Official transcript(s) verifying receipt of an undergraduate degree and previous graduate credit (in English or with translation). Transcripts must be complete (e.g., if currently enrolled, work-in-progress coursework must be included, foreign transcripts must include a grading scale, and for countries that issue, copy of degree certificate/diploma i.e., India, Nepal, etc.). The USD Graduate School and/or academic units retain the right to require credential evaluations from organizations, such as Educational Credential Evaluators/World Education Services (ECE/WES), for a student if such an evaluation is deemed necessary. Additionally, the Music Department has specific requirements based on degree specialization:
M.M. with Specialization in Performance requires an audition with the pertinent applied music faculty.
M.M. with Specialization in Music Education requires an interview with the Music Education professor.
M.M. with Specialization in Music History requires an interview with the Music History professor and writing sample.
M.M. with Specialization in Collaborative Piano requires an audition with the piano faculty.
M.M. with Specialization in Conducting requires an audition with the pertinent conducting faculty (choral or instrumental) and submission of video demonstrating rehearsal and performance conducting.
M.M. with Specialization in the History of Musical Instruments requires an interview with the pertinent museum faculty and a writing sample.
Baccalaureate degree must be from an institution with institutional accreditation for that degree. A minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.7 on conferred degree and/or graduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale, on all graduate coursework is required for full admission. 15 credit hours of undergraduate credit in music as approved by the department is preferred. Each graduate program may admit students on provisional status per university policy. Applicants who do not achieve at least a 3.0 undergraduate cumulative grade point average can only be admitted provisionally to the Music Department. All students entering the graduate music education program must possess an undergraduate degree in music education to finish the coursework within four semesters.
Applicants with degrees from countries other than the United States who have obtained an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institutionallyaccredited American college or university or from an accredited institution in the following English-speaking countries: United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Canada (Excluding Quebec), Australia, and New Zealandare not required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score.For all other applicants, a minimum score of 71 on the Internet-Based TOEFL (iBT), 550 on the Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT), 8 on the TOEFL Essentials, 6.0 on the IELTS Academic, 53 on the PTE, or 105 on Duolingo is required for graduate admission.