NEC offers rigorous 5-year programs with both Tufts University and Harvard College. These programs allow students who have dual passions in both music and another field to have access to the world's best resources for both pursuits.
Tufts/NEC Dual Degree Program (BA/BS + BM)
The Tufts/NEC dual degree program leads to a Bachelor of Music degree from NEC and a Bachelor of Arts or Sciences from Tufts University. Students are immersed in the curricula and communities of both schools from the start, taking weekly lessons plus ensembles, music theory, and musicianship at NEC throughout the five years.
This program allows musicians to have an intensive musical and academic experience and is truly among the best of its kind. Students initially live on the campus of Tufts University, taking a shuttle that frequently connects NEC and Tufts.
Students must apply separately to both Tufts and NEC. The performance expectation for admission is similar to the normal undergraduate entrance level.
Harvard/NEC 5-Year AB + MM
The Harvard/NEC program is a unique education for extremely advanced musicians and scholars. It culminates in a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard College after four years, with an intensive fifth year as a graduate student at NEC to complete our Master of Music degree.
As a bachelor's plus master's curriculum, the Harvard/NEC 5-Year AB + MM is quite different from a more traditional dual undergraduate degree program. Students take weekly private lessons at NEC during the initial years of the program, becoming more involved in coursework and ensembles in the fourth and fifth years.
Prospective students must apply separately to Harvard and NEC. The performance expectation for admission is significantly higher than the normal undergraduate entrance level, and only a very limited number of applicants are admitted each year.