Master of Arts in Music

Students emphasizing music composition generally enroll in elective courses in music composition, orchestration and arranging, music analysis, and digital audio recording techniques. Students are given individualized attention from professionally active graduate faculty, and have access to a wide variety of performing ensembles, a ProTools 192kHz recording system, surround sound mixing, Max/MSP and Apple Logic Studio Professional software. A graduate music composition recital typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis.

Students emphasizing music performance generally enroll in elective courses in applied music, music pedagogy, score reading, and perform in a variety of music ensembles. Students are given individualized attention from professionally active graduate faculty with ample opportunities to refine performance skills in university ensembles. A graduate recital typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis.

Students emphasizing music education generally enroll in elective courses in music education, along with other areas of interest, which may include conducting, applied lessons, ensembles, and/or other music education-related courses. Students with a music education emphasis generally elect the research thesis on a music education-related topic as their capstone. This emphasis deepens students’ knowledge and skills to prepare them for expanded teaching practice in the profession or advanced doctoral study in music education.

Students emphasizing computer music generally enroll in elective courses in consultation with their advisor that focus on the use of digital technologies to compose, produce and distribute music. Students are given individualized attention from professionally active graduate faculty who actively consult with commercial entities working in the music business. Close contact with the engineering department at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) makes collaborative projects with Scottish researchers an integral part of the program. A graduate thesis typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis. Recent student theses have dealt with the creation of new digital musical instruments, psycho-acoustics and distributive real-time network systems.

Students emphasizing music theory generally enroll in elective courses in consultation with their advisor that focus on music analysis and the concentrated study of music from specific periods in music history. A graduate thesis typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis. Recent student theses have dealt with stylistic comparisons.

Students emphasizing conducting generally enroll in elective courses in vocal and instrumental conducting, score reading, and perform in a variety of music ensembles. Students are given individualized attention from graduate faculty with ample opportunities to refine conducting skills in front of university ensembles. A graduate conducting recital typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis.

Students emphasizing music history generally enroll in elective courses in consultation with their advisor that focus on music history and the concentrated study of music from specific periods in music history. A graduate thesis typically serves as the capstone experience for this emphasis.