Graduate Academic Policies & Procedures

Students admitted in Fall 2023 or later must follow the requirements described below. Students admitted prior to Fall 2023 have the option of pursuing the Theory requirements that were in place when they were first admitted, or the new requirements that were instated in Fall 2023.

Current Graduate Theory Requirements

Students are required to complete either the combination of two intermediate-level courses (two 4xxx courses) or a mixture of intermediate- and upper-level courses (one 4xxx course and one 5xxx/8xxx course).
Entry-level Theory courses (3xxx) do not count towards the Theory requirement.
DMA/PhD students may transfer in one 4xxx- or 5xxx-level Theory course from their previous graduate/master’s degree, but not before one 4xxx-/5xxx-/8xxx- level course has been completed at UMN.

Requirement Exception

Students who successfully pass all three entrance exams in Tonal Theory, Tonal Ear-Training, and Post-Tonal Theory may choose to complete the Theory requirement by taking only one 3-credit 5xxx-/8xxx-level course.
This cannot be substituted for only one 4xxx-level course.
Students must still complete the appropriate number of credits for their degree’s Musicology/Theory requirement.

Theory Course Sequence

Entry-Level Theory (MUS 3xxx)

• Entry-Level Theory remediation courses are the first level of courses for incoming graduate students, and are only required for those who do not pass the tonal theory and ear-training placement exams. Entry-Level Theory courses do not satisfy any degree requirements for graduate students.

Intermediate-Level Theory (MUS 4xxx)

• Students may register for Intermediate-Level Theory courses once all Entry-Level remediation is finished, or if the student has passed the tonal theory and ear-training placement exams. At least one course at the Intermediate Level must be successfully completed before a student can enroll in an Upper-Level Theory course.

Upper-Level Theory (MUS 5xxx/8xxx)

• After at least one Intermediate-Level Theory course is successfully completed or if the student has passed the Tonal Theory, Tonal Ear-Training, and Post-Tonal Theory placement exams, the student may enroll in Upper-Level Theory courses.

Students should also review their degree tracking sheet on the Intranet for any additional Theory requirements that are specific to their degree program. 

Students should choose which course(s) to take in consultation with their Faculty Advisors. If they would like more extensive information regarding Theory requirements and the related course offerings, it is highly recommended that they consult the Music Theory course grid on the Intranet. The Theory faculty recommend those needing remediation to complete that coursework during the first year of study. Timely remediation is the student’s responsibility, and the student is encouraged to complete remediation as quickly as possible. Failure will likely lead to delayed degree progress. 

Students trying to enroll in larger theory courses (most 4xxx-level courses) will find two different types of section options with different class times: Lecture Sections (Section 001) and Discussion Sections (Section 002 and above). With these types of courses, keep in mind the following:

• Students must register for a designated Discussion Section (002 and above).

• Students cannot register for the 001 Lecture Section (also known as the non-enrollment section.).

• Even though students are not registered for the Lecture Section, they must be available to attend both their Lecture and Discussion sections. There are no exceptions for this policy. 

Assignment of Faculty Advisor

Studio assignments for incoming applied graduate students are decided by the Division Heads prior to Welcome Week. Questions about studio assignments may be directed to the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies at grad-music@umn.edu. Incoming applied students will be assigned to their studio teacher for their Faculty Advisor. Conversely, incoming academic students will be assigned to their Division Head as their Faculty Advisor for their first year in the program. These students should then select a Faculty Advisor from within their Division by the end of their first year in the program.

Change of Advisor

If you would like to change your Faculty Advisor, please contact the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) at dgs-music@umn.edu to discuss your next steps. If the DGS approves of the change in Faculty Advisor, please complete the following steps: 

1. Confirm your new Faculty Advisor’s agreement to serve in this role in writing, via email. 

2. Notify the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies (grad-music@umn.edu) of the change by sending an email, cc’ing the DGS and your new Faculty Advisor. 

3. Work with the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies to send a brief email to your previous Faculty Advisor (cc’ing the DGS), thanking them for their support and informing them of the change.

To avoid a late fee, the student must register for at least one course before the first day of classes. Provided the student has registered for at least one course by the start of the term, they can change their registration through midnight on the second Monday after classes have begun. New students should delay registering for music theory courses until the results of the placement exams have been posted.

• Graduate students must meet with their faculty advisor every term before registering for classes. Before making an appointment, they should first have an idea of the courses they would like to take. The course offerings for all departments on campus are located in Schedule Builder.

• Once the student and the advisor decide on courses, the student must then contact the instructors for the music courses they wish to take in order to ask permission to register for the courses. Instructor information can be found on Schedule Builder. The student will need their permission in an email or a text message. (Courses offered outside the School of Music by other departments or colleges may not require instructor or department permission.

• The student then fills out the Graduate Course Permission Request Form on the Intranet. This will enable staff members to enter course permissions. In this step, the student will need to attach written permissions from the course instructor. Instructions are at the top of the form.

• Once staff have entered course permissions, the student will receive a notification that they now have access to register. Registration instructions are found on OneStop, under “Academics.”

Registration Holds

If a hold is placed on the student’s record, they may not register until the hold is cleared. Holds may be placed on students’ records for financial indebtedness to the University or for disciplinary or scholastic reasons. In most instances, they will be notified by the department or office authorizing the hold when it is placed on record. Notice of any holds, including the name of the department or office where it may be cleared, is available online at MyU.

Incomplete Policy

The School of Music will not allow students to accrue an excessive number of incomplete credits. Each degree program allows a specified maximum number of incomplete credits. If this maximum is exceeded, a hold will be placed on the student’s record until the issue is remedied. 

Degree Program and Maximum Number of Incomplete Credits

MA - 9 credits
MM -  12 credits
DMA - 12 credits
PHD - 15 credits

GPA Minimum Requirement

Based on the guidelines established by the Graduate School and the University of Minnesota, the School of Music has established a minimum GPA requirement for each of the graduate degree programs offered. Per University policy for master’s and doctoral students, only courses with grades of A, B, C (including C-) and S may be counted toward the degree. With the exception of courses outside of the School of Music, all coursework offered on both A-F and S/N grading basis must be taken A-F to count towards graduate music programs. If adequate progress is not made toward the degree and the student’s cumulative GPA falls below the established minimum, a hold will be placed on the student’s record until the issue is remedied. Students who fall below the program's minimum GPA requirement may be terminated from the program.

Degree Program and GPA Minimum Requirement

MA - 2.90
MM - 2.80
DMA - 3.00
PhD - 3.00

Applied Lesson Registration Policy

MM students may register for major lessons for a maximum of four semesters; DMA students may register for major lessons for a maximum of six semesters. Students are expected to complete their recital(s) within these semesters. If a student does not complete their recital(s) within the allotted time, they may apply for elective lessons via the Elective and Secondary Lesson Request Form.

To ensure that faculty provide appropriate guidance and motivation during the preparation of degree recitals, all students must be registered for applied lessons in the term in which they perform a degree recital.

Request for a change of applied teacher will be handled by the Director of Graduate Studies. When a change is desired, either the teacher or the student may initiate the request by sending a written request to the Director of Graduate Studies (please cc grad-music@umn.edu on the message). After consultation with the faculty, the Director of Graduate Studies will render a decision to all concerned. Except for unusual situations, no change will be allowed until the completion of the term.

Ensemble Auditions/Placement

All new and returning students interested in participating in School of Music Ensembles, with the exception of Campus Band, Campus Orchestra, Campus Singers, or Gospel Choir, are required to audition in order to enroll in an ensemble. Students interested in participating in Campus Band, Campus Orchestra, Campus Singers, or Gospel Choir only need to enroll and attend the first class meeting of these ensembles in order to take the class. 

Placement in major ensembles is on the basis of auditions at the discretion of the ensemble directors in consultation with applied faculty. Students who successfully audition for a major ensemble (University Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, University Singers, Womens’ Chorus, University Opera Theatre, Opera Workshop, and University Symphony Orchestra) will be placed in that ensemble. Students who do not qualify for these major ensembles may be placed – again, at the discretion of the ensemble directors in consultation with applied faculty – in another ensemble (University Band, Campus Band, Campus Singers, or Campus Orchestra). If assigned by the ensemble directors on the basis of an audition, this ensemble will count as fulfillment of the student’s major ensemble requirement for the given term; these students will be expected to audition for a major ensemble at the next opportunity.

Specific information regarding ensemble auditions is available on the School of Music website.

Chamber Ensembles

While all students are welcome to participate in a School of Music chamber ensemble, some degree programs require chamber ensemble credits. Therefore, students should refer to degree program requirements to determine whether or not they are required to participate in chamber ensembles. For chamber ensemble registration information, please see the School of Music website and direct related questions to Rachel Hest at hestx004@umn.edu.

All recitals performed by our students must be approved through the Student Services Office (Room 100 Ferguson) to adhere to NASM standards. As such, there is a specific process associated with scheduling any recital, whether on or off-campus. Please review the recital information on the School of Music intranet and download the graduate student recital packet, where you will find information about scheduling, registration, and other pertinent information. For specific recital requirements, please refer to pp. 31 (MM recitals) and pp. 38 (DMA recitals) of this handbook.

Credit Restrictions

Faculty and students should familiarize themselves with the rotation of Theory and Musicology courses and understand which courses fulfill the requirements for each degree program. Students must register for a minimum of six (6) credits to maintain full-time status and to receive any School of Music assistantships. To make satisfactory progress toward any degree, students are encouraged to register for nine (9) to fourteen (14) credits each term. 

Students may register for a maximum of eighteen (18) credits in a term. However, they will be charged an additional fee for each credit taken beyond fourteen (14). If the student is an out-of-state student receiving in-state rates because of a teaching assistantship or fellowship, the student will be assessed for additional credits at in-state rates.

Registration Exceptions

If a student wants to add a class after the University's registration deadline and believes that the situation warrants review, the student must first confer with the instructor of the class and obtain approval to add the course.

• The discussion with the instructor should include how the delayed entry into the class could affect the student academically, how late registration will affect other students, and any other factors unique to the course and the student’s situation.

• Complete the “Graduate Registration Exception Request” webform (located on OneStop's Registration page). The completed form must include the circumstances that prevented the student from registering during the University's official registration period and any other circumstances surrounding the situation that the student believes warrant an exception.

• The faculty advisor, the School of Music’s Student Services Office, and the College of Liberal Arts will review the request and make every effort to inform the student of a decision within ten (10) working days. The culminating decision is final.

• If an exception is granted, the OneStop office will enter the registration automatically.

If a student wants to drop a class after the University's registration deadline and believes that the situation warrants review, they must confer with their faculty adviser and the instructor of the class and obtain approval to cancel.

Readmission

If a student becomes inactive, it is possible to be readmitted to regain active status. To request re-admission, the Change of Status/Re-admission form must be completed prior to the term of anticipated re-entrance. Please consult the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies at grad-music@umn.edu for more information.

Musicology/Ethnomusicology

Students must complete a minimum of one 3-credit course in Musicology/Ethnomusicology at the University of Minnesota.

Doctoral students may transfer in one Musicology course prior to taking any Musicology graduate-level (5xxx/8xxx) courses at the University of Minnesota, School of Music. 

The grade of all Musicology/Ethnomusicology courses must be a C- or above.

Theory/Composition

Students must complete a minimum of one 3-credit course in Theory/Composition at the University of Minnesota. If doctoral students have passed the required Theory placement exams or have completed remediation coursework, they may transfer in one 4xxx- or 5xxx-level Theory course from their master’s degree. Please note that these students are still required to take at least one 5xxx-level or 8xxx-level Theory course at the University of Minnesota, School of Music. 

• Students may wait until after completing the 5xxx- or 8xxx-level Theory course at UMN to submit their School of Music Application for Transfer Credit form for ALL transfer courses. 

  • Alternatively, the student may submit a transfer form for all transfer coursework MINUS the Theory course and then submit a second form that includes one 4xxx- or 5xxx-level Theory course from their master’s degree.

• The grade of all Theory/Composition courses must be a C- or above.

Language proficiency is required for some of our graduate degrees. Students should consult their appropriate degree tracking sheet on the Intranet for more information regarding the language requirements within their degree program. 

There are two ways to demonstrate proficiency in languages. 

Language Department Certification of Foreign Language Proficiency (GS82)

This method of proficiency is satisfied in conjunction with an official representative from any language department. When the student has met proficiency according to the language department’s criteria, digital copies of the signed language certification form must be completed and returned to BOTH of the following offices:  

1. Graduate Student Services & Progress: gssp@umn.edu. The GSSP Office will add the language proficiency information to the student’s University transcript.

2. School of Music Graduate Student Services: grad-music@umn.edu. The Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will add the language proficiency milestone to the student’s GPAS record.

School of Music Foreign Language Certification

This type of language certification is recorded in the student’s graduate school file, but is not recorded on the transcript. This method of proficiency is satisfied within the School of Music. A foreign language examination is administered by a designated member of the faculty and will be given upon request by the student. These examinations are tailored to the specific needs and abilities of each student.  As such, the structure of the exams differs greatly among Divisions. The student should see the faculty advisor for specifics about the exams. When the student has satisfied a language according to the department’s requirements, the faculty member evaluating the student’s language proficiency should send a message to grad-music@umn.edu indicating the student has fulfilled the language proficiency requirement. The Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will then add the language proficiency milestone to the student’s record. 

ESL Coursework

School of Music graduate students may count graduate-level ESL courses toward their degree requirements, provided these courses are allocated/counted under the “Electives” degree requirement area. All ESL courses must be taken at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities at the 5xxx-level. Courses cannot be transferred from other institutions. ESL courses cannot be used to satisfy foreign language requirements or SETTA requirements. Further questions regarding the School of Music’s ESL course policy may be addressed to grad-music@umn.edu. General questions regarding available ESL courses, permission numbers, etc. should be addressed to the ESL office (esl@umn.edu).