Total Program: 30 Hours
Graduate Recital
The recital, for which 3 credits are earned, is required in the performance-major program and may be considered for one of the approved electives in the music education program. The recital must consist of 40-60 minutes of music based on studies in Principal Applied. Each recital must be approved in a hearing at least two weeks prior to the performance. The student and accompanist are expected to demonstrate a concert-ready level of performance on all selections, as determined by a majority vote of three or more music faculty members. The performance of the recital is evaluated by the student’s graduate faculty committee. A principal-applied voice recital must include works sung in English, French, German, and Italian.
Ensemble Requirements
Each graduate student majoring in Performance must participate in a conducted or coached ensemble for a total of 2 credit hours, usually for one credit per semester. The ensemble requirement may be satisfied by participation in any approved graduate instrumental and/or vocal ensemble. The ensemble must meet a minimum of one hour per week with a faculty member and culminate in public performance. The ensemble experience must be in the principal-applied area.
Approved Electives
All Master of Music degree programs require approved elective courses at or above the 5000 level, which must be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and/or the department chair. Students may elect to take courses related to their major area of study or other approved supportive courses.
Application for Graduation and The Faculty Committee
The graduate music student must apply for graduation one semester prior to the proposed graduation semester. This is done through the Student Services tab within the student’s MyUWG account. Before the student applies for graduation, a committee of graduate music faculty is determined in consultation with the Chair of the Department of Music. The committee must consist of three graduate faculty members, including the student’s major professor and two additional graduate faculty members who have worked with the student during his or her program of study.
Comprehensive Final Examination
A comprehensive final examination is administered during the final semester of study to all candidates seeking a Master of Music degree. The examination is conducted orally and is designed to help determine the student’s ability to synthesize a broad body of knowledge gained through graduate study. Students may be asked questions of a practical, theoretical, or historical nature as well as specific and general questions relating to the plan of study.
One semester prior to the examination, the student must request examination questions from each member of his or her faculty committee. In addition, the student must coordinate the scheduling of the oral examination with the members of the committee.
In preparation for the oral examination, candidates for the Master of Music in Music Education must prepare a written report based on questions from the faculty committee. Each committee member will submit one question for the candidate. Each candidate response should be between 1000-1500 words in length (exclusive of references). At least one response must directly address research processes and findings from a primary area of interest in music education. The candidate must present copies of this written report to each member of the faculty committee at least one week prior to the scheduled oral examination. Candidates should be prepared to elaborate on the written report as part of the oral examination process. The oral exam will be conducted on the UWG campus or via video-conferencing as approved by the committee.
Selections performed on the graduate recital by candidates for the Master of Music in Performance serve as the basis for answering general and specific questions at the final comprehensive oral examination. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate extensive knowledge-historical, theoretical, stylistic, and pedagogical-of all works and styles performed on the graduate recital. Students are required to provide scores, and per committee request, may be required to submit analyses prior to their comprehensive final oral examination. The oral exam will be conducted on the UWG campus.
Thesis Option
Students in the Master of Music program who plan to pursue additional graduate study may wish to consider selecting the Thesis Option as part of their degree requirements. The completion of a Master’s Thesis is documentation of one’s scholarship and generally is considered to indicate expertise in a given area of study. Students pursuing the thesis option may register for 3, 6, or 9 hours of credit in MUSC 6999 - Thesis in Music , as approved electives.
Prior to selecting the Thesis Option, the student must establish his or her graduate faculty committee. The student will work with the committee to develop a thesis topic proposal and complete the thesis document under the direct guidance of the committee chairperson. It is expected that the manuscript will demonstrate high standards of scholarship. Once the topic has been chosen, a formal proposal is prepared. The proposal, when fully developed, must be approved by the candidate’s committee. During the research and writing of the thesis document, the candidate is advised to consult regularly with the major professor and the other members of the committee. Following approval of the committee, the document must be defended orally.
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Assistantships and Graduate Research Assistantships in Music are available on a competitive basis to qualified residential graduate students. In the College of Arts and Humanities, Graduate Research Assistants are employed as either full-time assistants or half-time assistants. Both in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition are waived for qualified Graduate Research Assistants.