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.