Graduate Degrees, page 4
School of Music

Master of Music Education

Prerequisites

The applicant must hold a Bachelor of Music degree or its equivalent, with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0.

Additional Requirements

Candidates must complete the equivalent of at least one year of full-time teaching prior to completion of the degree.

Candidates whose undergraduate degrees are not from USC must achieve passing scores or take assigned course work in all areas of the USC Music Graduate Entrance Examinations. The complete battery of examinations must be taken at the time the candidate registers for the first graduate course.

Candidates other than USC graduates may not enroll in 500-level music history courses or 400-level conducting, theory, or composition courses without having passed the appropriate sections of the Music Graduate Entrance Examinations.

The culmination of the degree will consist of a creative project developed under the guidance of a member of the music education faculty. Projects must be reported in written form but need not be limited to traditional written material. Candidates may produce, design, arrange or implement innovative ideas, materials or curricula for specific application in school or community musical settings.

Curriculum RequirementsUnits
MUED 500 2
At least one course from either 501, 502, or 5032
592 Master's Project2
Electives in music education6
Electives in music6
Electives in music, music education, letters, arts and sciences, or any other university departments12
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Master of Arts

This degree is under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Students should also refer to the Graduate School section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degree must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Departmental Requirements

Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of the Music Graduate Entrance Examinations and the Graduate Record Examinations, scholastic record, performance in at least one field of applied music, including piano, and in a particular subject of graduate research.

Regular (classified) standing is achieved when the general test of the Graduate Record Examinations has been taken, and when the Music Graduate Entrance Examinations have been completed satisfactorily. Remedial course work, if recommended, may be substituted for repetition of examinations.

Language Requirement

Students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge by passing an examination in one foreign language chosen by the student from among French, German, Italian or Latin. This requirement must be passed prior to the comprehensive examination.

Prerequisites

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree with a major in music; competency in French or German; 18 units or equivalent in theory, including harmony, analytical techniques and counterpoint; eight units or equivalent in music history and literature; and at least 16 units in history, literature or the arts other than music.

Degree Requirements for the Music History and Literature Emphasis

Thirty units of course work, of which at least 18 must be chosen from MUHL courses numbered 500 or higher, MUTC 533ab or MUTC 534ab. At least eight units must be in history, language, literature or the arts other than music. A comprehensive examination, normally given in the last semester of course work, is required in lieu of a thesis.

Degree Requirements for the Music Theory Emphasis

RequirementsUnits
MUTC 533ab (4), 534ab (4), 540 (2), 550 (2)12
MUHL 570 (2) and one 500-level MUHL elective (2)4
Music electives4
Electives in letters, arts and sciences4
MUTC 594ab (4)4
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Degree Requirements for the Early Music Performance Emphasis

RequirementsUnits
MUEN 450 (3)3
MUHL 570 (2), 572 (3), 574 (2), 575 (2), 589ab (2-2), 594ab (2-2), MUHL electives (2) *19
MUPF 450 (2), 553 (5)7
Electives in letters, arts and sciences 4
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*Chosen from MUHL 573, 576, 583-586, 595, 683-686.

The thesis will include the planning, research, preparation and leadership of a full-length program in early music. This practical work will be supported by a written essay that deals, as appropriate, with historical data sources, authentic performance practices and a stylistic assessment of the repertoire that is performed. In lieu of a comprehensive examination, candidates for the Early Music Performance Emphasis will be required to pass periodic reviews to demonstrate progress.

Non-Degree Programs

Advanced Studies Certificate Program in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television

This one-year program is designed for students who hold the Bachelor of Music in Composition or its equivalent. Persons who complete the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television non-degree curriculum will be awarded an Advanced Studies Certificate from the School of Music.

Entrance Requirements

1. Five to eight minutes of music the student has composed, recorded on a chrome-tape audiocassette (non-Dolby). Send a copy, not the master. Music should show fluency in a number of styles. Include a cassette contents sheet which lists title, duration and any additional information concerning the music.

2. A score or sketch for three pieces of music recorded on the audiocassette. The preferred score size is 8.5" x 11" paper.

3. If available, a VHS videocassette of a completed project(s).

Curriculum RequirementsUnits
MUCD 521ab4
MUTC 440ab (4), 442ab (4), 443ab (4), 520ab (2), 522ab (4), 523ab (4), 545ab (4)26
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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
David Henriquez
univpub@stuaff.usc.edu