圣地亚哥加州大学音乐系提供了一个独特的环境，在此环境中，作曲家，表演者，即兴演奏者，计算机音乐研究人员和音乐学者都采用最重要的思想和最新技术，以突破当代音乐的界限。社区重叠的关注点揭示了一个充满传统但不断扩大的地形，令人兴奋的合作气氛和相互尊重的竞争气氛。该系享誉世界的教职员工致力于推动和激发独特的UC圣地亚哥音乐社区。教师和学生经常在音乐会上，在唱片上以及在国家和国际场所一起表演。节日，座谈会和杰出的参观者为我们的合作以及在我们这个时代的背景下研究新的音乐领域和音乐创造了一种激励和动感的环境。在多样化和
The Composition Program is committed to nourishing the individual gifts and capacities of student composers in a diverse and active environment, with an emphasis on intensive personal interaction between faculty and student. The faculty mentor considers a student's particular goals and then attempts to strengthen their technical capacity to meet them. The diversity and liveliness of our program itself often challenges students to reevaluate their goals.<br><br>After completing three quarters of seminar and two juries, students come to know something about the ideas and perspectives of each faculty composer, the faculty, in turn, is aware of each student's objectives and needs. At this point, an individual mentor is agreed upon and this relationship becomes the center of the student's continuing work as the degree is completed. A Third Year Forum presents, under departmental auspices, a work composed by each third-year composer in the four quarters since their second jury. As a part of preparation for this forum, each student composer is expected to have a faculty performer on their PhD committee (as a regular member, or as an additional sixth member). The faculty performer is the student's performance mentor and guide in interfacing with the performance community. There is also a biweekly Focus on Composition Seminar at which faculty, students, and selected visitors present work of interest (compositional, analytical, technological, and even whimsical).