Fullerton College—U.S.
Offering one of the most diversified music curriculums and ambitious concert schedules of all community colleges, the Music Department at Fullerton College(Opens in a new window) is strongly committed to transfer education, professional training, and community service.
Programs:
Music associate in arts
Music associate in arts for transfer
Commercial music associate in arts
Music recording/production certificate
Piano teaching certificate
Benefits for Students
Offering one of the most diversified music curriculum and ambitious concert schedules of all community colleges, the Music Department at Fullerton College is strongly committed to transfer education, professional training, and community service.
Nearly 800 majors and over 4,000 students per semester study one or more of 80 classes in music appreciation, music history, music theory, applied music, commercial music, piano pedagogy, and sound recording, and excel in one or more of 25 performance groups. When measured against the enrollments of the 109 other community college music programs in California, the Fullerton College Music Department ranks first in enrollments in the state.
Our formula for success:
Our alumni have transferred to top-tier art schools and work in the entertainment industry. Their careers provide our current students with examples of how to make a living in the arts and permission to dream.
Our teachers are practicing professional artists with direct knowledge of industry standards and practices and great professional contacts.
Our facilities and classrooms are equipped with the latest technologies, software, and industry practices.
We have a special transfer agreement with Berklee College of Music, where students can begin their formal music education at Fullerton College and complete an undergraduate degree at Berklee in Boston, pending acceptance to Berklee.
We strive for a consistent commitment to excellence in music education that reflects our multicultural student population, and our performance program offers a wide variety of practical experience opportunities that foster a respect for the diversity of all peoples, beliefs, and expressions.
Contact Information
Please contact us below if you have any questions about the Fullerton-Berklee credit transfer program.
Fullerton College(Opens in a new window)
321 East Chapman Avenue
Fullerton, CA 92832
Jamie Shew, Coordinator, Vocal Jazz Studies
jshew@fullcoll.edu
About the Program
Students Who Entered Fullerton College on or after September 1, 2023
Entrance Requirements
Students transferring from Fullerton College to Berklee College of Music must earn a grade of “B” (3.00/4.00 GPA) or better in each course specified in the Berklee Global Partner (BGP) credit transfer agreement (see "Courses and Credits" below) to receive credit. If a student receives a grade of “B-“ or lower in any of the required core music courses, no credit will be awarded to the student for any of the core music courses listed in the credit transfer agreement.
In this case, the student will enter Berklee as a transfer student. In the first semester of study, they will be required to take the Entering Student Placement Assessment (ESPA) for course placement in core music courses. They may transfer in any applicable liberal arts and sciences courses admissible under the transfer credit policy in place at the time of the student's matriculation to Berklee.
Admissions: Fullerton College students who wish to transfer to Berklee are required to go through Berklee's official undergraduate admissions process(Opens in a new window). Students accepted to Berklee will receive transfer credit for courses taken at Fullerton in accordance with an agreement between the two schools. Transferring students must send Berklee an official transcript showing all courses specified as completed with a satisfactory grade of "B" or better before credit transfer at Berklee can take place.
Fullerton College students planning to transfer to Berklee under this agreement must do so within four years after completing their program of study at Fullerton College.
Liberal Arts and General Electives
Students seeking to transfer credit to Berklee must first take the steps outlined in the Pre-Approval Process(Opens in a new window) to determine whether the desired course(s) qualify for transfer.
- Students may transfer up to 24 credits of liberal arts courses toward their liberal arts requirements at Berklee.
- Only 15 of those 24 credits can be completed and transferred in after a student has started their studies at Berklee.
- Those 15 credits can be applied to a student’s academic requirements as follows: 9 credits can be applied to liberal arts requirements, and 6 credits can be applied to general elective requirements.
- Students in the Bachelor of Music or Arts degree programs must earn a minimum of 39 credits in liberal arts and may use 6 additional liberal arts credits (two courses) as general elective credit.
- Students in the Professional Diploma program must earn a minimum of 6 credits in liberal arts and may use up to 12 liberal arts credits (four courses) as general elective credits.
See detailed information about transfers of liberal arts courses(Opens in a new window) and general elective courses(Opens in a new window).
Performance Courses
- Ensembles:
- Fullerton College transfer students will receive up to 6 transfer credits in ensembles after completing one or two credits per course taken at Fullerton based on credit equivalency with an average grade of “B” or better.
- All students are required to enroll in an ensemble in their first semester at Berklee.
- Principal Instrument:
- Principal instrument courses (private lessons) taken at a BGP school are nontransferable.
- Berklee’s policy states that all students, including transfer students, must participate in and pass a minimum of four semesters of principal instrument instruction at Berklee, regardless of their level of proficiency.
- All transfer students are required to take a Berklee instrumental/vocal proficiency placement examination upon arrival at Berklee to ensure appropriate placement in principal instrument courses.
Requirements to Graduate
- Residency: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete a minimum of four semesters of full-time attendance and earn a minimum of 60 credits (48 credits for diploma students) at Berklee College of Music in order to graduate. Credit by exam (CBX), advanced placement credit, CLEP credit, and transfer credit do not count as residency requirement credits, even if earned while at Berklee College of Music. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
- Attain at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in all major courses and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
- Complete the principal instrument proficiency level, as specified by the major.
- Complete a required final project in the chosen area of concentration, as described and approved by the department chair (as applicable).
- For music education majors, complete all observation and student teaching requirements.
- For music therapy majors, complete all coursework and a six-month, full-time, post-coursework internship.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to the college.
Learn more about the requirements to graduate(Opens in a new window).
We encourage you to review the Berklee Global Academic Partner Berklee Track Guidebook(Opens in a new window), which provides comprehensive information about the credit transfer process.
Courses and Credits
Required Transfer Credits: 23
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
| MUS107 F Music Theory I | PW-111(Opens in a new window) Music Application and Theory (4 credits) |
| MUS109 F Music Theory II | HR-112(Opens in a new window) Harmony 2 (2 credits) |
| MUS103 F Beginning Musicianship | ET-111(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS104 F Intermediate Musicianship | ET-112(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 2 (2 credits) |
| MUS108 F Introduction to Music Technology | MTEC-111(Opens in a new window) Introduction to Music Technology (2 credits) |
| MUS206 F Pop/Commercial Musicianship | ET-211(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231(Opens in a new window) Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| MUS204 F Advanced Musicianship | ET-211(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231(Opens in a new window) Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| MUS205 F Pop/Commercial Music Theory | HR-211(Opens in a new window) Harmony 3 (2 credits) |
| MUS207 F Pop/Commercial Arranging/Composition | CM-211(Opens in a new window) Traditional Harmony and Composition 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS203 F Music Theory III | CP-210(Opens in a new window) The Art of Counterpoint (3 credits) |
Additional Potential Transfer Credits: 19
Note: Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask about the courses below.
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
| MUSA 131 F Keyboard Skills I | ISKB-211(Opens in a new window) Basic Keyboard Techniques 1 (1 credit) |
| MUSA 132 F Keyboard Skills II | ISKB-212(Opens in a new window) Basic Keyboard Techniques 2 (1 credit) |
| MUS 208 F Music Copying and Notation Software | CW-205(Opens in a new window) Music Preparation (2 credits) |
| MUS 129 Songwriting | General Elective (1 credit) |
| MUS 120 F Survey of Music History | MHIS-201(Opens in a new window) History of Music in the European Tradition (2 credits) |
| MUS 156 F Beginning Jazz Improvisation-Instrumental or MUS 191 F Intermediate Vocal Jazz Styling and Improvisation | PSIJ-211(Opens in a new window) Jazz Improvisational Techniques 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS 256 F Advanced Jazz Improvisation-Instrumental or MUS 290 F Advanced Vocal Jazz Styling and Improvisation | PSIJ-221(Opens in a new window) Jazz Improvisational Techniques 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS 112 F The Music Business | Approved specified elective for music business/management majors, general elective for others (2 credits) |
| MUS 110 F Electronic Music I: Beginning Techniques | General Elective (1 credit) |
| MUS 124 F Recording Lab I: Beginning Techniques | General Elective (1 credit) |
| MUS 112 F Intermediate Voice I | General Elective (1 credit) |
| MUSA 123 F Jazz Piano Technique and Repertoire I | General Elective (1 credit) |
| MUSA 171 F Introduction to Drum Set | General Elective (1 credit) |
Recommended Liberal Arts Courses: 21
Note: Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask about the courses below.
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
| ENGL 100 F or higher, College Writing or ENGL 100 HF or higher, Honors College Writing | LENG-111(Opens in a new window) Introduction to College Writing (3 credits) |
ENG 102 F Introduction to Literature and ENG 103 Critical Reasoning/Writing | LENG-223(Opens in a new window) Literature (3 credits) |
MATH 100 F or higher, Mathematics | LMSC-2xx(Opens in a new window) Natural Science or Mathematics course (3 credits) |
Natural and Physical Science course | LMSC-2xx(Opens in a new window) Natural Science or Mathematics course (3 credits) |
Social and Behavioral Sciences course | LSOC-xxx(Opens in a new window) Social Science course (3 credits) |
| History course | LHIS-xxx(Opens in a new window) Any history course (3 credits) |
| Art History course | LVIS-xxx(Opens in a new window) Any art history course (3 credits) |
Potential Transfer Credit Summary
Required Transfer Credits: 23
Additional Potential Credits: 19
Recommended Liberal Arts Courses: 21
Potential Ensemble Credits: 6
Potential Transfer Credit Total: 69
Please contact Jamie Shew, coordinator of vocal jazz studies, if you have any questions about the Fullerton-Berklee credit transfer program at jshew@fullcoll.edu.
Students Who Entered Fullerton College Prior to September 1, 2022
Entrance Requirements
Fullerton students who wish to transfer to Berklee are required to go through Berklee's official undergraduate admissions process. Students accepted to Berklee will receive transfer credit for courses taken at Fullerton in accordance with an agreement between the two schools.
Students transferring to Berklee must earn a grade of C or higher (2.00–4.00) in each level 1 (core music) course, and a grade of C or higher (2.00–4.00) in each level 2 (other liberal arts and general electives) course designated for transfer in this agreement (see Required Courses below) in order to receive transfer credit from Berklee.
To earn credit for any course in level 1 for which students receive a grade below B, students will be required upon entering Berklee to (1) take the entering student proficiency assessment (ESPA) for harmony and ear training courses; (2) earn credit by exam (CBX) for music technology, tonal harmony, and counterpoint courses; or (3) enroll in the course at Berklee. For any course in level 2 for which students receive a grade below C, credit will not be granted.
Residency Requirements
Students attending Berklee’s on-campus programs under this agreement must fulfill Berklee’s residency requirement: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete at least four semesters of attendance and a minimum of 60 credits for the bachelor of music degree and 48 credits for the diploma at Berklee in order to graduate from the college. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
See more information about the Berklee core music courses.
Liberal Arts and General Electives
Students seeking to transfer credit to Berklee must first take the steps outlined in the Pre-Approval Process(Opens in a new window) to determine whether the desired course(s) qualify for transfer.
- Students may transfer up to 24 credits of liberal arts courses toward their liberal arts requirements at Berklee.
- Only 15 of those 24 credits can be completed and transferred in after a student has started their studies at Berklee.
- Those 15 credits can be applied to a student’s academic requirements as follows: 9 credits can be applied to liberal arts requirements, and 6 credits can be applied to general elective requirements.
- Students in the Bachelor of Music or Arts degree programs must earn a minimum of 39 credits in liberal arts and may use 6 additional liberal arts credits (two courses) as general elective credit.
- Students in the Professional Diploma program must earn a minimum of 6 credits in liberal arts and may use up to 12 liberal arts credits (four courses) as general elective credits.
See detailed information about transfers of liberal arts courses(Opens in a new window) and general elective courses(Opens in a new window).
Performance Courses
Ensembles: Fullerton transfer students may receive up to six transfer credits for ensembles.
Principal Instrument: Principal instrument courses (private lessons) taken at Fullerton are nontransferable. Berklee’s policy states that all students, including transfer students, must participate in and pass a minimum of four semesters of principal instrument instruction at Berklee, regardless of their level of proficiency. All transfer students are required to take a Berklee instrumental/vocal proficiency placement examination upon arrival at Berklee to ensure appropriate placement in principal instrument courses.
We encourage you to review the Berklee Global Academic Partner Berklee Track Guidebook(Opens in a new window), which provides comprehensive information about the credit transfer process.
Requirements to Graduate
- Residency: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete a minimum of four semesters of full-time attendance and earn a minimum of 60 credits (48 credits for diploma students) at Berklee College of Music in order to graduate. Credit by exam (CBX), advanced placement credit, CLEP credit, and transfer credit do not count as residency requirement credits, even if earned while at Berklee College of Music. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
- Attain at least a 2.70 cumulative GPA in all major courses and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
- Complete the principal instrument proficiency level, as specified by the major.
- Complete a required final project in the chosen area of concentration, as described and approved by the department chair (as applicable).
- For music education majors, complete all observation and student teaching requirements.
- For music therapy majors, complete all coursework and a six-month, full-time, post-coursework internship.
- Fulfill all financial obligations to the college.
Learn more about the requirements to graduate(Opens in a new window).
Courses and Credits
Level 1: Required Core Music Courses (Potential Transfer Credits: 23)
Students must complete all of the required core music courses listed in block 1 below to be eligible for transfer credits. Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask for details.
| Block 1 (credits: 12) | |
|---|---|
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
| MUS107 F Harmony I | PW-111(Opens in a new window) Music Application and Theory (4 credits) |
| MUS109 F Harmony II | HR-112(Opens in a new window) Harmony 2 (2 credits) |
| MUS103 F Beginning Musicianship | ET-111(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS104 F Intermediate Musicianship | ET-112(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 2 (2 credits) |
| MUS108 F Introduction to Music Technology | MTEC-111(Opens in a new window) Introduction to Music Technology (2 credits) |
| Block 2 (potential additional credits: 11) | |
|---|---|
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
| MUS206 F Pop/Commercial Musicianship | ET-211(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231(Opens in a new window) Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| MUS204 F Advanced Musicianship | ET-212(Opens in a new window) Ear Training 4 (2 credits) or ET-232(Opens in a new window) Solfege 2 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement |
| MUS205 F Pop/Commercial Music Theory | HR-211(Opens in a new window) Harmony 3 (2 credits) |
| MUS207 F Pop/Commercial Arranging/Composition | CM-211(Opens in a new window) Traditional Harmony and Composition 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS203 F Counterpoint | CP-210(Opens in a new window) The Art of Counterpoint (3 credits) |
Level 2: Other Liberal Arts and General Elective Courses (Potential Transfer Credits: 35)
Contact the academic advisor at this institution about the courses below.
| Fullerton College Courses | Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents |
|---|---|
MUS120 F Survey of Music History | MHIS-201 History of Music in the European Tradition (2 credits) |
| ENG100 F College Writing | LENG-111(Opens in a new window) Introduction to College Writing (3 credits) |
ENG102 F Introduction to Literature or ENG 103 Critical Reasoning/Writing | LENG-223 Literature (3 credits) |
MATH142 F or higher, Mathematics and Data Analysis | LMSC-2xx(Opens in a new window) Natural Science or Mathematics course (200-level or above) (3 credits) |
Natural and Physical Science course | LMSC-2xx(Opens in a new window) Natural Science or Mathematics course (200-level or above) (3 credits) |
Social and Behavioral Sciences course | LSOC-xxx(Opens in a new window) Social Science course (3 credits) |
| History course | LVIS-xxx(Opens in a new window) Any history course (3 credits) |
| Art History course | LVIS-xxx(Opens in a new window) Any art history course (3 credits) |
| MUSA131 F Keyboard Skills I | ISKB-211(Opens in a new window) Basic Keyboard Techniques 1 (1 credit) |
| MUSA132 F Keyboard Skills II | ISKB-212 Basic Keyboard Techniques 2 (1 credit) |
| MUS208 F Music Copying and Notation Software | CW-205(Opens in a new window) Music Preparation (2 credits) |
| MUS156 F Beginning Jazz Improvisation-Instrumental or MUS191 F Intermediate Vocal Jazz Styling and Improvisation | PSIJ-211(Opens in a new window) Jazz Improvisational Techniques 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS256 F Advanced Jazz Improvisation-Instrumental or MUS290 F Advanced Vocal Jazz Styling and Improvisation | PSIJ-221(Opens in a new window) Jazz Improvisational Techniques 1 (2 credits) |
| MUS112 F The Music Business | Approved specified elective for music business/management majors, general elective for others (2 credits) |
| MUS122 F Advanced Music Business | Approved specified elective for music business/management majors, general elective for others (2 credits) |
Potential Transfer Credit Summary
Level 1 courses: 23 credits
Level 2 courses: 35 credits
Ensemble courses: 6 credits
Total: 64 credits
Please contact Jamie Shew, coordinator of vocal jazz studies, if you have any questions about the Fullerton-Berklee credit transfer program at jshew@fullcoll.edu.