我们的作曲老师在全球450多个场馆演出，他们的写作风格和习语种类繁多，但他们不愿对学生施加自己的风格偏爱。即使在限制学术音乐概念流行的日子里，作曲家也从未拥护教条，而是邀请各种风格的学生入学。他们在传统理论和最新音乐技术上都有扎实的基础，并强调与表演者的合作关系。该系以学生作曲家与我们之间的紧密联系而感到自豪，因为我们是大型研究生表演团体。新音乐冠军赛的传统在该部门中根深蒂固，它鼓励表演者，作曲家和历史学家以整体方式互动。这些课程的学生将学习其学科的一系列核心课程，包括理论，方法论，分析和历史方面的工作。
Performed in over 450 venues worldwide, our composition faculty write in a wide range of styles and idioms, but share a reluctance to impose their own stylistic predilections on students. Even in the days when circumscribed notions of academic music were most in force, faculty composers never espoused dogma, and invite for admission students along a broad range of the stylistic spectrum. They share a belief in solid grounding in both traditional theory and in the newest musical technologies, and emphasize collaborative relationships with performers. The department prides itself on the close relationship between student composers are our large graduate performing body. The tradition of new music championship runs deep in the department, which encourages performers, composers, and historians to interact in integral ways. The capstone of the MA in Composition is a composition portfolio. Preparation for this includes a grounding in Western classical theory (musicianship, counterpoint, and analysis), music technology, orchestration, specialized composition topics courses, and participation in weekly Composers Forum meetings. A principal aspect of training is weekly composition lessons. We operate on an open studio model: students have the option of studying with several teachers over the course of their study.