Final Comprehensive Examinations

Final comprehensive written examinations are required of all graduate music students and will be given once each semester, on or about November 1 and April 1. All deficiencies revealed by diagnostic examinations must be remediated prior to taking comprehensive exams.

Graduate students may take the exams during the summer, subject to the availability of examiners and as scheduled by the Associate Director for Graduate Studies in Music.

Specific dates and location of these examinations will be posted by the Associate Director for Graduate Studies in Music.

ALL graduate students intending to take the Graduate Comprehensive Examinations or to retake any portion(s) of them must complete the Graduate Comprehensive Examination Registration Form. Forms must be submitted to the Associate Director for Graduate Studies in Music at least three weeks before the scheduled examination date, including any summer administration of the examination.

Download Comprehensive Exam study guides .DOC |.PDF   (requires Adobe Reader)

PLEASE NOTE: The Diagnostic Exam study guide is under review for editing. Please check back later for the updated materials.

The exam will have a written section based upon the core classes, followed by the written examination in the area of specialization, where applicable.

The exams generally follow this schedule:
.......9:00-10:00 a.m. -- Analytical Techniques I
.....10:30-11:30 a.m. -- Analytical Techniques II
.......1:30-3:00 p.m. -- Music History
.......3:00-5:00 p.m. -- Specialty Written Exams: Music Education

Please note: Students whose primary language is not English, may have 30 minutes of extra time for each exam.  Students may bring a hardback or paperback dictionary. No electronic dictionaries allowed.

Examination Committees for each degree student may be assigned by the Associate Director for Graduate Studies in Music and will include at least three (3) faculty members. The exam is competency-based, and the questions will address the heart of the core curriculum. Questions will be drawn from the general areas of music history, music theory, and research and bibliography.

The specialization portion of the exam for the Master of Music (individual instruments/voice, jazz pedagogy, and music education) has a written or an oral format as determined by specialization. The content of this exam is left to the individual area of concentration. Questions might include material on related instruments, methods, repertoires, and pedagogy. Sample exam questions are available from each Division of the School of Music.

Oral exams, when applicable, should be scheduled with the student's applied instructor and will cover the area of specialization. Oral exam committees will consist of faculty members assigned to the student's Recital, Thesis, or Research Paper committee.

Students are advised to begin preparations for these examinations early during the semester in which they plan to take them. Students are encouraged to visit with the members of their committees regarding appropriate areas of study. Should a student fail to meet the standards required by the Examination Committee, the student may schedule another examination for those portions of the original exam which were deemed unsatisfactory. A minimum of four (4) weeks must elapse between comprehensive examinations.