How to Apply

For admission into the School of Music Graduate Program, the applicant must hold a bachelor's degree representing a course of study equivalent to that pursued by PSU undergraduates in Music.  Students applying for a Master of Music degree in either Performance or Conducting must complete an interview and audition.  Students applying to either the Master of Arts in Music or Master of Science in Music program must complete an interview and submit one of the following as part of their application process: a History Paper, a Theory Paper (descriptive analysis or composition), an Audition Performance demonstrating mastery at the MUP 490 level or a Teaching Certificate.

In addition to meeting the general requirements for admission into graduate study at the University, each student must successfully take the music placement examination prepared by and administered in the School of Music.  The placement examination must be passed or the recommended review course must be passed with a grade of B or better before a student may enroll in a graduate history or theory course.

Admission to the School of Music's Graduate Program requires a minimum of a baccalaureate degree from a regionally-accredited institution with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.75 for admission.  An applicant with 9 or more graduate credits must have a cumulative graduate GPA of at least 3.0, and this GPA would supersede the undergraduate GPA.  For continuation in the program, students are required to be in good academic standing, maintaining a 3.00 GPA for all graduate coursework taken at PSU and a term GPA of at least 2.67 each term.

For general information such as language requirements, deadlines, policies, and procedures for Graduate students at Portland State University, visit the Office of Graduate Studies website.