Music (M.M.)

The Master of Music degree provides a program for students pursuing a professional concentration in:

• Composition/Theory
• Conducting
• Instrumental Performance
• Jazz Performance
• Vocal Performance

Admission Requirements

Admission to these programs is contingent upon admission to the Graduate School. In addition, all master's degree applicants in music must:

1. apply to the Graduate School as a Music Major;
2. possess an undergraduate degree in the same field for which he or she wishes to pursue graduate study, or its equivalent in course work, private study, or experience;
3. complete pre-admission auditions or interviews. Audition and interview requirements are available from the Department of Music.

All students admitted to master's degrees are required to pass departmental placement examinations in theory and history. 

The Master of Music degree is offered under the following options:

Plan A (concentration in Composition/Theory): Twenty-four credits in course work, plus an eight-credit thesis.  Students may choose the composition track or the theory track. For composition-track students, an original composition, separate from the work completed in MUH 7100 and approved by the Program Advisor, serves as the thesis. For theory-track students, a written thesis drawing on current research in theory and analysis, applied toward a project of the student's choice with approval by the Program Advisor, serves as the thesis.

Plan C (concentrations in Conducting, Instrumental Performance, Jazz Performance, and Vocal Performance): Thirty-two credits in course work, plus a graduate recital.

Candidacy must be established by the time twelve credits have been earned toward the master's degree. Applicants become degree candidates only upon recommendation of the Departmental Graduate Officer and submission of an approved Plan of Work.

Oral Examination: An oral examination is required of all students M.M. program.

Academic Scholarship: The University requires that each student achieve a minimum grade point average of 3.0, in order to be eligible for a graduate degree. All courses in the student's major must be completed with a grade of ‘B-minus’ or higher to be counted towards program credit. Grades below 'B-minus' are unsatisfactory and constitute valid cause for dismissing a student from a graduate program. The Department of Music permits a student to accumulate a maximum of six credits of 'B-minus' grades (in courses other than the area of concentration) as long as they are offset by higher grades so that a 3.0 grade point average is maintained at all times. Additionally, credits of B-minus and below in excess of six credits may result in dismissal from the program, regardless of whether the courses are included in the student's Plan of Work. All course work must be completed in accordance with the regulations of the Graduate School and the College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts