B.M. Composition | For Current Students
Grow as a Composer with Support, Mentorship and Creative Opportunities
At Cal Poly Pomona, the Bachelor of Music in Composition is where your ideas take shape and your voice as a composer begins to grow. Whether you’re writing for the concert stage, film, games, or immersive sound, you’ll learn to create with purpose and precision.
Our program helps you develop a strong foundation in compositional technique, music theory, aesthetics, and technology—giving you the tools to express yourself across genres and media. Small seminars, composer readings, and regular performance opportunities connect your work to real audiences and collaborators.
With close mentorship and hands-on experience, you’ll build a professional portfolio that prepares you for careers in composition, orchestration, and arranging—or for the next step in graduate studies.
Here, you won’t just learn to compose. You’ll become a composer.
Transferring Into the B.M. Composition Option
Current music students who enter under another option, such as General Studies, can transfer into the B.M. in Composition by submitting a portfolio of three original compositions. These works should reflect a range of instrumentation and showcase your creative strengths and musical interests. All musical styles are welcome—including electronic and electroacoustic—but demonstrated skill in written music notation is essential. Scores and recordings must be included with your portfolio. Contact one of the Faculty Advisors listed below for more information.
Composition Faculty Advisors
Dr. Isaac Schankler
Music Technology, Music for Media
Dr. Evan Ware
Composition Advisor, Jazz Studies
Dr. Nadia Shpachenko
Piano, New Music
Curriculum Sheets & Roadmaps
Click on the year you started at Cal Poly Pomona to access the curriculum sheets and roadmaps that apply to you.