Graduate Degree Planning

SoM Degree Tracking Sheets are templates that students and faculty advisors should use so that they may plan how the students’ courses meet the various program requirements. These documents are for planning purposes only. On the degree tracking forms, students should fill in the following (in consultation with their faculty advisors):

• Program Courses: Fill in the course names and numbers (include topic names for any 5950 classes). Include coursework not yet taken as well as desired transfer coursework.

• Remediation: Document placement exams results and the courses taken where remediation was necessary.

• Recital Information: Track the dates and terms of the required student recitals.

• Language Certification (if required): List the foreign languages in which the student has either demonstrated proficiency, or plans to demonstrate proficiency.

Coursework and degree milestones are formally tracked by the department and University through the Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS), or Graduate Degree Plan (GDP).

Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS) OR Graduate Degree Plan (GDP)

The student will either use the Graduate Planning and Audit System (GPAS) Planner or the Graduate Degree Plan (GDP) form to submit their plan. These processes ensure that students fulfill degree requirements prior to their examinations. The submitted plan functions as a contract between the student, the advisor, the School of Music, and the Graduate School, which lists all the courses the student intends to count for the degree. 

• Students admitted for Fall 2019 and after use the Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS). 

• Students admitted prior to Fall 2019 use the Graduate Degree Plan (GDP). 

• Please contact the Graduate Student Services & Progress Office at gssp@umn.edu if you have additional questions about which process to use. 

Before students submit their GPAS or GDP, they must first complete the transfer of any external credits. All transfer credits must be approved by the student’s faculty advisor and by the Director of Graduate Studies. 

Master’s Students

• Master’s students may transfer a maximum of 12 credits of the total credits of their University of Minnesota Master’s degree credits from a previously incomplete Master’s program.

• Students who have completed a Master’s degree at another institution may transfer a maximum of 8 credits into a University of Minnesota Master’s program. The credits may not transfer into the Theory, Musicology/Ethnomusicology, and applied areas.

• A maximum of 8  graduate course credits may be counted in common between two University Master’s programs. 

DMA Students

• DMA students may transfer a maximum of 8 credits of applied lessons from an external master’s degree.

• See above for the transfer restriction on academic courses in Theory and Musicology/Ethnomusicology.

Transfer Credit Limit 

DMA and PhD students may transfer up to thirty (30) credits maximum from their previous master’s degree.

Transfer Credit Review Process for Students on GPAS 

Students on GPAS should complete the School of Music Application for Transfer Credits in consultation with their faculty advisor. They will be asked to provide:

• Application for Transfer Credits, signed by the faculty advisor

• Unofficial transcript(s)

• GPAS report (students may generate a PDF report on the "Plan by My Requirements" page of their GPAS)

• Syllabi for all transferred Theory, Musicology, and Research coursework must be submitted along with your Transfer Credit Request form.

Submit the completed application and materials to grad-music@umn.edu for review by the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). All transfer credits must be approved by the advisor and by the DGS. Once transfer credits are approved by the DGS, the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will notify the student and then enter the transfer coursework into GPAS where it will be reviewed and assigned credit value by the Office of the Registrar. If approved, transfer coursework will appear on the GPAS audit within 7-10 days. Note: Please do not submit your Application for Transfer Credit during Welcome Week, or within the first three weeks of a term. 

Transfer Credit Review Process for Students on GDP

The transfer of credits takes place when the GDP is filed and approved. Transfer courses must be listed on the GDP, and photocopies of transcripts from every institution from which the student is transferring credits, as well as a copy of your degree tracking sheet, must accompany the form. All transfer credits must be approved by the faculty advisor and by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Quarter to Term Conversion

If transferring credits from a quarter system, convert the quarter credits to term credits before listing them on the Transfer Credit Request Form. To make the conversion, use the formula: Quarter Credit   x   2/3  = term Credit.

Quarter Credit - Term Credit
1.0 - .67
2.0 - 1.33
3.0 - 2.0
4.0 - 2.67
5.0 - 3.33
6.0 - 4.0

Students should submit their degree plans using GPAS (or the GDP) by the following timelines:

• MM & MA students: By the end of their first year.

• DMA students: By the end of their third term.

• PhD students: By the end of their second year.

No other milestones can be met until the completed GPAS Planner or GDP form is submitted and approved. 

• First, the student should review the steps for how to complete and submit the GPAS Planner and view the captioned video tutorial. The SoM Graduate Student Services Office also created tutorials with voiceover specifically for our students—they are accessible via the intranet under “Graduate Degree Planning.” Note: The student may need to enable popups for GPAS to function properly.

• The student’s completed GPAS page should reflect, for the most part, a reiteration of the information from the SoM degree tracking sheet. 

• The student completes their GPAS, including (1) courses they have already completed, (2) courses they are currently enrolled in, and (3) courses that they plan to take in the future. Students must include all of the courses that they need in order to complete their degree requirements. 

• After they have completed their GPAS, the student requests an advising appointment with the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies  via email at grad-music@umn.edu. At the advising appointment, the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies reviews the drafted GPAS with the student and recommends any necessary revisions. During the meeting, the student takes notes, so that they can make the revisions on their own after the meeting. If needed, the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies can also reallocate courses on the student’s GPAS during this session. 

• Per the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies’ instructions, the student revises their GPAS (as needed). Then, the student submits their completed GPAS.

• Once the GPAS is submitted, it will be routed to the student’s faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for their final review. Please allow at least one (1) week for these individuals to review the submitted GPAS. 

• If the DGS approves the submitted GPAS, the student may begin the next milestone toward degree completion. 

• If the GPAS  is not approved, the DGS or Assistant Director of Graduate Studies will notify the student with instructions to satisfy any outstanding requirements.

Graduate Degree Plan (GDP) - Submission Steps

The student completes the Graduate Degree Plan form using the instructions page, which accompanies the form. This is, for the most part, a reiteration of the information from the SoM degree tracking sheet. 

• Only graduate-level courses should be listed chronologically by term and year with all transfer courses listed first. 

• On the GDP the student must list all courses that are counting for the degree. 

• Any courses taken outside of music are considered “Other Program.” 

Once completed, the GDP form must be signed by the advisor and then sent to grad-music@umn.edu for review. The document will be given to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for a thorough review. The Degree Plans sometimes take several days to approve; please allow the DGS at least one (1) week to review the GDP. 

If the DGS approves the degree plan, the student will be notified of the approval and the form will be sent to the Graduate School. After the Graduate School approves the GDP form, the student will be notified via email. Once notified, the student may begin the next milestone toward degree completion. 

If the student has not heard from the Graduate School six weeks after submitting the program, please contact the Graduate School at gssp@umn.edu. 

If the GDP is not approved, the DGS will notify the student with instructions to satisfy any outstanding requirements.

Degree Progress & Completion 

After their GPAS or GDP has been submitted and approved, the student should review their appropriate SoM-specific degree completion checklist, as well as the SoM’s Milestone Planner:

• MM/MA Degree Completion Checklist 

• DMA Degree Completion Checklist 

• PhD Degree Completion Checklist 

All students should set up an appointment with the Assistant Director of Graduate Studies at least one term prior to their exam/graduation to review outstanding requirements and upcoming deadlines.

Graduate School Petition

It is sometimes necessary to make changes to a previously approved GPAS Planner or GDP.  Changes must be approved by the faculty advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the University.  

Graduate Program Audit System (GPAS)

If the student has already submitted the GPAS Planner and needs to make changes, they must contact grad-music@umn.edu to request adjustments to how the courses align with specific degree requirements.

Graduate Degree Plan (GDP) 

To make alterations to an approved GDP, the Graduate School Petition must be completed and approved by the faculty advisor, the DGS, and the Graduate School. 

Students actively pursuing a graduate degree in a non-music field at the University of Minnesota may obtain a Minor in Music.  

The Minor in Music for students in the Graduate School will consist of twelve (12) credits as follows: four (4), three-credit-minimum courses in Musicology/Ethnomusicology or Theory at the 8xxx-level, with the possible substitution of one (1) or more of these courses at the 5xxx-level (with the approval of the student’s advisor and the DGS).  Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with advisor approval. In the case of 5xxx-level substitutions, we strongly encourage the student to contact the professor(s) of the course(s) in question, the student’s advisor, and the School of Music DGS in advance of course registration, to ensure that the course will in fact count toward the minor.  

Graduate students seeking to enroll in a 5xxx- or 8xxx-level School of Music course requiring prior coursework or its equivalent in background knowledge will need to have completed all course prerequisites or secured instructor approval in order to register for that course.  

When the GPAS planner/Graduate Degree Plan form is filed, the signature of the co-advisor (if applicable) and the School of Music DGS must be obtained. Students must include a faculty member from the School of Music Musicology/Ethnomusicology or Theory Division on the examining committee, whether or not they serve as co-advisor. All examining faculty members must hold the appropriate appointment in the Graduate School to form a valid committee; students should review the Graduate School faculty appointment information. 

Application for Degree

Before the degree (MM, MA, DMA, or PhD) is conferred, the student must file the Application for Degree with the Graduate School. The student should review the date ranges and deadlines for monthly graduation, and should apply to graduate no later than the first day of the anticipated month of graduation. If the student needs to change the expected graduation term or month after they've applied to graduate, they should email gssp@umn.edu.

Commencement

Although degrees are awarded at the end of each month, commencement exercises are held only once each year in late spring. Students are not required to attend commencement exercises. 

Commencement Attendance Approval

Because commencement is only held once per year, students who graduate any time in the year before or after the ceremony are eligible to attend. Registration is required. The student must submit a Commencement Attendance Approval form to attend commencement and/or to have their name printed in the commencement program. Please refer to the Graduate School website for commencement dates and deadlines.