Composition (M.M.)

A student and her professor use computer technology to work on a composition.

Selected Courses

• Topics in Music Theory and Analysis
• Eighteenth-Century Counterpoint
• Pedagogy of Music Theory
• Stylistic Analysis of Post-Tonal Music
• Independent Research in 20th-Century Analysis

Learn More

Graduate Study in Music

The School of Music enjoys a rich musical life, with students contributing to more than 300 recitals, concerts, musicals, operas, and other productions each year. As a composer in our graduate program, you may well create works to be performed each semester in one of our public concerts. You will also take weekly composition lessons and have the opportunity to participate in master classes as part of our Karel Husa Visiting Professor of Composition series. That series has brought to campus such artists as Christopher Rouse, George Crumb, John Corigliano, John Harbison, Libby Larsen, and Chen Yi.

Toward the end of your residency, you will present a full recital of your works. You will also be required to submit a formal thesis, which must be a composition of large proportion for chamber ensemble (quartet or larger), orchestra, wind ensemble, or chorus with instrumental ensemble. We also encourage performance of your thesis. Finally, you will need to demonstrate a basic proficiency on the piano in order to complete the degree; many of our students choose to study piano privately as part of their master’s degree coursework. Graduates of this program are admitted to prestigious doctoral programs throughout the country or continue their work in other professional arenas.