The Music Composition degree program offers instruction in the craft and art of composing music. It is designed to prepare students for freelance work as composers, arrangers, and copyists, for graduate work, and for a wide variety of professions in related fields. As an academic degree within the department of music, there is a strong emphasis on musical analysis, critical thought, and the wider undergraduate liberal arts curriculum for which Miami University is so highly ranked.

If you like the sound of being a performing musician or teacher, a music major may be right for you. You'll be most successful as a music major if you have these qualities in addition to performing talent: 1) strong motivation to practice, study, and learn more about music on your own; 2) good sight-reading ability and musical ear; 3) an interest in learning more about various types of music; 4) a high level of intellectual curiosity in subjects other than music