Academic Program
Introduction
 The Music Department offers courses of study leading to the degrees of master of arts, doctor of church music, doctor of musical arts, and doctor of philosophy.
In addition, three professional master of arts degrees are offered that combine musicology with subspecializations in music communications, arts administration, and information management. These professional programs are terminal at the master's level.
All programs are designed with special emphasis upon music within its interdisciplinary, cultural, and intellectual context. They combine comprehensive training in music literature, historical style analysis, and the study of performance practices, with the most recent analytical methodologies. The doctor of church music and the master's degree with a concentration in church music are offered in cooperation with the Claremont School of Theology.
Degree Requirements
Admissions Requirements
Applicants are required to demonstrate special aptitude in their area of concentration. Those wishing to major in performance or historical performance practices must audition either by tape recording or personal appearance. Applicants for a composition major should submit representative examples of their work in the form of photocopies, not original manuscripts. Applicants in the field of musicology or in historical performance practices should submit examples of their written work in the form of published articles or unpublished papers. Placement exams are required of each incoming student, to be taken during registration week of their first semester.
Grades
Students are required to maintain a minimum grade average of B (3.0 GPA).
Qualifying Examinations
All music students are required to take written and oral qualifying examinations at regularly scheduled, posted times during the academic year. In the case of failure to pass either the written or oral examination, the student may take a second examination. The second examination will be taken at the regularly scheduled time during the following semester. The Program Information section of this handbook contains further information concerning qualifying examinations.
Participation and Attendance
All students are encouraged to take part in the performance groups of The Claremont Colleges. Please see the heading "Ensembles" below for further information. Students are also expected to attend concerts, lectures, and symposia presented by the Music Department.
Courses
Courses listed under the following degree programs are described in the A&H Courses page.
Language Requirements
The student satisfies the research tools requirement by qualifying in one or two languages (one for M.A. in musicology, composition, or instrumental performance; two for M.A. in voice or choral conducting, D.C.M., D.M.A., and Ph.D.). The student should have a good reading knowledge of the chosen one or two languages with special regard to writings on musical subjects (German, French, or Italian if M.A.; German and either French, Italian, or Latin if Ph.D.; any two of the four if D.M.A. or D.C.M.). Students may acquire the necessary proficiency as they wish (by enrolling in appropriate courses at accredited institutions, by engaging a private tutor, by self-directed study, etc.). Qualification may be achieved in one of two ways. One way is to present an official transcript showing that an appropriate course (selected in consultation with the advisor) has been passed with a grade of B or higher. This course must have been taken during the student's time of study at CGU, and should be equivalent to one year of full-time academic study. Another is to successfully pass a proficiency exam administered by a language professor at one of The Claremont Colleges. When prepared to take such an exam, the student will contact Holly Domingo, Student Support Secretary in the Arts and Humanities and make the necessary arrangements. Students are required to pay the proctor $25 (to CGU) at the time of the exam. Students may wish to look into the possibility of enrolling in one of a number of intensive 6-week summer workshops that are conducted on campus each year. It is recommended that the language requirement be completed within the first semester of master's work or the second semester of doctoral work. Successful completion of the language requirement is a prerequisite to the scheduling of written and oral qualifying examinations.
Transfer Units.
Master's degree students may request the transfer of a maximum of 6 units of appropriate course work, completed with a grade of B or better at other accredited graduate institutions. Doctoral degree students may request the transfer of a maximum of 24 units of appropriate course work, completed with a grade of B or better at other accredited graduate institutions. Up to thirty units of credit for master's degrees in music received from Claremont Graduate University may be applied toward doctoral degrees. Transfer units to be applied toward a degree should be requested within two weeks of the beginning of the semester in which a student enters a graduate program.
Recitals and Projects
All recitals and projects must be approved by the Department of Music. Students must be enrolled for individual lessons during any semester in which a recital is to be presented, unless an appropriate waiver has been approved by the major teacher and the department chair.
Transdisciplinary Requirement
Doctoral students entering in Fall 2006 and after must satisfy the 4-unit transdisciplinary course (T-course) requirement during their second year of study at CGU. For . For more information, please see the T-course page. This requirement applies to D.C.M., D.M.A., and Ph.D. students in the Music Department.
Other Requirements
It is the responsibility of the student to meet all the degree requirements outlined in the official CGU Bulletin and other pertinent documents governing specific degree programs. A student requesting an exception to a degree requirement must submit a petition to the registrar well in advance of the deadline for the requirement. All such petitions must have the endorsement of the student's graduate faculty.
Master of Arts (M.A. in Music)
Master of Arts in Music degrees are offered in the following areas of concentration:
- Composition
- Church Music
- Musicology
- Historical Performance Practices
- Performance
A minimum of 30 semester units of course work is required for the M.A. degree. The concentration in Historical Performance Practices requires 34 units, and the professional programs outlined below require 36 units. 16 units of this requirement are to be selected from core courses. The remainder are to be taken within the concentration, as electives, or as interdisciplinary courses.
M.A. in Music, Concentration in Musicology
- Core Requirements 16 units
- Historical Courses 8 or 10 units (See Master's Thesis Research below.)
- Interdisciplinary Course 4 units
- Master's Thesis Research (optional) 2 units
M.A. in Music, Concentration in Music Composition
- Core Requirements 16 units
- Elective, Interdisciplinary Course 6 units
- MUS 380 Seminar in Composition 8 units
- Composition
M.A. in Music, Concentration in Performance
- Core Requirements 16 units
- MUS 230-51 Individual Lessons 8 units
- Elective, Interdisciplinary Course 6 units
- Recital
M.A. in Music, Concentration in Historical Performance Practices
- Core Requirements (MUS 301a, b; 302; 303 or 401-406) 16 units
- MUS 304 History of Performance Practices 4 units
- MUS 230-51 Individual Lessons 8 units
- MUS 172g Collegium Musicum and/or MUS 271 Chamber Music 2 units
- Interdisciplinary Course 4units
- Recital
- Master's Thesis
M.A. in Music, Concentration in Church Music
Students in this concentration must choose a major in either organ or choral conducting.
- MUS 301a,b Music Literature and Historical Styles Analysis 8 units
- MUS 302 Research Methodology and Bibliography 4 units
- MUS 312 Church Music Program Management 4 units
- Individual Lessons 8 units
- REL 315 Worship, Preaching and the Arts 4 units
- REL 360a Exploring Christian Faith Through the Arts 4 units
- Recital
Professional Master of Arts (M.A.) Degrees
Core Curriculum (Musicology component, all subspecializations)
- MUS 301a, b Music Literature and Historical Styles Analysis 8 units
- MUS 302 Research Methodology and Bibliography 4 units
- MUS 303 Interdisciplinary Music Criticism 4 units
- MUS 401-406 Era Courses (choose two) 8 units
For Option I: Musicology/Music Communications
- ENG 370 Introduction to Literary Theory 4 units
- Electives: Eng 303, 311, 378 (choose one) 4 units
- Music Elective 4 units
- Master's Thesis
- Internship
For Option II: Musicology/Arts Administration
- MGT 345 The Human Component of Organizations 4 units
- MGT 360 Operations Management and Control 4 units
- Music Elective 4 units
- Master's Thesis Project
- Internship
For Option III: Musicology/Information Management
- MUS 311 Computer Applications in Music
- Composition and Research 4 units
- IS 302 Data Base Concepts 4 units
- IS 304 Data Base Systems Planning 4 units
- Master's Thesis Project
- Internship
Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
Majors for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree are offered in performance, historical performance practices, or composition. A minimum of 72 units of course work beyond the bachelor's degree is required. All core requirements, including MUS 301a,b, MUS 302, and MUS 303 must be met. In addition to the courses outlined above for the master of arts in composition or performance, the following courses are required for doctoral degrees in:
Performance or composition
- MUS 401-406 Era Courses (choose two) 8 units
- Major Area of Concentration (performance or composition) 16 units
- Music Electives 10 units
- Interdisciplinary Courses 8 units
- Recitals (4) or Substantial Composition
- DMA Paper
- Transdisciplinary course requirement. For more information, please see the T-course page.
Historical performance practices
- MUS 401-406 Era Courses (choose two) 8 units
- MUS 230-251 Individual Lessons 16 units
- MUS 304 History of Performance Practices 4 units
- Interdisciplinary Courses 4 units
- Music Electives 24 units, including 4 units of MUS 172g: Collegium Musicum and/or MUS 271: Chamber Music
- Recitals (2) and Lecture-Recitals (2)
- DMA Paper
- Transdisciplinary course requirement. For more information, please see the T-course page.
Doctor of Church Music (D.C.M.)
Students may pursue the Doctor of Church Music degree with a major in either organ or choral conducting. A minimum of 72 semester units of course work beyond the bachelor's degree is required for the degree. In addition to the courses outlined above for the master of arts degree in church music, the following are required:
- MUS 309 Words and Music in the Middle Ages (interdisciplinary) 4 units
- MUS 401-406 Era Courses (choose two) 8 units
- Music Electives 8 units
- Individual Lessons 12 units
- REL 307 Basic Aspects of the Study of the First Testament
Or, REL 303 Basic Aspects of the Study of the New Testament 3 units
- REL 301 Major Christian Doctrines or REL 302 Backgrounds of Twentieth Century Theology 3 units
- Elective in Theology 4 units
- Recitals (3)
- DCM Paper
- Transdisciplinary course requirement. For more information, please see the T-course page.
Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology (Ph.D. in Musicology)
A minimum of 72 units of course work beyond the bachelor's degree is required for the Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology degree. All core requirements, including MUS 301a,b, MUS 302, and MUS 303 must be met. In addition to the courses outlined above for the master of arts in musicology, the following are required:
- MUS 401-406 Era Courses (choose two) 8 units
- Music Electives 22, or 24, or 26 units (Depending upon Dissertation Research units. See below.)
- Interdisciplinary Courses 8 units
- Dissertation Research (optional, advisor discretion) 2 or 4 units
- Transdisciplinary course requirement. For more information, please see the T-course page.
Admissions
Applications for fall admission should be received by February 1. Applications received after this date will be evaluated on a space-available basis.
PLEASE NOTE: Music Department applicants have requirements beyond that of the traditional CGU applicant. Please carefully review the information on the Audition Information for Music Applicants page.
Financial Aid
Institutional financial assistance is available in the form of fellowships. Applications submitted by February 15 have priority for the awarding of aid, although aid may be awarded to late applicants on the basis of available funds. Federal aid, in the form of loans and work study, is awarded on the basis of financial need. In addition, students may actively seek opportunities for financial support which might be available to them from foundations and other institutions. Please contact the Music Department for further information on Institutional/Department aid. You may, also, contact the Office of Student Financing, Claremont Graduate University, 160 East 10th Street, Claremont, CA 91711, by telephone 909.621.8337, by fax: 909.607.7285, or by email: finaid@cgu.edu.
If you have questions or are in need of assistance in applying, please contact the Music Admissions Coordinator.
- Music Department
- CGU, School of Arts and Humanities
- 121 East Tenth Street, Claremont, CA 91711
- Contact us by phone or email
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