If the scale has no tonic, the starting degree must be chosen arbitrarily.
In set theory, for instance, the 12 degrees of the chromatic scale are usually numbered starting from C=0, the twelve pitch classes being numbered from 0 to 11.
This implies a functional scale, as is the case in tonal music.
In Schenkerian analysis, "scale degree" (or "scale step") translates Schenker's German Stufe, denoting "a chord having gained structural significance" (see Schenkerian analysis § Harmony).
The degrees of the traditional major and minor scales may be identified several ways: