Grand Valley State University has a unique program for students that have the talent and interest to combine Engineering and Music. This program has the potential for a career that can span the entire audio and music industries from hardware design and manufacturing to performance. This carefully crafted program is, academically, very demanding.

Engineering Expectations

Students are expected to have completed a college preparatory curriculum in high school that includes courses in Mathematics and English and makes the student "calculus ready" and "composition ready". It is expected that all entering engineering students must have calculus and composition as a prerequisite or corequisite to the Engineering Principles I, course, EGR 101.

Entering students intending to major in Engineering should also have taken chemistry and physics as part of their high school curriculum. Some tinkering with musical and audio electronics is also helpful for background motivation in the engineering program.

Music Expectations

Students are expected to be able to perform musically on a major instrument or voice. Performance proficiency on a major instrument or voice should be at such a level that the student can be considered a serious applied music student and be able to pass a Music Department audition. In addition to major instrument proficiency, the music minor student must also be able to pass a piano proficiency examination for graduation. Music minor students are also expected to participate in the major ensembles of the Music Department.

Upon entrance to the university, the engineering major/music minor student must submit a "major declaration" form informing each department of the student's intention to pursue this program. The student will then be assigned the following advisors:

School of Engineering, Prof. Thomas M. Yackish
                                   Room 618, L. V. Eberhard Center
                                   Phone: (616) 771-6754
                                   yackisht@gvsu.edu

Music Department, Prof. Lee Copenhaver
                              Room 1217, Calder Fine Arts Center
                              Phone: (616) 895-2580
                              copenhal@gvsu.edu

The Engineering Major/Music Minor student must meet with these advisors prior to starting the program to ensure that academic as well as schedule expectations are understood and are possible for the student.