AP Music Theory credit at Pennsylvania colleges
Every Pennsylvania college with a published AP Music Theory credit policy — minimum score, credit hours, and the course it replaces.
Quick answer
63 of 93 Pennsylvania colleges (68%) award credit for AP Music Theory at a score of 3. 26 require a 4 and 4 require a 5. The lowest bar in the state is a 3 at University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (3 credit hours). 92 of these colleges link to their own policy page below. Captured July 30, 2026.
| College | Min score | Credits | Counts as | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3 | MUSIC 0100 | Policy | |
 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester | 3 | 3 | MUS 199 | Policy |
 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg | 3 | 3 | MUS 119 Music Theory | Policy |
 Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg | 3 | 3 | MUSI 201 Music Theory 1 | Policy |
 Community College of Allegheny County Pittsburgh | 3 | 3 | MUS 101 | Policy |
 Pennsylvania Western University California | 3 | 3 | MUSI 1XXX | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUSC110 | Policy | |
 Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell | 3 | 3 | MUS 120 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUS 122 Reading and Writing Music | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | MUSC 115 Theory I | Policy | |
 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock | 3 | 3 | MUSI 107 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUS102 | Policy | |
 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville | 3 | 3 | MUSI 112 | Policy |
 Duquesne University Pittsburgh | 3 | 2 | MUSC 109 | Policy |
| 3 | — | MUSC 100 | Policy | |
 East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg | 3 | 3 | MUS 101 | Policy |
 Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville | 3 | 3 | MUS 299 | Policy |
PCT Pennsylvania College of Technology Williamsport | 3 | 3 | OPN elective | Policy |
 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg | 3 | 3 | MUSI 212 | Policy |
PSUP | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
 Bucknell University Lewisburg | 3 | 1 | 100 level Music Elective | Policy |
| 3 | — | MUS 29X | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | MUS182 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
 Robert Morris University Moon Township | 3 | — | HUMA 1010 | Policy |
 Widener University Chester | 3 | 3 | MUS 120 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
 Point Park University Pittsburgh | 3 | 3 | MUS 206 | Policy |
 Messiah University Mechanicsburg | 3 | 4 | MUTH 101, 107 | Policy |
 Holy Family University Philadelphia | 3 | 3 | Tier 2 Elective | Policy |
 DeSales University Center Valley | 3 | 3 | FA 115 | Policy |
 Eastern University Saint Davids | 3 | 6 | MUSI-104/104L & MUSI-101 | Policy |
 University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown Johnstown | 3 | 3 | MUSIC 0100 | Policy |
 Wilkes University Wilkes-Barre | 3 | 3 | MUS 103 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | MUSC 101 | Policy | |
 Marywood University Scranton | 3 | 6 | Equivalency dependent on subscores | Policy |
 Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown | 3 | 2 | MU101 | Policy |
 Arcadia University Glenside | 3 | 4 | MU101 | Policy |
 Delaware Valley University Doylestown | 3 | 3 | LA-1060 | Policy |
 Misericordia University Dallas | 3 | 3 | Core or free elective | Policy |
 Seton Hill University Greensburg | 3 | 3 | SMU 127 Fundamentals of Music Theory, and fulfills Liberal Arts Curriculum - Artistic Expression requirement | Policy |
 King's College Wilkes-Barre | 3 | 3 | ARTS 113 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
 Waynesburg University Waynesburg | 3 | 3 | MUS 131, Music Theory I | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | MUS 0101 | Policy | |
 Chestnut Hill College Philadelphia | 3 | — | MUSC-201 and/or MUSC-105 | Policy |
PSUP | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
 Cairn University-Langhorne Langhorne | 3 | 3 | MUS 111 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | HMU 201 or 202 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Mus 008 | Policy | |
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Schuylkill Schuylkill Haven | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
PSUP | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State New Kensington New Kensington | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
PSUP Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Fayette- Eberly Lemont Furnace | 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
| 3 | 3 | Music 008 | Policy | |
 University of Pittsburgh-Titusville Titusville | 3 | 3 | MUSIC 0100 | Policy |
 Temple University Philadelphia | 4 | 3 | Music Studies 1711 | Policy |
 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh | 4 | 9 | 57-012 | Policy |
 Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia | 4 | — | MTF 151 | Policy |
 University of Scranton Scranton | 4 | — | MUS 235 Test score too low for University of Scranton credit | Policy |
 Lafayette College Easton | 4 | 1 | Music 121 | Policy |
 Grove City College Grove City | 4 | 3 | MUSI 103 or General Elective | Policy |
 Gettysburg College Gettysburg | 4 | 1 | MUS 141 / MI-Arts | Policy |
 Dickinson College Carlisle | 4 | — | GNCR 000 | Policy |
 Susquehanna University Selinsgrove | 4 | 4 | — | Policy |
 Moravian University Bethlehem | 4 | 4 | MUS 101 | Policy |
 Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster | 4 | 1 | MUS 100 | Policy |
 Lebanon Valley College Annville | 4 | 2 | MSC 115 | Policy |
 Ursinus College Collegeville | 4 | 4 | MUS 100 | Policy |
 Haverford College Haverford | 4 | .5 | — | Policy |
 University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg | 4 | 3 | MUSIC 0100 | Policy |
 Albright College Reading | 4 | — | MUS 135 | Policy |
 Saint Vincent College Latrobe | 4 | 3 | MU 115 | Policy |
 Chatham University Pittsburgh | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Allegheny College Meadville | 4 | 4 | MUSIC 200 | Policy |
 Juniata College Huntingdon | 4 | 3 | MS-1XXTR | Policy |
 Washington & Jefferson College Washington | 4 | — | MUS 204 | Policy |
 Mount Aloysius College Cresson | 4 | 3 | MUSC 281 | — |
 Lycoming College Williamsport | 4 | 4 | MUS 120 | Policy |
 Geneva College Beaver Falls | 4 | 4 | MUS 108 and 128 | Policy |
 Wilson College Chambersburg | 4 | 3 | — | Policy |
 Bryn Athyn College of the New Church Bryn Athyn | 4 | 3 | Mus1xx | Policy |
 Drexel University Philadelphia | 5 | 3 | MUSC 121 | Policy |
 Lehigh University Bethlehem | 5 | 2 | Music elective | Policy |
 Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr | 5 | 1 | — | Policy |
 Thiel College Greenville | 5 | 3 | MUS 154 | Policy |
AP Music Theory credit in other states
How we ranked this
One row per Pennsylvania college: the lowest score that earns actual credit under the policy that applies to all students, and the largest credit award published at that score. Placement-only policies — permission to skip a course without earning credit hours — are excluded. Credit hours and course equivalents are reproduced exactly as the college published them; “—” means no value was published and we do not estimate one. A page is published for a state only when at least 8 colleges back it.
Frequently asked questions
Which Pennsylvania colleges give credit for AP Music Theory?+
93 colleges in Pennsylvania publish a credit-bearing policy for AP Music Theory. 63 of them (68%) award credit at a score of 3, 26 require a 4, and 4 require a 5. The full list, with credit hours and the course each exam replaces, is in the table on this page.
What is the lowest AP Music Theory score that earns credit in Pennsylvania?+
3. University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus in Pittsburgh awards credit at a score of 3, worth 3 credit hours, counting as MUSIC 0100. 63 Pennsylvania colleges in total set their bar at a 3 or lower.
Does in-state residency change AP credit in Pennsylvania?+
No. AP credit policy is set per institution and applies to admitted students regardless of residency — residency affects tuition rate, not credit awards. What does vary is the school within a university: engineering and nursing colleges commonly set higher bars than arts and sciences. The rules shown here are the ones that apply to all students at each college.
How do I verify these Pennsylvania AP credit policies?+
92 of the 93 colleges on this page link to their own published AP credit page in the Source column; our snapshot was taken July 30, 2026. The college's page is authoritative and can change between admission cycles, so confirm there before building a graduation plan around the credit.
Keep exploring
Data sources: Each college's own published AP / advanced-standing credit page (captured July 30, 2026) · IPEDS institution directory (names, control, location). Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.