Berklee Online to Award First Degree

Larry Oppenheimer ’77 (aka “Larry the O”) will be the first person to complete his degree through Berklee Online, the digital campus for Berklee College of Music, and will be among the graduates at Berklee’s 2015 commencement exercises.

During the 1970s, Oppenheimer attended Berklee for five semesters, but he left to develop his career as a recording artist and author and to work with audio equipment companies. Later, he worked in postproduction audio for TV, movies, and video games. Despite having a diverse and exciting career, he always wished that he had completed his Berklee degree.

After the economy collapsed in 2008 and he was laid off from his job, Oppenheimer realized that it might be the moment complete his studies through Berklee Online. “Taking those courses offered me the chance to brush up on things I’d learned earlier, learn new things, and come out of it with a degree that I could list on job applications,” he says. “The confidence I developed by completing this is big for me. When I walk across the stage in May and they put that piece of paper in my hands, you can bet I will be all smiles.”

For more information about Berklee Online degrees and degree completion opportunities, visit online.berklee.edu.