Mar 29, 2024  
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Graduate Catalog

Music, M.M.


College of The Arts  
Department: School of Music 

Concentrations:

  • Chamber Music (Piano and Strings only)
  • Choral Conducting
  • Composition
  • Electro-Acoustic Music
  • Instrumental Conducting
  • Jazz Composition
  • Jazz Performance
  • Performance
  • Piano Pedagogy
  • Theory

 


Music Faculty, Alumni, and Students

Perhaps the most compelling reason to study music at the University of South Florida is the opportunity to work with our superb music faculty. These gifted, dedicated artists/scholars are among the preeminent leaders in their fields and have been carefully chosen for their professional training, excellence in musical performance and research, and pedagogical expertise. They are featured on many professional recordings and appear in prestigious concert venues around the world. Their compositions are premiered globally. Their scholarship is published in the leading research journals, books, and monographs in their disciplines. The School of Music also invites guest composers, conductors, and performing musicians to enhance its performances and to provide master classes, symposia, and clinics for students and the public. Many USF music alumni are currently performers in a variety of concert settings and successful teachers in public schools, colleges, and universities around the country in a variety of concert settings. The School of Music at USF offers the student the opportunity to study with distinguished faculty and to be in the company of other superior music students for an exciting and exacting period of study.

The Master of Music degree provides students with an opportunity to pursue intense, focused study in their music specialty, coupled with a vigorous, balanced curriculum in music theory, music literature, and electives. Students in this major are mentored expertly by senior faculty and exhibit mastery of their specialty at the end of the course of study by way of appropriate capstone experiences, including recitals or theses and comprehensive examinations. The provisions and balance of these experiences comport precisely with the curriculum guidelines required by the National Association of Schools of Music.

Accreditation:

Full member, National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)

Major Research Areas:

Chamber Music, Composition, Conducting, Jazz Studies, Music Performance, Music Theory, Pedagogy, Electronic Music,

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements, as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

  • Successful auditions and/or interviews are required for acceptance into chamber music, conducting, electro-acoustic music, performance, pedagogy, and theory concentrations. Approved portfolios are required for acceptance into composition (jazz or traditional).
  • Diagnostic tests in music theory and history must be taken before classes begin in the first semester. Based upon the scores, the music faculty may require remediation in one or both areas of study in order to qualify the student for permission to enroll in certain courses. Graduate review courses are offered each fall semester.
  • The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required.
  • Students who do not enroll in the semester for which they applied and were admitted must receive permission from the Director of Graduate Studies in music to enroll in courses in the following semester(s). This procedure is to determine the availability of applied and academic courses in music.
  • An official undergraduate Transcript for a completed undergraduate degree in music (from an accredited program) is required with the application.
  • The GPA for all music courses included in the undergraduate degree must be at least 3.00 International students must include copies of graduation Certificates and/or Diplomas (in addition to official transcripts) with their applications.

Curriculum Requirements


Total Minimum Hours 30 credit hours

  • Core courses - 6 credit hours
  • Additional required courses -  3 credit hours
  • Concentrations - 10 credit hours minimum
  • Electives - 4 credit hours minimum (some concentrations require more to meet minimum hours required for the degree)
  • Final Project/Thesis - 2 credit hours minimum (if required)

Diagnostic Music Tests taken prior to classes in first term. Students may be required to enroll in a remedial history and/or theory course as a consequence of their scores.

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours Minimum)


Additional Required Courses (3 Credit Hours Minimum)


In addition, students in all concentrations must choose one (1) of the following seven (7) courses.

Concentration Requirements


Students select from the following Concentrations:

Chamber Music (18 Credit Hours)


Must Include:

  1. Major standard sonata
  2. Major standard work for 3 or more instruments
  3. Major contemporary chamber work for 2 or more instruments

Scholarship Requirement for Piano: STUDIO ACCOMPANYING
Scholarship Requirement for Strings: USF ORCHESTRA

Choral Conducting (21 Credit Hours)


Electro-Acoustic Music (14 Credit Hours)


Instrumental Conducting (23 Credit Hours)


Conducting (8 Credit Hours):

*may be taken twice

Literature (3 Credit Hours)

Choose one:

Ensembles (4 Credit Hours)

Any MUN Ensemble Course

Graduate Recital (2 Credit Hours)

Jazz Composition (16 Credit Hours)


Jazz Performance (16 Credit Hours)


  • MVJ 6— Applied Jazz Credit(s): 8 (4 credits; taken two terms)
  • Credit Hours: 2 (4 credits for this program) (2 credits; taken two terms) - this course is required for Jazz Composition and Jazz Performance Concentrations
  • MUN 6XXX - Ensemble Credit(s): 2 (1 credit; taken two terms)
  • Credit Hours: 2

Music Composition (10 Credit Hours)


Music Performance (12 Credit Hours)


  • MV? 6— Applied Studio Credit(s): 8 (4 credits; taken two terms)
  • MUN 6— Ensemble Credit(s): 2 (1 credit; taken two terms) – ​Voice majors may choose opera ensembles (MUO) or choral ensembles (MUN) to meet this requirement
  • Credit Hours: 2
Piano Majors must include:

Music Theory (10 Credit Hours)


Piano Pedagogy (16 Cedit Hours)


Electives (4 Credit Hours)


Students complete sufficient electives in addition to the core and concentration requirements to complete the minimum of 30 hours required for the major. Depending on the Concentration, this ranges from 4 to 11 hours of electives, but may be more depending on the student’s course selections.

Courses are subject to change. Summer and online courses may be offered. All inquiries should be directed to the Director of Graduate Studies in Music.

Comprehensive Examination


Selection of Committee, including major professor (committee chair) and two other professors from varying concentrations in music with whom they have studied. One member must be from the academic area. The student and the committee must sign a contract available from the Director of Graduate Studies in Music at the beginning of the final term.

  • Written Examination
    1. Collection of examination questions by chair from committee members
    2. Presentation of questions to candidate with deadline of one week for completion (theory majors take a two-hour written examination.)
    3. Candidate submits questions and answers to chair one week before oral examination
  • Oral Examination (meeting for candidate and committee members scheduled by chair)
  • Final Recommendation with signatures presented to the Director of Graduate Studies in Music

The course outlines below are mandatory for the respective fields of study. Secondary applied music courses may be taken in conjunction with MUS 6976 Graduate Recital , if two semesters of four-credit hour major study have already been completed.

Final Project/Thesis (2 Credit Hours Minimum)


(according to Concentration area)

  • Composition(s) as required by composition faculty, or
  • Recital (includes recital approval hearing one to two weeks in advance of recital), or
  • Thesis (includes Oral Defense)

The responsibility for seeing that all graduation requirements are met rests with the student.