MASTER'S
DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MUSIC
(revised December 2003)
About the Master's Programs in Music
Application Procedures
Assistantships
Following Admission
Important Reminders for Graduate Students
Degree Plans
Supplementary Forms for LHSOM Graduate Applicants
Supplementary Information Form: (School of Music)
(pdf)
Graduate Assistantship Form
(pdf)
Graduate Diagnostic Placement Examination Study Guides (pdf)
Lionel Hampton School of Music, University of Idaho
Moscow, Idaho 83844-4015
208-885-623; fax: 208-885-7254
Please visit the College of
Graduate Studies to apply to our graduate
music programs. For more information about graduate music programs,
call or email Professor Mary DuPree, Coordinator of Graduate
Studies (208-885-7557; mdupree@uidaho.edu).
Lionel Hampton School
of Music
Graduate Handbook
Revised December 2003
ABOUT THE MASTER’S PROGRAMS IN MUSIC
The Lionel Hampton School of Music (LHSOM) is an accredited institutional
member of the National Association of Schools of Music, and the
standards of the School meets those set by the Association. Specific
information about each of the graduate degrees offered, admission
policies, and standards are provided in this handbook.
Additional information about graduate studies at the University
of Idaho can be found at the College of Graduate Studies (COGS)
web site: www.grad.uidaho.edu
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR
MASTER'S PROGRAMS IN MUSIC
Master’s degree programs require completion of a minimum
of thirty semester hours of graduate credit, of which at least
eighteen must be taken in 500-level courses. Courses in music at
the 400 level will apply to the degree requirements only when included
on the approved Study Plan. All students registered in the Master
of Music program must, in addition to the required core courses,
elect an additional course in either music history (MusH) or music
theory (MusC). At least one-third of the minimum total credit hours
must be in an area of concentration, e.g., piano performance, music
education, composition, etc. A maximum of six semester hours in
directed study and three semester hours in workshop or practicum
is applicable toward the total credit hour requirement for the
degree.
MASTER OF MUSIC (M.M.) DEGREE
The Master of Music degree is designed to meet the needs of professional
performers, composers, and studio or school music teachers who
wish to pursue the curriculum as a terminal professional program,
or to use it as a foundation for doctoral study. Areas of concentration
are available in Music Education, Performance, Composition, Accompanying,
and Piano Pedagogy and Performance Studies.
Prerequisite: A baccalaureate degree in music (or equivalent)
from an accredited institution is required. Students who lack this
prerequisite may correct deficiencies by passing appropriate courses
that will not be applicable toward the advanced degree.
MASTER OF ARTS (M.A.) DEGREE
The School of Music offers a graduate program with a concentration
in music history leading to the Master of Arts degree. Considered
the scholarly degree in music, the Master of Arts degree is designed
to prepare the student to pursue the Ph.D. For specific degree
requirements, see below.
Prerequisite: A baccalaureate degree in music (or equivalent)
from an accredited institution is required. Students who lack this
prerequisite may correct deficiencies by passing appropriate courses
that will not be applicable toward the advanced degree.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Application is managed through the College of Graduate Studies
(COGS) website: www.grad.uidaho.edu. The website has complete information
on university-wide requirements as well as specific requirements
for the music program (under the College of Letters, Arts and Social
Science section of “Degrees and Programs”).
Apply on-line, and have transcripts and letters of recommendation
sent directly to COGS. The two additional forms required for admission
to the Lionel Hampton School of Music are the “Supplementary
Information—Graduate” and “Information for Graduate
Assistantships” forms, in Appendix B below.
Send the completed forms directly to the COGS along with your
other materials. These other materials include recordings, compositions,
and research papers, depending on the degree for which you are
applying. While a recent recording, for example a CD of a senior
recital, is acceptable, a live audition for an M.M. in performance
is preferable. This should be arranged directly with the person
with whom you plan to study, or through the Coordinator of Graduate
Studies.
International students whose native language is not English, or
who did not complete an undergraduate degree at an institution
whose instructional language was English, need to have an official
report of the test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) submitted
to the COGS. A minimum score of 575 (PBT) is required for admission
to the graduate program in music.
Transfer Students
A maximum of nine semester hours of graduate credit may be transferred
to the School of Music from another accredited institution. Transfer
students are required to take the diagnostic placement exams that
are described on page four of this booklet.
ASSISTANTSHIPS
Assistantships are competitively available in studio teaching
(all instruments and voice), classroom teaching (such as assisting
with music history and music theory classes), and assisting major
ensemble directors.
A full assistantship includes a stipend plus
a waiver of the out-of-state surcharge for tuition and fees. The student remains
responsible for all tuition and fees assessed at the in-state rate. To be eligible
for a full assistantship, the student must be enrolled as a full-time graduate
student. Partial assistantships are offered occasionally. The value of these
awards will vary on a case-by-case basis.
All application materials must be filed by February 15 in order
to be given full consideration for the fall semester.
Students awarded assistantships must take the TA training course
offered by the COGS before assuming teaching responsibilities.
This course is offered during the mornings of the two or three
weekdays before the beginning of each semester.
FOLLOWING ADMISSION
Diagnostic Placement Examinations
Entering graduate students take two examinations, one in music
theory and another in music history and literature, to show baccalaureate-level
competence. If the placement exam shows a deficiency, a student
will not be eligible to enroll in 500-level courses in that subject
area until the deficiency is removed. Students who do not take
the exams (for any reason) may not enroll in any 500-level subject
areas covered by the placement examinations until the exams have
been completed.
These examinations are intended to aid the supervisory committee
in determining the student's background in music theory, aural
skills, and music history so that the results may be used in making
a study plan. Study guides for the music theory and music history
placement exams are included at the end of this document.
The music theory and music history placement exams are scheduled
on the two weekdays preceding the beginning of the semester at
1:30 PM. It is the responsibility of the student to arrive on campus
in time to take the placement exams.
Supervisory Committee and Study Plan
Following admission, the Graduate Coordinator will assign a major
professor to the student. The major professor and the student will
nominate a supervisory committee to be chaired by the major professor.
The supervisory committee is responsible for the guidance and direction
of the student's graduate program. The “Appointment of Major
Professor and Committee” form should be filed with both the
COGS and the LHSOM by the end of the student’s first semester.
The supervisory committee acts as the audition committee for the
graduate recitals.
During the first semester, the student should also complete the “Study
Plan,” have it signed by the supervisory committee, and submit
it to both the COGS and LHSOM.
Both of these forms are available through the COGS website, and
can be changed by the procedure described on the forms.
Written Final Projects: Theses and Documents
The Master of Arts degree and some emphases of the Master of Music
degree require a thesis. A thesis is an extended project in which
the writer explores a unique subject resulting in new contributions
to knowledge in a specific area. Theses must conform in all details
of format with the guidelines in the “Graduate Handbook for
Theses and Dissertations” published by the College of Graduate
Studies.
Other Master’s degrees require a document. A document is
a written project, in the range of 25-30 pages long, which directly
supports the final degree project, whether recital or composition.
The document should be of a depth that would be appropriate for
publication in a professional journal.
The most recent edition of the Chicago Manual of Style is the
standard reference work for issues of form and procedure for theses
and documents in most areas of music; documents and theses in music
education should follow APA (American Psychiatric Association)
procedures. Students should also refer to guides such as Elements
of Style by E.B. White or Style: Ten Lessons in Grace and Clarity
by Joseph Williams, both of which deal with the more subtle points
of expository writing.
Both theses and documents must be delivered in individual copies
to all committee members at least two weeks prior to the oral exam.
Once the orals are passed, theses are submitted to the College
of Letters, Arts, and Social Science for approval one week before
the published deadline for submission to the COGS. Documents and
music education practica, once approved by the committee, are submitted
to the Schuldt Music Library in a “velo” binding.
Oral Examinations
Oral examinations are required for all master’s candidates.
They should be scheduled no later than May 1 during the spring
semester or December 1 in the fall semester. This exam focuses
on the document or thesis that the candidate has prepared, but
it may also cover other areas that the committee members deem appropriate.
Following the exam, each committee member will vote to pass or
fail the candidate. Majority rule will prevail.
The oral examinations, if failed, may be repeated once. The interval
before the second attempt may not be less than three months or
longer than one year. A student must be registered for at least
one semester hour credit when the oral examinations are taken.
Application for Graduation
Application for graduation is handled online at www.uidaho.edu/registration.
The process should be completed at the beginning of the semester
in which the student intends to graduate. The date for filing this
application is given on the academic calendar at the COGS website.
Before filing the application, the candidate and the supervisory
committee chairperson must jointly ascertain that the candidate
has met all degree requirements or will do so by completion of
current registration.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
Students must register for MusX 511, Bibliography and Research and MusC 521,
Musical Analysis before enrolling in 500-level MusH or MusC courses, respectively.
Registration: Graduate students must be registered for a minimum
of one hour of appropriate graduate-level credit in the school
or department in which they are pursuing a degree whenever university
facilities or faculty services are utilized. This registration
is required during any semester or summer session in which written
and/or oral examinations are taken or when students are registered
for recitals or theses.
Changes in the Study Plan: A student may add or delete course
work or otherwise change an official Study Plan through petition
to the supervisory committee. These changes are subject to approval
of the Director of the School of Music and the Vice President for
Research and Graduate Studies.
Dates and Deadlines: The University Calendar/Time Table found
on the COGS web site lists dates and deadlines for applying for
graduation, filing for oral examinations, and other important information.
Check these dates carefully.
Maximum Time Limit: All course work applicable to a master's
degree must be completed within the eight years immediately preceding
the granting of the degree.
