Graduate Degree Admission & Enrollment Policies

Admission Requirements

Admission requirements for specific degree programs that supplement the Graduate School requirements are discussed in the degree program descriptions that follow. Students are urged to take the general (verbal, quantitative, analytical) portions of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). GRE scores are required as part of the application to the PhD programs and MM in music theory, and they are recommended for the DMA programs and Master of Music Education degree.

Preliminary Examinations

Just before the beginning of their first semester of work toward a master’s or doctoral degree, students are given preliminary exams covering the major field, several areas of music theory and music history. Specific requirements vary with the student’s degree and program. Students pursuing the master’s and doctoral degrees in voice also must pass proficiency requirements in piano and diction (English, French, German and Italian).

Results from the major-field examination serve as one basis for recommending specific course work in the program. The major-field examination in musicology includes essay questions, score analysis and identification of terms. Conducting majors should be knowledgeable in areas of repertoire, score analysis and conducting techniques. Performance majors are examined in the areas of technique, repertoire, stylistically informed performance and pedagogy. Students enrolled in the master’s degree in Jazz Performance and Pedagogy must demonstrate knowledge of jazz theory and history and jazz keyboard proficiency.

College Teaching and Professional Development 

Most graduate degrees in music require coursework in music pedagogy. Students who plan to teach at the college level are urged to be involved in the many offerings of CU Boulder’s renowned Graduate Teacher Program. Workshops, observations, consultations, and other professional development opportunities are scheduled throughout the academic year. These include campus-level offerings as posted at the GTP website (www.colorado.edu/gtp), as well as music-specific events organized by the Lead TAs in the College of Music. The GTP offers three certificates that graduate students may pursue during their studies at CU Boulder: the Certificate in College Teaching (CCT),  Professional Development Certificate for Preparing Future Faculty (PDC:PFF), and Professional Development Certificate for Preparing Future Professionals in Business, Government, Industry and the Arts (PDC:BGIA). For details, see www.colorado.edu/gtp/certificates.

Financial Aid

In addition to the opportunities for financial aid described in the Graduate School section, the College of Music grants merit aid in the form of teaching assistantships and graduate part-time instructorships (GPTI) to numerous graduate students each year. The assistantships and instructorships, which are usually one-quarter time 25%, include both a stipend and the waiver of 5 or 6 credit hours of tuition each semester. There are also scholarships offered by the individual departments and external fellowships awarded through the Graduate School. All prospective students who have completed their applications by December 1 will automatically be considered for available scholarships and assistantships.

English Language Requirements

A student who is noticeably deficient in the use of the English language may not obtain an advanced degree from the University of Colorado. Satisfaction of this requirement depends not so much upon ability to pass formal tests, although these may be required, as upon the consistent use of good English in all oral and written work.

Therefore, the TOEFL exam is required of ALL international graduate applicants whose native language is not English. This includes applicants who have already completed a degree or studied in an English-speaking country for any length of time. An acceptable score must be reported directly to the CU-Boulder Office of Admissions by the December 1 deadline in order for the applicant to be considered.

The College of Music has an additional requirement that all admitted students whose language is not English are required to take an English placement exam with the English as a Second Language (ESL) department upon arrival on campus and to abide by the recommedations made.

Graduate Auditions

Auditions are required for all performance and performance/pedagogy programs. A personal audition is strongly preferred, but students may be accepted into most programs by submitting a recorded audition. Note that some studios require a preliminary, recorded audition before a student may be invited to schedule an audition on campus. For specific information and audition dates, refer to the website (www.colorado.edu/music/prospective-graduate-students/auditions) or contact the office of the associate dean for graduate studies at 303-492-2207 or gradmusc@colorado.edu.