Degree Requirments

Composition

DMA • Composition

Overview

The four-year Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in Composition trains students to create music and convey their musical ideas through a variety of performance media. Students are expected to exhibit a thorough knowledge of the theoretical and historical basis of music and to develop strong pedagogical skills. A comprehensive general curriculum and optional concentrations in various areas of specialization help to prepare students for advanced careers as composers and teachers.

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Contacts
Degree Requirements
Advising & Registration
Graduation Timeline
Important Links

Contacts

Administrative Contacts

Graduate Advisor | Director of Graduate Studies

James Buhler

Scholarships & Assistantships

Anne Hall

Graduate Admissions Coordinator

Daniel Seriff

HR Coordinator

Theresa Orendain

Graduate Coordinator

Marina Martinez

Operations & Scheduling

Page Stephens

Division Contacts

Division Head, Theory & Composition

Marianne Wheeldon

Area Head, Composition

Yevgeniy Sharlat

Area Counselor, Composition

Donald Grantham

Faculty

Donald Grantham

Professor of Composition
Sam Lipman

Lecturer in Film Scoring
Russell Podgorsek

Lecturer in Composition
Building Manager
Yevgeniy Sharlat

Associate Professor of Composition
Januibe Tejera De Miranda

Director, Experimental & Electronic Music Studios
Omar Thomas

Assistant Professor of Composition

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Degree Requirements

The D.M.A. in Composition requires 53-56 hours of registered coursework, two comprehensive examinations, a public recital, and a dissertation.

Major Coursework

Major Coursework for the D.M.A. in Composition
Hours	Course Number	Course Title/Description
12	MUS 388C	Composition (4 semesters)
3	MUS 388T	Analytical Techniques
9		3 courses chosen from: MUS 398T, Pedagogy of Music Theory MUS 388V, Score Reading MUS 388M, Topic 3: Contemporary Styles & Techniques MUS 388M, Topic 4: Current Trends in Music Theory
6	MUS x99W	Dissertation

The dissertation will normally consist of a work of major proportions for orchestra, band, or chorus and orchestra, or an opera. The dissertation must also be accompanied by a document which adequately explains the content of the composition. In addition, a recital of approximately 30 minutes, consisting of the candidate’s original works, must be presented. Find recital scheduling procedures on the Butler School Operations website.

An analysis of the dissertation work, normally expected to be at least 30 pages in length, must be presented to the doctoral committee when the dissertation is presented for evaluation. It is to be submitted to the Graduate School with the dissertation and must follow the Graduate School format for doctoral dissertations.

Supporting Coursework

Supporting Coursework for the D.M.A. in Composition
Hours	Course Number	Course Title/Description
6	MUS 380
3	MUS 381
15		Semester hours chosen from any of the following areas: conducting, electronic/computer music, jazz, musicology/ethnomusicology, Music & Human Learning, music theory, or performance. The student has the option of declaring one of these areas as a concentration, in which case all 15 hours must be taken in that area. In order to pursue this option, the student must propose a list of courses within the area of concentration to the Theory/Composition faculty for approval.
6		Free electives (upper division or graduate level courses)

Treatise Option

Doctoral students in music performance who wish to pursue the treatise option must obtain permission from the Graduate Studies Committee in music before applying for candidacy. Differences from the non-treatise are:

The Chamber Recital is not required.
Students in candidacy register for MUS x99 Treatise instead of MUS x99N Non-Treatise Lecture-Recital Document.
The lecture-recital document is expected to be a substantial research paper of a scholarly nature.

Juries

At the end of each semester, all composition majors except those students enrolled in thesis or dissertation courses or who have given a degree recital during the semester must appear before a jury of the composition faculty. The jury session will last approximately 15 minutes during which the student will present their work and answer any questions the jury may ask. The jury will assign the grade for the semester’s work. The instructor will assign the course grade.

Factors the jury considers when determining the final grade include: the quality and quantity of the music written during the semester, the difficulty of the medium composed for, the number of performances of original music during the semester, growth and improvement, the quality and quantity of work relative to other students’ work at the same level, and participation in the life of the division (attendance at composition forums, CLUTCH concerts, student degree recitals, New Music Ensemble concerts, Electronic & Experimental Music Studio concerts, etc).

Comprehensive Examinations

Common Comprehensive

The common comprehensive examination consists of score identification and music history exams. Competency in music theory is tested as part of the final examination process of each section of the MUS 388T Analytical Techniques course. They are offered once per semester and in the summer.

A student who fails any portion of the common comprehensive exam on the first try must re-take the failed portion of the exam. If a student fails a portion of the exam twice, that student must choose one of the following options:

Take one or more graduate courses as determined by the musicology or theory faculty. The student must achieve a grade of B or higher in the specified course(s) to complete the requirement and officially pass.
Take the relevant portion(s) of the exam a third time, with the understanding that a third failure will result in termination of the student’s degree program.

Specialized Comprehensive

The content and procedures for the specialized comprehensive exams vary across divisions. Consult with the head of your division for additional information about the specialized comprehensive exams.

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Advising & Registration

For information about course registration, deadlines, adding and dropping courses and other policies, visit the Graduate School Academic & Registration Policies webpage.

Students who wish to take an independent study course need to fill out a Consent Form. Once the faculty member and Graduate Coordinator have approved your request, the bar to register for the course will be lifted.

To be eligible for fellowships, scholarships and assistantships, graduate students are required to be enrolled full-time (at least 9 hours).

All international students are also required to be enrolled full-time during each long semester, regardless of whether they receive funding from the Butler School of Music.

Transferring Coursework

A new doctoral student may petition to substitute up to twelve credits of graduate level coursework completed at another institution for degree requirements at the University of Texas, subject to approval by the Butler School Graduate Studies Committee. This process must be completed during the first semester of enrollment, before the close of the fall advising period.

Courses approved for substitution typically fall into the areas of music history, theory, literature, and pedagogy, as well as chamber music.

Under normal circumstances, transferred coursework should have been completed within the four academic years prior to the start of the doctoral work at UT. The GSC will consider on a case-by-case basis whether coursework completed more than four years prior to the start of doctoral study at the Butler School can count toward the program of study.

Coursework completed for a master's degree at the University of Texas at Austin may be included in the course work for the doctoral degree without a petition form, but is subject to approval by the Graduate Studies Committee chair in Music, the candidate's supervising committee, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

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Graduation Timeline

Semester-by-Semester Overview

Prior to 1st semester

All students must take the diagnostic examinations in music history and music theory. Additional diagnostic exams are administered for students in composition, jazz and music theory.

Semester 1

For students who completed an M.M. degree before coming to UT Austin, course transfer requests must be submitted in the first semester. If they haven’t been submitted by at least the advising period for spring classes (i.e. late October), the student’s registration will be barred.
Composition students will present a jury every semester unless they are presenting their D.M.A. recital, or are enrolled in Treatise/Dissertation hours (final semester(s)).

Semester 2

All first year D.M.A. students should meet with the Graduate Coordinator for an audit of their coursework during the advising period for summer and fall classes in April. Registration will be barred until this meeting takes place.
Composition jury (unless presenting a recital).

Semester 4-6

Students must submit a completed D.M.A. course outline to verify their completion of coursework.
Unless there are mitigating circumstances (for ex., insufficient number of Master’s level credits that can be transferred or an unusually large number of deficiency courses a student must complete) documented and approved by the Graduate Advisor, all D.M.A. students must attempt the common comprehensive exams (comps) upon completion of coursework.
Similarly, all D.M.A. students must complete their specialized comps.
Unless a particular student has failed one or more sections of the common comprehensive exams, all D.M.A. students must form their committee and apply for candidacy.
After an individual’s candidacy is approved, all D.M.A. students must see the Graduate Coordinator to add MUS X99W to their registration.
Composition jury (unless presenting a recital or in Treatise hours).

Semester 6-8

Students who passed their common comprehensive exam retake(s) must form their committee and apply to candidacy.
Most D.M.A. students perform their D.M.A. composition recital, though it can be performed earlier in the timeline.
- Recital scheduling procedures
In the final semester of study, composition students schedule and complete their final oral defense. The defense may not take place in the last week of classes. The defense must be officially scheduled with the graduate school using the Request for Final Oral Exam application.
After the final defense students must obtain all committee signatures on the Report of Dissertation document supplied by the graduate school and return to their office by the deadline listed on their website along with any required pages.
All students must apply to graduate by the deadline.

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