Graduate Examinations

Chris Royal, Graduate Studies Coordinator

All graduate students must pass the examinations listed below before application for admission to candidacy can be made. Students should consult with their major advisor (Area Coordinator) assigned to them upon entrance to the program and the Coordinator of Graduate Examinations for the exact date, time and place of each examination.

These examinations are taken early in the first semester of graduate study:

• University-Wide Expository Writing Examination

• Placement Examination in Music Theory

These examinations are taken later:

• Qualifying and Graduate Recitals or Thesis Defense

• Oral Comprehensive Examination - After satisfactorily completing all course requirements and final projects, the candidate must successfully complete an Oral Comprehensive Examination administered by the Committee on Graduate Studies in Music, a panel consisting of all the instructors with whom the candidate studied during his/her tenure in the Graduate Program.

This examination will focus on matters of general musical knowledge as well as those which specifically pertain to the area of the candidate's specialty. Thesis writers may also regard the oral examination as a "defense of thesis" presentation. Performers should expect detailed questions concerning the content and historical and theoretical background of the works programmed on their graduating recitals.

The oral examination is normally scheduled within one week of the close of the final semester of study. The examination may be taken two times only; failure on the second attempt is final.

For further graduate classification and examination information, please contact Dr. Chris Royal, Coordinator.