Applicants to the MusAD program in Performance should possess a Master of Music degree or a Master of Arts degree with a major in music and should have completed theory, harmony, and solfége (20 credits); history of music (18 credits); and liberal arts courses distributed among the humanities and natural and social sciences (42 credits). Any deficiency must be made up without credit toward the fulfillment of the degree requirements.
Every student must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 48 graduate credits. Of these, 18 must be in the field of the applied major instrument, and 18 will be completed in approved electives. Choral conducting majors will take 8 credits of Choral Literature Seminar. Every student must take at least 12 credits in music history and music theory, including MU 749 Music Research Technique and MU 719 Doctoral Proseminar in Theory. MU 749 and MU 719 must be completed within the first three semesters of the doctoral program.
The qualifying examinations, written and oral, include two sections: (1) performance, and (2) history, theory, and literature of music. Organ students are required to extemporize briefly on a given theme, harmonize a melody at sight, realize a figured and unfigured bass, transpose at least a step up or down, and read at sight compositions of moderate difficulty in an open score.
Students must complete successfully all written requirements before proceeding to the oral examination.
Each candidate for the MusAD in Performance must present three public recitals of one hour’s duration or longer.
While enrolled in CFA MU 921 Research and Directed Study in Musicology, the candidate must write a scholarly document demonstrating the ability to accomplish independent research. This document should stress source materials, comparative editions, score analysis, and performance practice. The candidate must give a lecture-recital based on this document and use the medium of performance to illustrate it. The lecture-recital must be supervised and approved by the readers. A copy of the lecture must be included as an appendix in the final copies of the document.