For full-time students, the candidacy exam for the DMA in Music Performance typically occurs in the fourth semester of study. Students must have completed or be in the process of completing at least nine credits of primary and sub-specialization courses by the semester of candidacy. The exam may not be taken sooner than the fourth semester of full-time study. 

The exam includes four questions sent to the candidate 48 hours in advance of the exam date; two of the questions will be related to the student’s primary area, and two will be related to the sub-specialization. Students will choose one question from each area to respond to. They will have 48 hours to research the topics and develop a bibliography with sources they will reference. The questions will be written by the faculty in each area and will be related to coursework taken during the doctoral degree.

On the date of the exam, which is administered in MPAIA-GE 3400 Performing Arts Research Collegium, students will have the full class time (2 hours and 40 minutes) to respond to the two prompts (one from the primary area and one from the sub-specialization area). Students will bring the bibliography to the exam room, without annotations, and will complete their responses by hand. The use of computers, tablets, or phones is prohibited except when warranted due to legitimate academic accommodations. Students who believe they qualify for accommodations should discuss with the Moses Center for Accessibility and Inclusive Culture as early as possible - ideally at the start of the semester when they will be completing the exam. The recommended length for the essays is 1,250 words for the primary area essay and 1,000 words for the sub-specialization essay (equivalent to roughly 5 and 4 pages double-spaced, respectively).

To apply for candidacy, DMA students should submit the Application for Doctoral Candidacy form along with their unofficial doctoral transcript to mpap-doctoral-studies@nyu.edu by the deadlines established on the MPAP Doctoral Candidacy Dates and Deadlines page in this handbook. The transcript can be accessed at any time via Albert by following these instructions. The program code for the application form is GEMUSPDMA, and the advisor signature should come from the MPAP doctoral academic advisor. 

The essays are evaluated by two members of the DMA Governance Committee. The examination shall be evaluated as PASS, PASS WITH CONDITIONS, or FAIL. A third member of the doctoral faculty will be asked to review the essays if the committee does not agree on an evaluation.  If the candidacy examination results in a PASS WITH CONDITIONS, the student will be notified by the exam coordinator of what is required in order to have the conditions removed. If the candidacy examination results in a FAIL outcome, matriculation is suspended and the student must request permission (in writing) from the department to retake the examination. A second opportunity to sit for the examination may or may not be allowed, based on the DMA Governance Committee’s evaluation of the student’s request. If the student passes the second candidacy examination, doctoral student status is restored.

Please note that Steinhardt policy does not allow any doctoral student to take the candidacy examination more than twice. In the event that a student fails the candidacy examination a second time, matriculation in the doctoral program is automatically terminated, in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Steinhardt Doctoral Policies Website.