Overview
The two-year Master of Music (M.M.) degree in Conducting trains students in the artistic, technical, physical, and leadership skills required of successful conductors at the professional and post-secondary levels. Intensive coursework in conducting, score study, analysis, musicology, and theory is combined with regular opportunities to conduct university ensembles.
Two-Part Application Process
Applying to The University of Texas at Austin as a graduate music major is a two-part process that requires separate applications to the university (ApplyTexas) and the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music (Acceptd). The Butler School of Music accepts applications for fall semesters only.
Continuing students
Currently enrolled Butler School of Music students applying to continue into a new degree program in the same major without a break in enrollment should submit both applications in full.
Graduate readmission and graduate change of major
Former Butler School graduate students who wish to apply for readmission and former or current graduate students who wish to change majors may require different application procedures or be subject to different deadlines. Consult with the graduate admissions coordinator at the earliest opportunity for instructions specific to your circumstances.
Application Timeline
| Application Event | Date |
|---|---|
| University of Texas application due (ApplyTexas) — To meet the regular deadline students should submit the online application by December 1 and all required transcripts and test scores by December 8. | December 1 |
| Butler School of Music application due (Acceptd) | December 1 |
| Letters of recommendation due | December 10 |
| Prescreen results and live audition invitations | Mid-December |
| FAFSA priority deadline | January 15 |
| Auditions | January & February |
| Admissions decisions | On or before March 1 |
| Butler School merit-based scholarship award notifications (no additional application required) | On or before April 1 |
| Response deadline | April 15 |
| New student orientation | Mid-August |
Application Materials
University Application
You must submit the university application and receive a UT EID prior to beginning the Butler School of Music application. UT EIDs are sent by the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA) through email 2-3 business days after your university application is submitted and processed.
You do not need to wait until your university application is complete to begin the music application. You may begin the music application at any time after submitting the university application and receiving your UT EID.
University of Texas application
- Follow the OGA instructions to submit:
- your graduate application
- application fee
- official transcripts
- You must submit an official transcript from every senior college you have attended. Even if courses taken at one institution are recorded on a transcript from another college, a transcript must be submitted from the institution at which the courses were taken.
- International transcripts must include both the original language document and an official or certified English translation.
- Submitted transcripts must be official and complete, must have been generated within the last calendar year, and must show completed coursework at least through the spring 2022 semester. Unofficial, old or incomplete transcripts will be rejected.
- Transcripts can be uploaded through your MyStatus page. You do not need to mail paper transcripts to The University of Texas or The Butler School of Music for admissions purposes. Transcripts can also be submitted directly to OGA using Parchment or SPEEDE.
- International applicants should review the OGA instructions to determine whether they are required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS score.
Butler School of Music Application
Introductory Video
Submit a one to three minute video recording on which you verbally introduce yourself and discuss your musical and non-musical interests, goals, creative or volunteer work and reasons for applying to the Butler School of Music.
Statement of Purpose
A 500-word essay outlining your objectives for graduate study, career plans and reasons for applying to our program.
Letters of Recommendation
Three recommendation letters, written within the last twelve months, pertaining to your potential for graduate study in music. Provide contact information for your three chosen references in your Butler School application. Notification emails are sent to your references after you submit your application.
Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
A résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) providing complete information concerning musical training, experience, awards, honors, publications and performance.
Repertoire List
A list of all works that you have conducted or rehearsed. If appropriate, you may optionally include a representative list of solo or chamber repertoire you have performed on your primary instrument, including concertos and other large ensemble works featuring prominent solo passages.
Prescreening
The faculty use your prescreening recordings to determine whether or not to invite you for a live, on campus audition. Current Butler School students applying for a further degree and graduate students who are reapplying to end an official leave of absence are exempt from the prescreening requirement. Prescreening results are released in mid-December. Each required repertoire selection should be uploaded as a separate video file.
Select an Audition Date
Indicate your first and second choice audition dates. Please do not make travel plans until you have received an audition confirmation email. We do our best to place applicants on their first choice audition date. If an audition date fills up, we give first choice preference to applications submitted earlier.
Prescreening
Prescreening Requirements
Your music major requires you to submit prescreening videos within the Butler School of Music application by December 1.
You will be notified as to whether or not you have passed the prescreening round by the date on the application timeline.
Procedures
- Individual movements or excerpts should be uploaded as separate digital files.
- Complete your uploads well in advance of the appropriate deadline, as upload times vary depending on file size and internet signal strength.
Format
- You are required to upload your files in a video format.
- Audio-only submissions are not accepted.
- Acceptable file types include: MP4, MPEG, MPG, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V, FLV, WEBM, MKV, M2V
Quality
- Recordings must be genuinely performed by you.
- Recordings must not be edited, nor should any effects such as “reverb” be added.
- Play back and check your entire recording for any distortion or excessive “buzz”.
- If accompaniment is required, ensure that it does not drown out your playing.
- Review your recordings before uploading to ensure that they are of good quality and represent your best work to date.
Prescreening Repertoire
- One video session of an ensemble rehearsal lasting no less than 15 minutes. Videos of uninterrupted run-throughs in a rehearsal setting are not considered rehearsal material.
- One or two unedited performance videos of contrasting repertoire lasting no less than 15 minutes. A performance video of the repertoire featured in the rehearsal video may be submitted as well.
- One short performance video on a primary instrument.
The camera should be positioned behind the ensemble facing the conductor and the conductor should be clearly visible.
Auditions
After successfully passing the prescreening portion of the audition process, you will receive an invitation to attend a live audition. Do not make travel plans until your audition date is confirmed.
- You will receive an email from mga@mail.music.utexas.edu confirming your audition date in mid-December.
- You will receive an email containing your audition time block — a two-hour window of time in which you can expect to audition — two weeks prior to your confirmed audition date.
- Auditions take place only at The University of Texas at Austin. Audition day details will be sent with your audition time block.
- Video auditions are not accepted.
LIVE AUDITION PROCEDURES
- Conduct the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra in a live rehearsal. Repertoire and audition expectations will be discussed at the time the applicant is invited to audition live.
- Interview with the conducting faculty.
LIVE AUDITION DATE
- Auditions will be held in January and/or February. Specific dates will be arranged at the time the applicant is invited to audition live.
Do not make travel plans until you receive an audition invitation email in mid-December.
Sample Audition Day Schedules
Weekday Auditions
- 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Audition Check-in
- 9:00 a.m.: Auditions Begin
- 12:00 p.m.: Butler School of Music Facility Tour
- 5:00 p.m.: Auditions Conclude
Saturday Auditions
- 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: General Information Table Open
- 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Check-in Table Open
- 9:00 a.m.: Auditions/Interviews Begin
- 9:00 a.m.: Composition Information Session
- 10:00 a.m.-2 p.m.: Butler School of Music Facility Tours
- 12:00 p.m.: Butler School Student Performance and Q&A with Admissions Staff
- 1:00 p.m.: Academics at the Butler School Information Session
- 5:00 p.m.: Auditions/Interviews Conclude
Sunday Auditions
- 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.: Audition Check-in
- 11:00 a.m.: Auditions Begin
- 12:00 p.m.: Butler School of Music Facility Tour
- 5:00 p.m.: Auditions Conclude
Decisions & Enrolling
You can ensure that your UT application is complete by checking your MyStatus page on a regular basis and submitting any missing materials as soon as possible.
Decisions will be communicated to you by email from mga@mail.music.utexas.edu and in the messaging system in Acceptd, as noted on the timeline above. Please notify us if you change your contact information.
The deadline to respond to an offer of admission is April 15, unless otherwise noted.
We are unable to provide individualized feedback on application materials for applicants who are denied admission.
New student orientation and diagnostic exams take place the week before classes begin in August.
Tuition, Scholarships & Financial Aid
Tuition at The University of Texas is charged at a flat rate based on the number of registered credit hours. Graduate students typically register for nine credit hours per semester. You can estimate the annual cost of living for a graduate student using the university’s online tuition calculator.
All applicants who are recommended for admission to the Butler School are automatically considered for merit-based financial aid, including scholarships, fellowships, teaching assistantships and out-of-state tuition waivers. There are no additional applications or materials to submit. Residency, citizenship and financial need are not factors in our funding decisions.
We strongly encourage all eligible applicants to submit a FAFSA for federal need-based aid consideration.
UT Austin Resources
Applying
Contacting Graduate Admissions
Tuition & Financial Aid
Music Scholarships and Teaching Assistantships
Decisions & Enrolling
Transfer Credit for Master’s Students