The applicant for admission to the MusAD Program in Composition should possess a Master of Music degree or a Master of Arts degree with a major in composition.
Applicants should submit at least three original compositions (score and tape, if available). Please indicate your name and proposed degree program on the scores.
All materials should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. Applicants who wish to have their materials returned must include a SASE.
The student must present a program, approximately one hour long, of original compositions. The student will submit the recital portfolio for faculty approval before beginning work on the thesis, and at least four weeks before the proposed recital date. The recital itself may be scheduled any time before graduation, as long as the portfolio is complete and approved. As an alternative, the student may choose to present a portfolio of scores, tapes, and programs documenting non-departmental performances. The faculty may determine that this performance portfolio meets partial or full requirements for the degree recital.
The doctoral candidate majoring in composition must write a large-scale composition in a demanding medium. The exact nature of the work will be proposed by the student and teacher and must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
Students who have completed the BA or BMus degree may apply directly to the MusAD program. Applicants must meet the general admission requirements for the MusM program, and must show evidence of strong academic performance as well as compositional talent and achievement. Students who move from the MM degree prior to completion are subject to the same admissions rules.
Applicants should submit at least three original compositions (score and tape, if available). Please indicate your name and proposed degree program on the scores.
Students in the post-baccalaureate MusAD program will be carefully reviewed at the end of the first year of study. Faculty will consider the work in composition, academic record, and overall achievement of each student. Students who are not considered likely to complete the doctoral program successfully may be advised to apply for transfer into the MusM degree program. Students whose work is considered unsatisfactory for any reason will be withdrawn from the doctoral program.
Program of Study [links to another sample schedule]
Students give two recitals during this degree program. During the second year of study, the student submits a recital portfolio for faculty approval. This portfolio must contain works totaling at least half an hour. Once the portfolio is approved, the student presents these works in a recital. If the works have all been publicly performed or read, this first recital requirement may be waived at the discretion of the composition faculty. Prior to work on the thesis, during the third or fourth year, the student must again submit a recital portfolio for faculty approval. These works, which may include pieces previously submitted, must make up a full-length program. Once the faculty has approved the recital, the student must present it publicly. This may be done at any time prior to graduation. Students are expected to register for Graduate Composition until the second recital portfolio is completed and approved.
Students will be tested for keyboard skills. The test includes prepared works of medium difficulty, keyboard harmony, score reading, and sight-reading. Students may repeat portions of the test until all parts are passed.
Students who have completed at least 40 credits of coursework may take the qualifying examinations. The written examinations cover music theory (analysis, harmony, counterpoint, orchestration, and general knowledge) and music history of all periods. Students who pass the written examination proceed to the oral exam. A student may not begin the thesis until all qualifying examinations have been passed.
Doctoral candidates in composition will write a dissertation consisting of a large-scale work in a demanding medium. The exact nature of the work will be proposed by the student and teacher, and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before the dissertation begins.