Chair: Robert Zappulla
(909) 621-8612
Humanities@cgu.edu
www.cgu.edu/musi

Click here to see faculty listing. 

Academic Program

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 available that combine musicology with sub-concentrations 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. The Doctor of Church Music and the Master of Arts degree with a concentration in church music are offered in cooperation with the Claremont School of Theology.

The curriculum emphasizes uses of music technology for research, teaching, and creative work. All music students have the opportunity to receive music technology instruction in several contexts, including courses utilizing the department’s music technology studios, which include computer music notation, composition, performance, and film scoring techniques.

Admission 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 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, historical performance practices, or music education should submit examples of their written work in the form of published articles or unpublished papers.

Grades. Students are required to maintain a minimum grade average of B.

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 upon recommendation of the student’s advisor and dean of the school. The second examination will be taken at the regularly scheduled time during the following semester. The “Degree Regulations ” section of this Bulletin may contain further information concerning qualifying examinations.

Participation and Attendance. All music students are encouraged to take part in the performance groups of The Claremont Colleges. Please see the heading “Ensembles” at the end of the Music Courses for further information. Students also are expected to attend concerts, lectures, and symposia presented by the Music Department.

Courses. Course requirements for each degree program, as well as elective courses, are listed below.

Language Requirements. All students on the master’s level must demonstrate reading proficiency in one language, selected from French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Latin (depending upon degree program and research interest). A second language is required of all doctoral students as well as master’s level students majoring in voice and choral conducting. For voice majors, 2 units of diction are required. The diction requirement may be waived if taken as part of undergraduate voice studies. 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 coursework, 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 coursework, completed with a grade of B or better at other accredited graduate institutions. Up to 30 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 the first two weeks of the semester in which a student enters a graduate program.

Recitals and projects must be approved by the faculty of the Music Department. Students must be enrolled for individual lessons during any semester in which a recital is to be presented, unless the major teacher and the department chair have approved an appropriate waiver.

Transdisciplinary Course Requirement. All students who enter the doctoral program after the fall 2004 semester are required to complete the transdisciplinary course requirement within the first two years of their program. For details on the requirement, see the “Doctor of Philosophy Degree ” section in this Bulletin.

Other Requirements. For residence and other general requirements, see the “Degree Regulations ” section in this Bulletin.