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 the next steps in their career 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. All students are required to present their work to their CE committee, and if applicable, other reviewers. 

The Culminating Experience may take the form of:

  • a research project
  • a creative project
  • 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.

Culminating Experience Timeline Overview

  • Phase One—Culminating Experience Proposal Draft: 
    • In the beginning stages of their graduate program, students produce a CE proposal draft to their faculty advisors and program directors for approval. The CE proposal describes the intended CE project and the contribution the student plans to make to their profession. In the proposal, students will detail the scope of their work, indicate a plan of action (including a timeline), and identify resources or material needs. Deadlines for CE proposal drafts and revised CE proposals vary by program. Current students should contact their program directors for detailed timeline information.
  • Phase Two—Culminating Experience Proposal Final Approval: 
    • As graduate students progress in their programs, they work closely with their faculty advisors, program directors, chairs, and/or additional committee members, to revise and refine their proposals. The availability of additional committee members varies by program. Current students should contact their program directors to inquire further. 
    • Students also determine if their proposals will require review and approval by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). If so, students complete that approval process. All final proposals must be approved by the faculty advisor and program director. 
  • Phase Three—Culminating Experience Execution and Presentation:
    • In the final semester of their graduate program, students complete their CEs. During this time, students communicate regularly with their faculty advisors, program directors, chairs, and if applicable, committee members, to ensure their execution is appropriate and to address any concerns, questions, or needs for project revision.
    • Execution of the final CE project 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.

Preparing Your Culminating Experience Project for Archiving 

All CE projects are submitted to the Berklee Graduate Studies Division for archiving and for viewing by other Berklee faculty and students. Please see important guidelines below:

  • Students must prepare their files for submission following final approval by their advisor and/or program director using the file naming and formatting guidelines outlined in the Preparing CE Project Files for AAOF Submission Guide.  
  • Students are required to submit their final CE project files which may include audio, video, music scores/compositions, apps, thesis, reflection paper, an abstract, and/or CE presentation slides into their assigned 'CE Google Folder.' Students will receive the link to this folder from the Berklee Graduate Studies Division.
  • All CE Submissions will be embargoed for two years. After this period, they will be viewable to the Berklee community.

Awarding Culminating Experience Projects with Distinction

For a CE Project to qualify for distinction the student must:

  • have attained a GPA of 3.8 or higher and;
  • 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 
  • receive a nomination from their graduate program director(s). 

No more than 10 percent of the graduating students in a given program shall be nominated for distinction. The Berklee Graduate Studies Division will ensure students are awarded their degrees “with distinction” and have their diplomas and records inscribed as such. 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.

Research and Formatting Support

If you need assistance with any aspect of your research, the following resources are always available: 

  • Institutional Review Board: If students are performing human subject–based research as part of their (CE), they will need IRB approval. 
  • Stan Getz Library:
    • Culminating Experience Resource Guide: Students can find resources for researching and assembling culminating experience projects in this library guide
    • Ask Us: chat live with a peer trainer or librarian about research and formatting needs.
  • English Writing Tutoring: If you would like to improve your writing skills, you can schedule an appointment with a tutor.
  • 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 students who wish to write up their own cases.
  • Berklee Citation Guide: The Berklee Citation Guide includes sample citations, style guide manuals that can be found in the library, and links to helpful websites.

Culminating Experience Reflection

  • Students are required to submit a reflection as part of the CE. This reflection summarizes the work completed, discusses 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 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 the student was changed by completing the experience. Likewise, the student discusses the next steps—what he or she will do to revise and refine the project. 
  • The requirements for the CE Reflection vary by program. Current students should contact their program directors for program-specific requirements.