Information on Undergraduate School of Music
Music Theory Placement Tests
All entering undergraduate music majors are required to take a placement test/exam in music
theory. The results of this test will NOT affect your admissions status. There are four placement tests
to serve different students’ needs, as described below.
 Music Theory Assessment Test (online): students who have not previously taken collegelevel theory or aural skills courses (incoming freshman music majors and minors)
 MUS 113/114 Exemption Exam: students who have not previously taken college-level
theory or aural skills courses (incoming freshman music majors and minors) who score
over a 90% on the online Music Theory Assessment Test
 Music Theory and Aural Skills Transfer Exam: students who have previously taken collegelevel theory or aural skills courses (transfer students)
 Advanced Placement (AP) Exam: students who have taken the Advanced Placement exam
in music theory
Music Theory Assessment Test
Summer on-line test
Test closes on August 17, 2014
This test is for students who have NOT previously taken college-level theory courses (most entering
freshman music majors and minors). This test is administered online through Blackboard. You can
enroll in this non-fee, non-credit class/test by registering for the summer class:
NCCT 006-951
CRN 41026
In order to register, you must activate URSA, your online student portal. If you have not activated URSA
yet, please follow the instructions below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Activate URSA at https://ursa.unco.edu/cp/home/displaylogin .
Click on “I need to activate my account” and follow the prompts to activate your account. If you do not know
your Bear number, click on Bear number lookup once you are in the activation screen.
Register for the class by going to the Student Tab in URSA, Registration Tools area, Register, Add or Drop
Classes. Enter the CRN number (listed above) in the bottom of the Add Classes Worksheet and click
accept/submit.
Make sure to activate your Bearmail at http://bears.unco.edu. Bearmail is UNC’s official email and will be
used for all correspondence. Please check it often.
Please contact Valerie.Kalos@unco.edu if you have trouble registering.
The test should be completed prior to August 17 and before student orientation
The test covers music literacy in the following areas (a sample test is available on the School of
Music website at www.arts.unco.edu/music):
 Notation of pitches in treble and bass clefs
 Correct beaming of rhythms
 Intervals within an octave
 Triads
 Major and minor scales
 Major and minor key signatures
The assessment test will determine whether you have the preparation and basic theory skills to
enter the music theory sequence of courses (MUS 113 and 114) for music majors. Students who
score less than 70% should enroll in MUS 104 Foundations of Music Theory. Students who score
70% or higher should register for MUS 113 Music Theory I and MUS 114 Aural Skills I. Students
who score 90% or higher have the option of taking the MUS 113/114 Exemption Exam, described
below. Advisors will be available to help students register for theory courses at College of
Performing and Visual Arts Orientation dates.
Instructions for accessing the online test:
1. Type the following URL into your browser: http://bb.unco.edu or
http://unco.blackboard.com.
USERNAME: first 8 characters of the UNC generated email/Bearmail address
PASSWORD: is the same as you use to access URSA and your bear email account
2. You will have 1 hour to complete the test, after which the test will close automatically. To
compensate for unexpected technical issues, you may take the exam up to three times.
3. You can get assistance for online learning at the UNC Blackboard Help site at:
http://www.unco.edu/blackboard and click on the Student tab.
MUS 113/114 Exemption Exam
Thursday, August 21: 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm, Frasier 169
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Incoming students who score a 90% or higher on the Music Theory Assessment Test
(above) have the option to take the MUS 113/114 Exemption Exam (this exam is NOT for
transfer students; see below). Students who score 80% or higher on the Exemption Exam
may choose to enroll in MUS 115 Music Theory II and MUS 116 Aural Skills II in their first
semester of study.
The MUS 115/116 Exception Exam will only be offered on Thursday, August 21 (the
Thursday before classes start in the fall) from 1–3 p.m. in Frasier Hall 169. Note that
students must complete the online Assessment Test at least one week before classes begin
in order to take the Exemption Exam in a timely manner. Students who place into MUS
115 and 116 should work with their advisors to complete any necessary paperwork
regarding waiving required classes.
Music Theory and Aural Skills Transfer Exam
Wednesday, August 20: 1:00 pm- 3:00 pm, Frasier 90
This exam is for students who have received college-level credit for music theory and/or aural
skills; such transfer students do not need to take the online Music Theory Assessment Test or the
MUS 113/114 Exemption Exam described above. The transfer exam will determine which credits
will transfer to UNC as music classes and where they should start in the theory sequence. For
students entering in the fall, this exam is given the week before classes begin on Wednesday,
August 20, from 1–3 p.m. in Frasier Hall 90. Transfer students who enter in the spring should
contact a member of the music theory faculty to schedule this exam.
The results of the transfer exam will be emailed to the student with instructions on how to
register for the appropriate classes. To transfer credits for previous coursework, students must
take the transfer exam and then obtain written approval by UNC faculty. Appropriate paperwork
(Transfer Evaluation Form) is available in the School of Music Office, Frasier Hall 108.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exam
Students who have taken the Advanced Placement Exam for Music Theory may be eligible for
course credit. These students should request that their scores be sent to the University of
Northern Colorado’s Office of Admissions. Students with a score of 4 on the AP Music exam may
place into MUS 115 Music Theory II and MUS 116 Aural Skills II. Students with a score of 5 on the
AP Music exam may place into MUS 213 Music Theory III and MUS 214 Aural Skills III. Students
with a score of 4 or 5 on the AP Music exam do not need to take any additional placement tests.
They may choose to start the sequence at a lower level if appropriate. For information on AP
exams in other areas, visit http://www.unco.edu/admissions/freshman/apip.html.