Culminating Experience/Thesis: Berklee College of Music
The Master of Music and Master of Arts programs at Berklee College of Music conclude with a culminating experience (CE). The CE represents the highest expression of a student's learning at the graduate level and helps to shape students’ next steps in their careers by providing them with an opportunity to complete unique and original professional work. Through the CE, students make a creative contribution to define and/or solve a problem that exists within their profession.
This contribution may take the form of:
- a research project;
- a creative project;
- a practical project;
- and/or another project of the student’s devising.
Upon completion of the CE project, a student will have:
- made a creative contribution to the profession, and/or defined and solved a problem that exists in the discipline of study;
- designed and executed an original project;
- produced a professional piece of academic and/or creative work, whether a research project, composition, recording or production, performance, practicum, or clinical experience that is analyzed and summarized, or other;
- evaluated their experience, assessing the contribution made to the profession; and
- analyzed their own artistic, professional, and personal growth as a result of having completed the experience.
Berklee graduate students can find more detailed information on deadlines and requirements in the drop-down menus below or in the Library's Culminating Experience Resource Guide. All students are required to present their work to their CE committee and, if applicable, the entire Berklee community.
Culminating Experience Development and Completion for Berklee College of Music Graduate Programs: Project Proposal and Timeline
Phase One (Semester One): Culminating Experience Proposal
Students propose their culminating experience (CE) to their advisor and program director for approval. This proposal is developed as students study in courses, in interaction with faculty and students, and in discussions with the faculty advisor or director of the program.
Deadline
Fall Semester
CE proposal draft due to the advisor and program director:
- Boston, Friday of Week 9
- Valencia, Friday of Week 12
- Boston, Friday of Week 15 in semester one
- Valencia, Friday of Week 5 in semester two
The CE proposal describes students’ intended CE project and the contribution they plan to make to their profession. In the proposal, students should detail the scope of their work, indicate a plan of action (including a timeline), and identify resources or material needs.
The proposal is a written document in standard English, formatted according to an accepted academic style (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard—different programs may require particular styles). The document is 5–10 double-spaced pages, with standard 1–1.25-inch margins and 10–12-point font. The proposal must include the following headings:
- Proposed CE
- How the Work Contributes to the Profession
- Plan of Action
- Timeline
- Resources/Materials Needed
- Other (optional): some projects may require additional headings according to individual needs.
- Bibliography or Works Cited (depending on style): in-text references should be included throughout. A CE project that involves research will begin with a proposal that requires more external sources than creative experiences. However, even creative experiences will require some external sources, such as interviews with mentors and teachers, analyses of recordings of respected artists, readings about the creative process of other artists, and so on.
- Appendix (optional): students may choose to include a creative project, such as a recording or composition, as appropriate, with their proposal.
Phase Two (Semester Two): Culminating Experience Proposal Final Approval and Culminating Experience Committee Formation
In their second semester, students work with the faculty advisor and/or program director or chair to revise and refine their proposals. Students also determine whether their proposals require review and approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). If so, students complete that approval process. All proposals must be approved by the faculty advisor and program director.
Following final proposal approval, the students work with the advisor to form a culminating experience (CE) committee (see additional information below under Culminating Experience Committee). Each CE committee must meet twice during the second semester to endorse the advisor’s approval of the proposal and to offer advice to the students as they embark on their project. The student will work with each member of the CE committee to develop a regular communication plan. Students must meet with their committee again in semester three for final approval of their CE.
Deadlines
- Revised CE proposal due to the advisor and program director:
- Valencia, Friday of Week 5
- CE committee selection approved by the advisor and program director/chair:
- All campuses, Friday of Week 9
- The CE committee meets to approve the student’s CE proposal and to confirm the timeline and plan of action for revisions to be implemented with the student during semester three:
- All campuses, Week 13–14
Phase Three (Semester Three): Culminating Experience Execution and Presentation
In the final semester of their graduate program, students complete their culminating experience (CE) and present it to their culminating experience (CE) committee and the college community, if applicable.
Deadlines/Process
Weeks 1–5 of semester three (summer):
- Students communicate regularly with their advisor and members of their CE committee, using the timeline established in the proposal to ensure their execution is appropriate, and to address any concerns, questions, or needs for revision as the CE project progresses.
- Initial presentation of the CE project to the advisor and CE committee.
- Advisor's final review of the CE project files before the CE presentation.
Week 6 of semester three (summer):
- Execution of the final CE project (see requirements below) to the CE committee and the college community, which may involve a performance, the presentation of a recording, or another presentation of the student’s devising; in all instances, the student will present information regarding the contribution that was made to the profession in completing the experience.
- Revisions and approval of the final CE project by the advisor and the committee members.
- Completion of the reflection paper.
- Completion of an Abstract.
- All CE project files (compositions/scores, audio, video, thesis, etc.), reflection paper, and the CE presentation slides, or video (optional) are to be submitted into the student's CE Google folder for archiving.
Requirements
The CE final presentation consists of two parts, totaling 40 minutes.
- Part One – a sample performance, a sample composition, or a summary of the student’s work, along with an explanation of lessons learned, the contribution to the broader scholarly or artistic conversation, and any ideas for future project development.
- Part Two – the committee members have 20 minutes for comments and questions.
Culminating Experience Advisor
Students work closely with their faculty advisor and program director in conceiving and developing their CEs. Meetings between the student and their advisor begin during orientation in the first week of semester one. Students flesh out ideas and receive feedback, advice, guidance, and support from their advisors as they design and execute their CEs. Advisors guide students in meeting the various deadlines and milestones required as students complete their CEs and prepare for graduation.
- In the fall semester, students can expect to meet with their advisor to review their CE proposal.
- In the spring and summer semesters, students will meet with their advisors weekly for 30 minutes or biweekly for 60 minutes.
Culminating Experience Committee
Following final proposal approval by the advisor, program director, and, if necessary, the Institutional Review Board, students work with their advisor to form a CE committee. This committee will be chaired by the advisor.
For all programs, the committee will include a minimum of two members and a maximum of three members (the advisor and one or two others). Committee members may include other Berklee faculty or academic administrators. Students may include one external professional contact in the field.
Visit the Culminating Experience Committee Selection page to access the form for your program.
Preparing Your Culminating Experience for Archiving
Preparing Digital Files for the Submission
All culminating experience (CE) projects are submitted to the Berklee Graduate Studies Division for archiving and for viewing by other Berklee faculty and students.
Note: If you do not want your project shared with fellow Berklee students, please email graduatestudies@berklee.edu.
- All students must prepare their files for submission following the final academic approval by their advisor and/or program director.
- Students are required to submit their final CE project files, including audio, video, music scores/compositions, apps, thesis (if applicable), reflection paper, an abstract, and CE presentation slides, or video into their assigned 'CE Google Folder.' You will receive the link to this folder from the Graduate Studies Division.
Follow the file naming and formatting requirements outlined in the Preparing CE Project Files for AAOF Submission
Awarding Culminating Experience Projects With Distinction
Qualification and Nomination Guidelines
Nominated graduate students:
- must have attained a GPA of 3.8 or higher and;
- must have produced a CE project that represents outstanding achievement* in the discipline or area of study with broader significance as a contribution to scholarly and/or artistic inquiry and;
- must receive a nomination from their graduate program director(s).
- Nominations are due to the dean of graduate studies by the Friday after commencement week.
- The Graduate Studies Division to confirm the eligibility of the nominees by the following Friday.
- Conferral of distinction upon individual students will be confirmed by a committee of the graduate program deans by July 31.
*Note: No more than 10 percent of the graduating students in a given program shall be nominated for distinction.
CE projects awarded "with distinction"* will be invited to submit to Berklee archives for inclusion in Berklee's institutional repository. These projects are publicly available online for research purposes.
Final Confirmation
The Graduate Studies Committee will ensure students are awarded their degrees “with distinction” and have their diplomas and records inscribed as such.
Research and Formatting Support
If you need assistance with any aspect of your research, the following resources are always available:
- Stan Getz Library
- Culminating Experience Resource Guide
- Ask Us Live, a feature on the website to chat live with a peer trainer or instruction librarians on research or formatting needs.
- English Writing Tutoring: If you would like to improve your writing skills, you can schedule an appointment with a tutor.
- Institutional Review Board: If students are doing any human subject–based research as part of their culminating experience (CE), they will need Institutional Review Board approval.
- The Case Center: The Berklee Case Center provides support for writing, finding, and using real-world case studies in the classroom. The Case Center also provides support for faculty, students, and staff who may wish to write up their own cases.
- For APA formatting support, use the Purdue University Writing Lab (OWL), a comprehensive resource on formatting guidelines.
- Visit the Chicago Manual of Style for additional formatting guidelines.
Culminating Experience Reflection Paper
Culminating Experience Reflection
Students also reflect on their culminating experience (CE) in a written document or multimedia presentation. This reflection summarizes the work completed, discusses and analyzes the process used, and analyzes the ways in which the project execution aligned with expectations and ways in which the project execution resulted in findings that were unexpected. The student discusses any concerns, questions, challenges, and successes that occurred. The student also discusses the ways in which the CE enriches the discipline of study or the profession and the ways in which he or she was changed by completing the experience. Likewise, the student discusses the next steps—what he or she will do to revise and perfect the project, if anything.
Refer to the Reflection Prompts paper for ideas to help you document your experience throughout the year.
The final reflection of the CE project may take the form of a written document or a multimedia presentation. If the former, the document should be:
- in standard English, formatted according to an accepted academic style (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard—different programs may require particular styles);
- 5-10 pages, depending on the nature of the project;
- double-spaced with standard 1–1.25-inch margins and 10–12-point font.
This reflective document discusses the project, its impact on the student and the profession, and the process involved in completing the work. The reflection paper is a separate written requirement outside of the project files (scripts, scores, lyrics, videos, research papers, etc.).
The reflection must include the following headings or sections:
- Culminating Experience Project: summary of the project that was completed
- Results: how the project did and did not align with expectations
- Plan of Action/Process: where the project met expectations and where it needed to be revised during execution
- Next Steps: if the project were to continue, what would the next phase entail?
- Contribution to the Discipline or Profession
- Impact on the Student Completing the Work
- Other (optional)
- Bibliography or Works Cited (depending on style)
- Appendix
Important Culminating Experience Deadlines
Deadlines for Full-Time Graduate Students
Semester One:
- Culminating experience (CE) draft proposal due to the advisor and program director:
- Boston, Friday of Week 9 in semester one
- Valencia, Friday of Week 12 in semester one
- Revised CE proposal due to the advisor and program director:
- Boston, Friday of Week 15 in semester one
- Valencia, Friday of Week 5 in semester two
Semester Two:
- Revised CE proposal due to the advisor and program director:
- Valencia, Friday of Week 5 in semester two
- CE committee member selection approved by the advisor and program director/chair:
- All campuses, Week 12 in semester two
- Confirm the timeline and plan of action for revisions with the CE committee:
- All campuses, Week 14 in semester two
Semester Three:
- execution of meetings with the advisor and CE committee
- initial presentation of the CE project with the advisor and CE committee
- final review of the CE project by the advisor before the presentation
- execution of the final CE project presentation to the committee and the college community, which may involve a performance, the presentation of a recording, or another presentation of the student’s devising; in all instances, the student will present information regarding the contribution that was made to the profession in completing the experience
- student revisions and approval of the final CE project by the advisor and the committee members
- completion of the reflection paper
- all CE project files (compositions/scores, audio, video, thesis, etc.), reflection paper, and the CE presentation slides or video are to be submitted into the student's CE Google folder for archiving.
- the CE must be approved by the advisor and the files submitted to the student AAOF Google folder, plus the CE Submission Form must be completed by the following deadlines. If not submitted, a student must request an extension from their supervisor. Please see the details outlined in the Student Policy Handbook.
- Deadline: Monday of Week 7 in the summer semester.