Rec Música Centro de Estudios Musicales—Mexico

This program enables students to begin their music education at Rec Música Centro de Estudios Musicales (Rec Música) in Mexico City, Mexico, and complete an undergraduate degree at Berklee in Boston. Once accepted to Berklee, students may receive transfer credit for certain courses taken at Rec Música.

Visit the Rec Música website to learn more about the credit transfer pathway to Berklee.

Entrance Requirements

Rec Música students who wish to transfer to Berklee are required to go through Berklee's official undergraduate admissions process. Students accepted to Berklee will receive transfer credit for courses taken at Rec Música in accordance with an agreement between the two schools.

Students transferring to Berklee must earn a grade of B or higher (3.00–4.00) in each level 1 (core music) course, and a grade of C or higher (2.00–4.00) in each level 2 (other liberal arts and general electives) course designated for transfer in this agreement (see "Required Courses" below) in order to receive transfer credit from Berklee.  

To earn credit for any course in level 1 for which students receive a grade below B, students will be required upon entering Berklee to (1) take the entering student proficiency assessment (ESPA) for harmony and ear training courses; (2) earn credit by exam (CBX) for music technology, tonal harmony, and counterpoint courses; or (3) enroll in the course at Berklee. For any course in level 2 for which students receive a grade below C, credit will not be granted. 

Residency Requirements
Students attending Berklee’s on-campus programs under this agreement must fulfill Berklee’s residency requirement: All students, including candidates transferring from another school, are normally required to complete at least four semesters of attendance and a minimum of 60 credits for the Bachelor of Music degree (or 48 credits for the professional diploma) in order to graduate from the college. This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.

See more information about core music courses at Berklee. 

Liberal Arts and General Electives
Students transferring to the Bachelor of Music degree program at Berklee College of Music must earn a minimum of 39 credits in liberal arts and may use six additional liberal arts credits (two courses) as general elective credit. Students in the professional diploma program at Berklee may use up to 12 liberal arts credits (four courses) as general elective credit. Students attending Berklee’s on-campus programs under this agreement must fulfill Berklee’s residency requirement (see above). This requirement will be applied regardless of the number of credits transferred.

See more information about liberal arts courses at Berklee. 

Performance Courses

  • Ensembles: Rec Música transfer students may receive up to six transfer credits for ensembles. 

  • Principal Instrument: Principal instrument courses (private lessons) taken at Rec Música are nontransferable. Berklee’s policy states that all students, including transfer students, must participate in and pass a minimum of four semesters of principal instrument instruction at Berklee, regardless of their level of proficiency. All transfer students are required to take a Berklee instrumental/vocal proficiency placement examination upon arrival at Berklee to ensure appropriate placement in principal instrument courses.

We encourage you to review the Berklee Global Academic Partner Berklee Track Guidebook, which provides comprehensive information about the credit transfer process.

Curriculum and Courses

Level 1: Required Core Music Courses (32 Potential Transfer Credits)

Students must complete all of the required core music courses listed in block 1 below to be eligible for transfer credits. Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask for details.

block 1 (16 credits)  
REC MÚSICA COURSES Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents
Harmony 1 and Music Writing Skills PW-111 Music Application and Theory (4 credits)
Harmony 2 HR-112 Harmony 2 (2 credits)
Arranging I (Arranging and Rhythm Section)* AR-111 Arranging 1 (2 credits)
Ear Training 1 ET-111 Ear Training 1 (2 credits)
Ear Training 2 ET-112 Ear Training 2 (2 credits)
Traditional Harmony 1 CM-211 Tonal Harmony and Composition 1 (2 credits)
Music Technology Fundamentals 1 and 2 MTEC-111 Introduction to Music Technology (2 credits)
* Course in parentheses is a new course title starting in fall 2020.  
BLOCK 2 (16 Potential additional credits)
REC MÚSICA COURSES BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC COURSE EQUIVALENTS
Harmony 3 HR-211 Harmony 3 (2 credits)
Harmony 4 HR-212 Harmony 4 (2 credits)
Ear Training 3 ET-211 Ear Training 3 (2 credits) or ET-231 Solfege 1 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement
Ear Training 4 ET-212 Ear Training 4 (2 credits) or ET-232 Solfege 2 (2 credits), depending on Berklee major requirement
Traditional Harmony 2 CM-212 Tonal Harmony and Composition 2 (2 credits)
Counterpoint 1 CP-210 The Art of Counterpoint (3 credits)
Counterpoint 2 CP-215 Art of Counterpoint 2 (2 credits)**
Orchestral Conducting COND-211 Conducting 1 (1 credit)
 
** Berklee core music courses required by some Berklee degree programs

Level 2: Other Liberal Arts and General Elective Courses (9 Potential Transfer Credits)  
Note: Contact the academic advisor at this institution to ask about the courses below.

Rec Música Courses  Berklee College of Music Course Equivalents
Art History LVIS-231 The Ancient and Medieval Worlds (3 credits) or  
LVIS-232 The Renaissance to the Present (3 credits)
History of Music LHIS-217 The Modern Age: Europe 1700–1945 (2 credits)
Review of Mathematical Concepts LMSC-130 Applications of Mathematics (3 credits)
Keyboard for Digital Programming ISKB-211 Basic Keyboard Techniques 1 (1 credit)

Potential Transfer Credit Summary
Level 1 courses: 32 credits
Level 2 courses: 9 credits
Ensemble courses: 6 credits
Total: 47 credits