Overview
The three-year Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in Music Performance trains students as informed artist-performers. In addition to demonstrating technical mastery of their instrument or voice, students are expected to exhibit a thorough understanding of the theoretical, pedagogical, and historical aspects of the major, as well as a knowledge of the literature of their performance area.
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 and the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. The Butler School of Music accepts applications for fall semesters only.
Continuing students AND GRADUATE CHANGE OF MAJOR
Currently enrolled Butler School of Music students applying to continue into a new degree program in the same major or to change graduate majors without a break in enrollment must submit both applications in full.
Graduate readmission
Former Butler School graduate students who wish to apply for readmission must submit a graduate readmission application. If you are on an official leave of absence, the application fee is waived and readmission is automatic. Former students who are not on official leave may require additional procedures or materials. Consult with the graduate admissions coordinator at the earliest opportunity for instructions specific to your circumstances.
Application Timeline
| Application Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Butler School of Music application opens | September 1 |
| University of Texas application due — To meet the regular deadline students should submit the online application by December 1 and all required transcripts and test scores by December 11. | December 1 |
| Butler School of Music application due | December 11 |
| Letters of recommendation due | December 11 |
| 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 prior to beginning the Butler School of Music application. Detailed application instructions and policies are available from the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA).
Graduate application and application fee
Submit your application for graduate study and pay the required fee.
letters of recommendation
Three recommendation letters, written within the last twelve months, pertaining to your potential for graduate study in music.
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.
Official transcripts must be complete, must have been generated within the last calendar year, and must show coursework and grades at least through the spring 2024 semester. Unofficial, old or incomplete transcripts will be rejected. International transcripts must include both the original language documents and an official or certified English translation.
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. Electronic transcripts can also be submitted directly to OGA using Parchment or SPEEDE.
TEST SCORES
This program does not require a GRE score.
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
START OR CONTINUE MY 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.
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 solo works that you have performed in a recital, jury or studio class, including concertos. You may also include a representative selection of chamber works.
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 11.
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.
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 solo piano work or extended symphonic section of an opera lasting at least three minutes. Memorization is not required.
- One Mozart opera aria with recitative from any vocal category, to be played and sung at the same time by the applicant, in the original language. This component will be judged on the applicant’s coordination ability, not on vocal quality or technical accomplishment.
- Applicant’s choice of one of the following works, to be performed with a soloist:
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly — “Un bel dì” (starting from “Piangi?”)
- R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier — “Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren”
- Charpentier: Louise — “Depuis le jour”
- Verdi: Rigoletto — “Ella mi fu rapita… Parmi veder le lagrime”
- Applicant’s choice of one of the following works, all parts to be played and sung by the applicant. This component will be judged on the applicant’s coordination ability, not on vocal quality or technical accomplishment.
- Any sextet or finale from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni or Cosí fan tutte
- Puccini: La boheme — Act I beginning through Benoit’s entrance
- Bizet: Carmen — Quintet, “Nous avons en tête une affaire”
- Applicant’s choice of extended secco recitative from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni or Cosí fan tutte, or Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia
Auditions
Auditions take place at the Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin. While in-person auditions are highly preferred, video auditions are accepted. Video auditions are due with the music application on the application deadline.
You will receive an audition confirmation email from mga@mail.music.utexas.edu after successfully passing the prescreening portion of the audition process. Audition invitations are sent in mid-December. Do not make travel plans until your audition date is confirmed.
Additional audition day information will be sent by email one to two weeks before your audition date. We urge you to make yourself available the entire day to explore the Butler School and UT Austin.
LIVE AUDITION REPERTOIRE
- One solo piano work or extended symphonic section of an opera lasting at least three minutes. Memorization is not required.
- One Mozart opera aria with recitative from any vocal category, to be played and sung at the same time by the applicant, in the original language. This component will be judged on the applicant’s coordination ability, not on vocal quality or technical accomplishment.
- Applicant’s choice of one of the following works, to be performed with a soloist without rehearsal:
- Puccini: Madama Butterfly — “Un bel dì” (starting from “Piangi?”)
- R. Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier — “Mir ist die Ehre widerfahren”
- Charpentier: Louise — “Depuis le jour”
- Verdi: Rigoletto — “Ella mi fu rapita… Parmi veder le lagrime”
- Applicant’s choice of one of the following works, all parts to be played and sung by the applicant. This component will be judged on the applicant’s coordination ability, not on vocal quality or technical:
- Any sextet or finale from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni or Cosí fan tutte
- Puccini: La boheme — Act I beginning through Benoit’s entrance
- Bizet: Carmen — Quintet, “Nous avons en tête une affaire”
- Applicant’s choice of extended secco recitative from Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni or Cosí fan tutte, or Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia
- Sight-reading of selections from operatic and/or symphonic literature (from piano reductions)
- Interview with Butler Opera Center faculty
LIVE AUDITION DATES
- January 31
- February 7
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. 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