and ideas - and transforming the world.
We are UC. Welcome to what's Next.