Music, Professional MA

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Professional Master of Arts in Music (Professional MA)

Three Professional Master of Arts degrees are offered that combine Musicology with subspecializations in

Music Communications
Arts Administration
Information Management.

The Professional Master of Arts degrees are terminal at the master’s level.

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.

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 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. 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. 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.

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

Curriculum Requirements. The Professional M.A. in Music degrees require 36 units. Sixteen units are to be selected from core courses, and the remainder are to be taken within the concentration, as electives, or as interdisciplinary courses.

Core Curriculum (Musicology component, for 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

Option I: Musicology-Music Communications

ENG 370 Introduction to Literary Theory 4 units

English Elective 4 units

Music Elective 4 units

Master’s Thesis

Internship

Option II: Musicology-Arts Administration