Carney Curve

Boston College course evaluations · every published number, ranked class by class

Positions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted.

Class record · MUSA · MCAS

MUSA 4941

Senior Seminar · 3 instructors on record · 5 sections

What the course score is made of
65BC evaluations5 records · weight ×1.0 · Fall 2021 – Fall 2025
Student reviewsno reviews — does not contribute
RateMyProfessorsno ratings — does not contribute

That is the class itself, averaged across everyone who taught it. Who taught it, and how each of them scored, is the board below — that is what a student picking a section is actually choosing between.

What the challenge rank is made of
52ndMore challenging than 52% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
91BC — “Intellectually Challenging”5 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College's own “intellectually challenging” question for this class only — students answer it positively about courses that stretched them, so it measures intellectual challenge and NOT grading, workload or quality. Almost every BC class scores high on it, which is why it is shown as a rank rather than a score.

What the workload rank is made of
78thMore work than 78% of BC classesranked against every one we hold
60BC — “Workload”5 records · raw score out of 100

Boston College reports workload for this class only as one of five bands, not as a number of hours, and it does not publish what the bands mean — so this site will not translate it into hours. Higher means more work, which is not the same as worse.

This course is for senior music majors whose program contracts predate Fall 2026 (and others with permission of the instructor). Combining elements of a graduate-level music proseminar (weekly reading, responses, and discussion focused on contemporary critical methodologies in music) with supervised but increasingly independent research and writing, the course provides a scaffolded experience for majors to integrate knowledge and skills from previous coursework with their own unique passionate interests. The semester culminates with each student publicly presenting a thesis (or other substantial, research-based project) to the BC Music community.

The board

3 instructors · ranked on this class onlyCompare the top 3

Scores are real averages. The order also accounts for how many records back each one — the count is under every score — so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them.

RankInstructorOverallWorkloadChallengeRMP overall
1Jeremiah McgrannProfessor of the Practice · Music Provisional931 record78th100th1007 ratings · all classes
2Michael NooneProfessor · Music673 records78th58thno page
3Ann LucasAssociate Professor · Music Provisional551 record78th9th604 ratings · all classes

How this board is orderedPositions account for how many records stand behind each number, so one perfect review does not outrank a semester of them. Every score shown is the real average — only the ordering is adjusted. The comparison here is the class itself: a thin record is read against how this class was rated overall, not against the university.

Every instructor with an evaluation record for this class is on this board — it is not a top ten, and nothing is hidden behind a “show more”. Overall is the instructor's blended score for THIS class only, and its one contributing source is Boston College's evaluations for the sections in the row's record count — nothing on this board is an average across the other things they teach. Workload and Challenge are RANKS against every class we hold, not scores: BC's questions all sit near the top of the 1-5 scale, so a raw number would put almost every row in the high eighties and tell you nothing. Challenge is BC's “intellectually challenging” item, which students answer positively about courses that stretched them — it is not a measure of difficulty or grading. Neither column is ever marked better or worse. 2 of 3 rows are marked provisional: fewer than 3 records stand behind the number. That is thin evidence, not a bad instructor — the record count is in every row. The RateMyProfessors column is an instructor's overall figure across everything they teach; that site has no course dimension, so it is shown for information and kept out of the ranking.

The line

All 13 items · means across 5 records
The Professor4 items
Clearly Explains MaterialThe instructor was effective at creating an understanding of difficult subject matter.
794th pctl
Available Outside of ClassThe instructor was available for help outside of class.
8612th pctl
Brings Out Your Best WorkThe instructor motivated me to do my best work.
762nd pctl
Sparked My InterestThe course stimulated my interest in the subject matter.
814th pctl
The Course3 items
Well-Organized CourseThe course was well organized.
713rd pctl
Clear Learning GoalsThe learning objectives for the course were clear.
753rd pctl
Useful Beyond the CourseWhat I learned is applicable beyond this course.
752nd pctl
Assignments & Feedback3 items
Assignments Help You LearnAssignments and exams contributed to my learning.
722nd pctl
Gives Feedback PromptlyI received feedback on my work in a timely manner.
746th pctl
Meaningful FeedbackThe feedback I received on my work was meaningful.
8010th pctl
Workload, difficulty & attendanceNot ratings
WorkloadHow much work the course took outside class, on Boston College's five-band scale — the band boundaries are not published, so this is not a number of hours.
6078th pctl
Intellectually ChallengingThe course was intellectually challenging.
9152nd pctl
Attendance MattersAttending class was necessary to do well in this course.
754th pctl

Bar length is the rank against every comparable record we hold, not the raw score: BC's questions all have a median around 4.5, so a raw-scale bar would be nearly full on every row and would tell you nothing. Every bar is one ink colour — nothing here is graded green or red. The hatched bars are not ratings at all: a higher number on either describes a different course, not a better one.

Game log

5 sections · newest first
InstructorTermSecInstrCourseWork
Jeremiah McgrannFall 202501939360
Michael NooneFall 202401604760
Michael NooneFall 2023016060
Ann LucasFall 202201555060
Michael NooneFall 202101807560

How to read this boardInstructors are ranked on their record in this class only, never on their average across everything they teach. Scores are out of 100 — Boston College's 1–5 agreement scale, ×20, the way these numbers were printed for years. Workload is BC's own five-band figure, not a number of hours, and is shown as a rank. A dash means the question was not reported, and is never a zero.