Music
Graduate Programs
Music (MA)
MA in Music Education. This program is for those with an undergraduate degree in Music Education who wish to pursue further academic study as a means to develop professionally. The culminating project is the completion of a thesis. Coursework combines the study of philosophical, research-based, and theoretical views of teaching and learning music with pragmatic approaches to improving music instruction. Interested students will first apply to the MM in Music Education.
MA in Musicology. This program prepares students to be teachers and scholars who will promote musical understanding and appreciation for the arts. Students are expected to add to the body of historical and analytical publication that has increased understanding of the history, practice, sociology, and aesthetics of the cultural heritage of Western (and to a lesser degree non-Western) music. This effort should also increase awareness of cultural and historical diversity represented in concert programs and recordings.
Music (MM)
MM in Composition. The purpose of this specialization is to produce graduates who are prepared to make a significant contribution to the art form, either as composers or as teachers and scholars in composition and theory, and to provide aesthetic enrichment to both the composer and listener.
MM in Conducting. Students develop advanced, personal conducting skills and techniques that are precise and suited to a variety of musical needs. Students will focus on band, choral, or orchestral conducting.
MM in Music Education. This program is for those with an undergraduate degree in Music Education who wish to pursue further academic study as a means to develop professionally. The culminating project is the completion of a professional improvement project.
MM in Performance. The intent of the specialization is to prepare students with outstanding performance potential to be competitive in performance and teaching careers and to be advocates for the arts in their communities.
The graduate programs in the School of Music are designed to preserve and develop an art form that is essential to human progress and well-being and to provide advanced instruction in the art and craft of music.
The School of Music provides graduate education in composition, music education, musicology, and music performance, and it maintains accreditation for all of its degree programs through the National Association of Schools of Music.
Two degrees are offered through the School of Music: Music—MA, Music—MM.
The School of Music has an average enrollment of seventy graduate students from various U.S. and international areas. The average time for a student to complete a master’s degree in music is two years.
Admissions website: https://music.byu.edu/
Department Chair: Diane Reich
Graduate Coordinator: Luke Howard
Resources & Opportunity:
The Harris Fine Arts Center, which houses the School of Music, contains two concert halls and numerous practice rooms for music, dance, and theatre.
Graduate students have opportunities to perform individually and with groups in both the Madsen Recital Hall and the de Jong Concert Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center.
For a more detailed description of the graduate program requirements, see the online School of Music Graduate Handbook on the School of Music's website.
Financial Assistance:
The School of Music offers four types of graduate awards: assistantships, internships, performance awards, and scholarships.