Music Performance - Doctor of Musical Arts

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Music students must meet the requirements specified below.

To be admitted to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program in music performance on regular status, an applicant must have:

1. a master's degree in music from a recognized educational institution or a total of 30 credits of approved graduate course work.
2. presented a live performance audition acceptable to the committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Music.

When applying for to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program with a major in music performance, an applicant must specify one of the following two broad performance areas that he or she wishes to pursue:  instrumental music or vocal music.

An applicant who selects the instrumental music area must also specify the major instrument or group of instruments (e.g., piano, harp, flute, or percussion instruments) from the categories listed below:

Brass and Percussion: trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion
Keyboard: piano
Stringed Instruments: harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass
Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon 

To be considered for to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree program in music performance, an applicant must present a live performance audition before a faculty committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Music.

Applicants selecting the instrumental music area must present a live 40-minute audition, including the performance of three major works and approximately 10 minutes of discussion on one or more of the works, that is acceptable to the committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Music. Applicants selecting the vocal music area must present a live 40-minute audition, performing 30 minutes of music and 10 minutes of discussion on one or more of the works, that is acceptable to the committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Music. Required languages: English, French, German, and Italian. Required repertoire: art songs, one opera aria, one baroque or classical aria, one 20th-21st century work. In the case of both the instrumental and vocal music areas, applicants must also be prepared to respond to questions from the audition panel on the entire program.

With the approval of the faculty in an applicant's major area, an applicant may be considered for to the program on the basis of a high–quality recording of a recent performance, rather than on the basis of a live performance audition.  An applicant who selects the instrumental music or vocal music  area  must submit either an audio or a video recording. An applicant who submits a recording may be admitted only on provisional status pending the presentation of a live performance audition before a faculty committee appointed by the Dean of the College of Music.  The audition must be presented before the end of the first semester of enrollment in the program.

Guidance Committee

The student’s guidance committee, which must be formed during the first year of graduate study, must consist of the student’s major professor, who serves as its chairperson, a second faculty member from the student’s area, one faculty member from the area of musicology, and one faculty member from the area of music theory. In instances where additional expertise would be beneficial it is recommended that the guidance committee include a faculty member from within or outside the College of Music.

Requirements for the Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Music Performance

The student must meet the requirements specified below:

Each student in the program has a major professor who provides instruction in the student's major instrument or in voice, oversees the musical content of the student's program, guides the preparation of required recitals, oversees the preparation of the scholarly paper, lecture-recital(s) and the final oral examination.  Normally, the student studies with the major professor for six semesters. 

The student must:

1. Select, from the categories below, a major instrument or group of instruments (e.g. piano, harp, flute, or percussion instruments) or voice:
   Piano
   Stringed instruments: harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass
   Wind instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba
   Percussion instruments
   Voice
2. Complete the courses that are specified by the student's guidance committee including:
   1. 3 credits of Music 830 Research Methods and Materials in Music
   2. 6 credits of 800- or 900-level courses in musicology
   3. three courses in music theory at the 800- or 900-level. Students with a master's degree from Michigan State University will be required to take only two courses
   4. 6 credits of elective courses, exclusive of additional credits of Music 996
3. Pass the written comprehensive examinations in musicology and music theory. Students become eligible to take the comprehensive examination in either of these areas during the semester in which they are completing the required course work in that area.
4. Complete the following requirements in lieu of 24 credits of Music 999, a doctoral dissertation,  and a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation:
   1. Complete 24 credits of Music 996 Doctoral Recital Performance.
   2. Perform four public recitals that have been approved in a pre-recital hearing by a committee of faculty from the student's area.  Three of the recitals must be solo recitals, two of which must be presented within two consecutive semesters, excluding summers.  The fourth recital must be a chamber music recital.  A recording of each of the four recitals must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and will be retained by the college as part of the permanent degree record.
   3. Complete one of the following three options:
      1. Present a lecture–recital twice, first to the student's guidance committee as part of an oral examination and then to the public and submit a scholarly paper upon which the lecture-recital is based.  In no case may the lecture–recital be presented publicly until it has been approved by the committee. The oral examination will be a defense of the lecture-recital and the paper.  A recording of the lecture–recital is required and must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
      2. Present two lecture-recitals. Each lecture-recital must be presented twice, first to the student’s guidance committee as part of an oral examination and then to the public. In no case may the lecture-recital be presented publicly until it has been approved by the committee. Each oral examination will be a defense of one of the lecture-recitals. A recording of each lecture-recital is required and must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.
      3. With the unanimous consent of the student's guidance committee, submit a scholarly paper of major scope, comparable to a traditional dissertation, and take a final oral examination based on the paper.

In the case of (1) and (3) above, the student must have completed successfully all of the required course work (with the exception of Music 996 Doctoral Recital Performance), the comprehensive examination, the required public recitals, and the scholarly paper before the final oral examination may occur. In the case of (2) above, the student must have completed successfully all of the required course work (with the exception of Music 996), the comprehensive examination, and the required public recitals before either of the oral examinations may occur.

Academic Standards

Doctoral study presumes continuing excellence in course work.  A student may accumulate no more than 6 credits with a grade below 3.0 in courses that are to be counted toward the degree.

With regard to 4. (c) (1) above, the student’s performance on the lecture-recital and the related scholarly paper and the final oral examination based on the lecture-recital and the paper must be approved by the members of the student’s guidance committee with not more than one dissenting vote. Should the committee fail to accept the student’s performance on the lecture-recital and the related paper or the final oral examination, the student shall be allowed to repeat the performance of the lecture-recital or to revise the related paper or to repeat the final oral examination. The lecture-recital must be repeated or the paper revised or the oral examination repeated within one year, during a fall or spring semester.

With regard to 4. (c) (2) above, the student’s performance on each of the two lecture-recitals and the final oral examination based on each lecture-recital must be approved by the members of the student’s guidance committee with not more than one dissenting vote. Should the committee fail to accept the student’s performance on either lecture-recital or the final oral examination, the student shall be allowed to repeat the performance of the lecture-recital or to repeat the final oral examination. The lecture-recital must be repeated or the oral examination repeated within one year, during a fall or spring semester.

With regard to 4. (c) (3) above, the student’s performance on the scholarly paper and the final oral examination based on the paper must be approved by the members of the student’s guidance committee with not more than one dissenting vote. Should the committee fail to accept the student’s performance on the paper or the final oral examination, the student shall be allowed to revise the related paper or to repeat the final oral examination. The paper must be revised or the oral examination repeated within one year, during a fall or spring semester.

Due to cancellations of many international English language proficiency tests, MSU will be temporarily accepting the following tests for international students applying for fall semester 2022. In addition, MSU will be expanding the ability for students to receive provisional admission. If a provisionally admitted student is able to take a test that meets our regular admission standards prior to enrollment, we will update their admission status to regular.