Music (MUSC)

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Abstract

The UM School of Music offers programs of study leading to the Master of Music degree with areas of specialization in performance, composition, conducting and music education; the Master of Arts degree with areas in ethnomusicology, music history and literature (musicology), music education, and music theory; the Doctor of Philosophy degree with areas of specialization in ethnomusicology, musicology, and music theory; and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree with areas of specialization in composition, performance, and conducting. A Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction is offered by the College of Education in cooperation with the Music Education Division of the School of Music.

Admissions Information

Admission to graduate degree programs in music is highly selective. It is determined primarily by a performance audition, tapes and scores of original compositions, scholarly research papers, letters of recommendation, and/or successful teaching experience; additionally, in some academic areas, the general GRE scores are considered. All non-native English-speaking students (including students with prior United States degrees) must achieve a score of 575/233/100 on the TOEFL to be invited for audition/admission.

Application Deadlines

Type of Applicant	Fall	Spring
Domestic Applicants; US Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials; International Applicants seeking admissions under A, E, G, H, I and L visas and immigrants	Deadline: December 1
International Applicants seeking admission under F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas	Deadline: December 1

Application Requirements

1. GRE General for Ethnomusicology, Historical Musicology and Music Theory
2. 3 Letters of Recommendation
3. Audition/Interview
4. Repertoire/List of Performances
5. Research paper for Ethnomusicology and Historical Musicology
6. Two scholarly papers or thesis chapters for Music Theory
7. Scores for Composition
8. Pre-screen recordings for flute, collaborative piano, conducting, trumpet and vocal applicants. Please see our website, www.music.umd.edu, for further information.
9. We require a passing TOEFL score (minimum 100 IBT, 233 CBT, 575 PBT) for all international applicants before we will process your application or consider you for a live audition.

Degree Requirements

Master of Music or Master of Arts (M.M.; M.A.)
The Master of Music Degree (Non-Thesis Option in Composition, Conducting, Music Education, or Performance) requires a minimum of between 31 and 36 credit hours depending on the specific program. Required coursework is distributed among three areas of study: Major studies, Studies in Areas Supporting the Major, and Other Studies in Music. In addition, a grade of B or better is required in all courses used to fulfill requirements for the degree; a scholarly research paper must be written as part of MUSC 648 Seminar in Music Research or MUED 690 Research Methods; a Final Project must be completed satisfactorily; and an oral comprehensive examination of courses required in Major Studies and in Studies in Areas Supportive of the Major must be passed. Specific courses are required in each area of specialization.

The Master of Arts Degree (Thesis Option in Ethnomusicology, Music Education, Music History and Literature [Musicology], or Music Theory; Non-Thesis Option in Ethnomusicology) requires a minimum of 30 credit hours (35 for Ethnomusicology), with a minimum of 12 credit hours in Major Studies, 9 credit hours in Studies in Areas Supportive of the Major (14 for Ethnomusicology), and 9 credit hours in Other Studies in Music. In addition, a grade of B or better is required in all courses used to fulfill requirements for the degree; a Thesis must be written (Ethnomusicology Non-Thesis Option requires two scholarly research papers), an oral defense of the Thesis (or research papers) must be passed; and a written comprehensive examination must be passed. Specific courses are required in each area of specialization.

Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Musical Arts (Ph.D.; D.M.A.; Ed.D.)
The Doctor of Philosophy and the Doctor of Musical Arts degrees require the satisfactory completion of a significant body of coursework that, in the student's and Graduate Advisor's judgement, prepares the student for the preliminary examination that leads to admission to candidacy, as well as certain specific courses required in each area of specialization. A dissertation (whether written, or in project form) is required for all doctoral degrees in music. A Principal Advisor for the dissertation will be chosen by the student and the academic advisor; the Principal Advisor and the student will then nominate the remaining members of the dissertation committee. The student must submit a detailed Prospectus of the dissertation to the members of the dissertation committee and the Graduate Director, and must be admitted to candidacy prior to the approval of the dissertation committee by the Graduate School. The dissertation must be successfully defended before the entire dissertation committee. The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires a Written Dissertation; the Doctor of Musical Arts degree requires a Written Dissertation, a Recording Project, a Performance Project, or a Musical Composition.

Facilities and Special Resources

The music library in Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center ranks among the top twenty university music libraries in the United States, and it offers a variety of archives, special collections, and other research resources which give it international stature among scholars in a broad spectrum of music disciplines. The total music collection includes approximately 50,000 books, 150,000 scores, 140,000 recordings, and 4,500 linear feet of archival materials.

The International Piano Archives at Maryland (IPAM) is the only institutional collection in existence devoted to historic piano performance. IPAM contains 40,000 recordings, 8,500 music scores, 2,500 books, and a collection of reproducing pianos with 8,000 piano rolls. To date IPAM has acquired the collections of more than 40 eminent pianists. The Special Collections in Music embrace a growing number of national and international music organization archives representing music education, band history, solo and ensemble instrumental performance, music librarianship, and ethnomusicology. Materials in these archives include papers, music scores, recordings, books, magazines, photographs, and oral histories. The library also features important archival and manuscript collections on music criticism and American music, the Charles Fowler Papers supporting the study of arts education, a significant Leopold Stokowski Collection, the Jacob Coopersmith Collection of Handeliana, the Radio Station WOR/Alfred Wallen stein Collection of 26,000 orchestral scores, and the performance parts of the Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra. Also located at The University of Maryland is The Center for Studies in Nineteenth-Century Music. Other research activities of the School of Music include the C. P. E. Bach Edition and the American Handel Society. Within a few miles of the College Park campus are research opportunities offered by Dumbarton Oaks, the Enoch Pratt Free Library of Baltimore, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, and about 500 specialized libraries.

The School of Music presents a wide variety of student and faculty solo and ensemble recitals and concerts, including those of the internationally recognized Guarneri String Quartet, which is in residence at College Park and whose members hold professorial rank. The School of Music also cooperates with the Concert Society at Maryland which presents a series of concerts throughout the academic year and, during the summer, The University of Maryland International Competitions honoring Marian Anderson (Vocal Arts), William Kapell (Piano), and Leonard Rose (Cello), as well as the National Orchestral Institute. The University sponsors a Handel Festival featuring the University of Maryland Chorus and scholars and performers from around the world. The musical environment of the entire Washington-Baltimore area is unusually varied and rich with performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Constitution Hall, the National Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Library of Congress, Wolf Trap Farm Park, Smithsonian Institution, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore.

Financial Assistance

A number of competitive fellowships, graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, operatic assistantships, and orchestral assistantships are available. Preference for financial assistance will be given to those who have filed an application for admission to the University and the School of Music Supplemental Application by December 1 (for performance programs) and January 15 (for Music Education only) and have been officially admitted.

Contact Information

School of Music: Graduate Programs handbook (available online at: http://www.music.umd.edu/current_students/handbooks) provides descriptive information, details of course requirements, examination procedures, and graduation requirements for the M. A., M. M., D. M. A., and Ph. D. degree programs. International students should read the information contained in the International Applicants section of the Graduate Admission Application. Specific information may also be obtained from:

Deborah Kuckuda, Graduate Student Services or
Ms. Jenny Lang, Assistant Director for Admissions and External Relations, or
Mr. David Powell, Admissions Coordinator
2110 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
College Park
MD  20742
Telephone: (301) 405-8435
Fax: (301) 314-7966
musicadmissions@umd.edu

http://www.music.umd.edu

Courses: MUSC MUSP MUED MUET