Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition
Major code: D705
Application Deadline
To receive full consideration for admission and graduate assistantships, the application deadline is December 1. The School of Music cannot guarantee an audition, interview, admission, or graduate assistantship if application is received after the deadline.
Residency Requirement
Assistantships
There is no separate application for assistantship. Unless the applicant indicates otherwise, we assume that all applicants are interested in being considered for assistantships. Please note that assistantships are usually awarded for the Fall and Spring semesters together. We very seldom have assistantships available for anyone entering in a Spring semester. We do not award assistantships for Summer sessions.
Procedure for Applying
Submit the online application (see Graduate Admissions page) and all materials described below. At the discretion of the members of the Graduate Composition Faculty, the applicant may be requested to provide more information or materials or may be asked to appear in person for an interview.
Application materials required for all graduate degrees
These items must be submitted to the online graduate application system.
- Resume
- Submitted to the online application under the Resume tab.
- Submitted to the online application under the Resume tab.
- Statement of Purpose
- Submitted to the online application under the Statement of Purpose tab
- Please compose a brief personal statement (approximately 2–3 pages of double-spaced, 12-point font text with 1-inch margins) regarding your desire to pursue a graduate degree in music. Include responses to the following prompts:
- How would you describe your professional path to this point?
- Why do you want to pursue this degree at OU?
- How do you want to grow musically, artistically, pedagogically, and/or intellectually during your graduate studies?
- What skills, expertise, and experiences do you bring to graduate study at OU?
- Describe your post-degree plans (i.e., How will you apply your newly acquired academic knowledge and expertise?).
- Three letters of reference
- Submitted to the online application under Recommendations tab
- Your three reference letters should include:
- At least one letter from: your studio professor, ensemble conductor, chamber coach, etc., or a person who has considerable knowledge about your abilities as a performer or composer.
- At least one letter from: a person who can speak to your abilities as a scholar of music.
Scholarly writing requirement
This degree requires you to submit a sample of your scholarly writing.
- Submitted to the online application under the Supporting Documents tab
- The guidelines for this writing sample are as follows:
- Should represent your best writing and researching skills.
- Preferably not more than 3 years old; should be recently revised. If you do not have a recent scholarly writing sample on hand, we ask that you compose something original.
- Adhere to a consistent method of formatting and citations (e.g., Chicago, MLA, Turabian, APA) and include a bibliography/reference list.
- A minimum of 5 pages of double-spaced, 12-point font text (not counting bibliography) with typical 1-inch margins.
- Ensure your writing sample is representative of the field. Consider presenting a complete argument supporting a clear thesis, perhaps methodological in nature for empirical research, or other format reflective of various academic areas in music.
- Please contact the Graduate Music Office (gradmusic@ou.edu) or the area chair for your program with any questions about meeting these requirements.
Application materials required for this degree
- The applicant to the DMA in Composition shall supply to the Graduate Composition faculty a portfolio of scores representing different genres with accompanying recordings of those works. Scores are not required for fixed media works.
- The portfolio must contain no less than fifty minutes of original music composed by the applicant.
- The recordings may be live performances (preferred) or a digitally realized performance of the works under consideration.
- Scores may be submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
- Audio or video files or links to online recordings may be submitted to the online application under Digital Portfolio > Upload Media.
- In addition, the applicant must provide a list of all works composed. This comprehensive list must include the works title (including all movements as appropriate), instrumentation, length in minutes, date of completion, and a listing (date and performance venue) of each work that has been performed.
- Submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
