MUSIC-DMA - Musical Arts (DMA)
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Program Overview
Through completion of advanced course work and rigorous skills training, the doctoral program prepares students to make original contributions to the knowledge and practice of Music and to interpret and present the results of such work in appropriate venues and publications.
Admissions Information
Information on how to apply for graduate study at Stanford is available on the university’s Graduate Admissions website. Application information specific to the Department of Music can be found on the Department of Music website.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
course: The requirement is the completion of six quarters during the first three years of study.
course: The requirement is for all nine quarters during years 1, 2, & 3, and three quarters during years 4–5 with no three consecutive quarters un-enrolled.
course: The requirement is two or more quarters per year are required until advancement to candidacy. By the end of the second year, the student shall have enrolled with at least two different faculty members. By the end of the third year, the student shall have enrolled with at least three different faculty.
All courses in Music must be taken at the 100 level or higher and for a letter grade, unless the course has been designated Pass/Fail.
Students are expected to be in residence during their studies, to profit from and contribute to the Music Department fully. However, students may request research and artistic practice-based leaves when specific activities warrant it, as long as they do not interfere with the requirements below. Leave requests must be reviewed by the entire faculty and approved by a majority in consultation with the Department Chair. Leave requests should be made to the advisor at least two weeks before relevant university deadlines.
DMA students in Composition typically take their written and oral Qualifying Exams in the week before the start of Autumn Quarter of Year 2.
DMA students submit a Special Area Examination topic proposal by the end of their fifth quarter.
Besides those requirements listed above, candidates are expected to produce a portfolio of works demonstrating their ability to compose in various forms and for the common media: vocal, instrumental, and electronic music. If possible, the works submitted are presented in public performance prepared by the composer. Annual progress is reviewed by the composition faculty, with a significant portfolio review during the autumn quarter of the third year.
During the winter quarter of the fourth year of study (no later than the ninth week of classes), the DMA student completes the following: a written and oral examination on their planned field of concentration, a one-hour presentation followed by questions in MUSIC 324 Graduate Composition Forum, a sample course syllabus, and the final project proposal.
The faculty expect doctoral students to engage deeply with the on-campus composition community above and beyond TA requirements. This includes engagement with new music by faculty and fellow students and participation in critical discourse. In addition to the nine required quarters of 323, participation in peers’ milestone events such as Portfolio Reviews, Area Exams, and Final Project Presentations is strongly encouraged. Attending others’ milestone events increases students’ preparedness for their own. Attendance at Final Project Presentations is particularly important: Students are expected to communicate with their advisor when they must miss a Final Project Presentation. Students are also encouraged to attend presentations by invited composers beyond the nine-quarter requirement.
Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All PhD and DMA students are required to complete six quarters of supervised teaching (Teaching Assistantships) at half-time, regardless of their financial support. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support.
Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All PhD and DMA students are required to complete six quarters of supervised teaching (Teaching Assistantships) at half-time, regardless of their financial support. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support.
Faculty review the doctoral student’s progress and academic achievement annually. Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree is a judgment by the faculty in the department or school of the student’s potential to complete the degree program’s requirements successfully. Students are expected to complete department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the DMA program. If the student’s progress and potential are deemed sufficient to advance to candidacy, the student must complete the. Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree. A student not advancing to candidacy is dismissed from the program.
Students are required to submit an approved final project that makes an original contribution to creative work in the field of Music. The final project typically consists of a substantial composition or a series of compositions unified by an artistic theme or process. Students are expected to complete and publicly present the final project by the end of their fifth year in the program, ideally in the same quarter as the oral exam and no later than the subsequent quarter.
Before students are advanced to candidacy, all DMA students must have demonstrated a reading knowledge of one language other than English and the ability to translate it into idiomatic English.