Candidacy Audition
All students must audition for the appropriate area faculty. This audition must be deemed “Satisfactory” before one can be accepted into the School of Music ( i.e. before completing nine (9) hours of graduate work). Early auditions are encouraged, and a high level of performance proficiency is expected.
In lieu of a candidacy audition, with the approval of the School of Music Graduate Committee, students who will complete the Master of Music degree in Performance at USM may use their graduate recital. The appropriate faculty must attend the recital, and the printed program must state the total purpose of the concert, (e.g., “This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Music in Performance, and it also serves as an audition for acceptance into the Doctor of Musical Arts curriculum in the School of Music.”) The student must begin doctoral study within one year of this audition.
Required Courses:
MUS 500 - Writing About Music
MUS 702 - Bibliography for Music Research
MUS 557 - Collaborative Piano Literature 1
MUS 558 - Collaborative Piano Literature 2
MUS 898 - Dissertation
The remainder of the course work will be guided by the counsel of the major professor and graduate advisory committee. Curricular choices may be determined by several factors, including the student’s performance on the qualifying examination and entrance audition, and the student’s interests and/or professional goals. The following additional minimum distribution of graduate courses (including master’s degree work) is required.
30 semester hours (MUP, MUS) in performance music studio study, recitals
6 semester hours (MUS) in music history
6 semester hours (MUS) in music theory
6 semester hours (MUS) in music literature (MUS 531 /MUS 540 /MUS 541 )
6 hours (MED, MUP, MUS) electives (MUS 539 - German Diction for Singers , MUS 546 - Instrumental Literature )
A G.P.A. of 3.0 is required for graduation. Graduate students must receive a grade of B- or better in any class for it to count toward graduation requirements.
Recital Requirements
Four recitals will be required in addition to the candidacy audition. Three will be combination of vocal and instrumental repertoire. The fourth will be a lecture recital accompanied by a lecture document (aprox 30 pages in length). Inorder to ensure a holistic approach to collaborative piano, recital repertoire will be an equal representation of instrumental, vocal and orchestral reduction repertoire.
As a general rule, not more than one doctoral recital may be presented by a candidate during any academic term, or more than two during any nine-month period. Rare exceptions will be permitted, but under rigidly-controlled preocedures. See the Graduate Coordinator for details.
Language Requirement
Satisfactory competence in English and German, French, or Italian is required for candidacy and must be approved by the Advisory Committee. Competence in a foreign language can be demonstrated by:
a) completing two semesters (6 hours) of a graduate-level course in German or French or Italian in reading for research with a grade of B- or higher at a previous institution.
b) completing two semesters (6 hours) of a graduate-level course in German or French or Italian in reading for research with a grade of B- or higher at The University of Southern Mississippi.
c) completing the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test in French or German. The CLEP can be taken at many sites. Students must obtain a minimum score on the total test in one of the languages as follows: French 43; German 39.
Satisfactory performance on language exams, administered by the USM Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, also is acceptable. Others may be required by the major professor and the graduate advisory committee. Students may transfer these hours from an accredited institution upon admission, provided that the most advanced of the courses was taken within the last six calendar years.
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