Music Graduate Advising

Category: General Procedures & Policies for all Graduate Degrees (page 1 of 2)

A1. Sources of Information and Email Communication Policy

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Students are responsible for informing themselves of all graduate degree requirements, procedures, and policies. The University of Oregon Catalog provides information on School of Music and Dance (SOMD) requirements in the music section, and the UO Division of Graduate Studies requirements in the Division of Graduate Studies section.

Music graduate students must fulfill the degree requirements specified in the Catalog of their admission year. If requirements change, they must meet either the original or the new requirements entirely, without combining them. SOMD procedural matters follow the most recently revised Policies & Procedures (P&P), regardless of enrollment term. It is recommended to consult the current Procedures and Policies annually.

All SOMD forms referenced in the P&P can be found on the SOMD Info For Grad Students website, while UO Division of Graduate Studies forms are available on the Division of Graduate Studies website.

Regularly checking your official UO email account in the uoregon.edu domain is mandatory. Official communications, including important information from the Music Graduate Office, will be sent via email. For further details, refer to the UO email policy.

Source of Information Use
UO Catalog Contains complete details for all academic programs offered by the university. Use this page to reference the specific degree requirements.
UO Division of Graduate School Policies & Procedures Policies & Procedures for the Division of Graduate Studies. Reference this page for information on minimum degree requirements, important graduation dates/timelines, thesis/dissertation submission info, etc.
SOMD Policies & Procedures SOMD specific policies & procedures. Reference this page for SOMD specific requirements. These policies are IN ADDITION to the UO Division of Graduate School’s Policies & Procedures.
UO Registrar: Petition & Forms The UO Registrar maintain student records, course data, and anything related to course registration at UO. Visit this page for information about course registration and petitions to late drop/add courses.
SOMD Graduate Student Info Page General information for SOMD Graduate Students. Links to degree checklists, course projections, and recitals can be found here.
Individual Area Handbooks

 

Some SOMD areas have their own handbooks which provide more specific information pertaining to the area.

 

Any discrepancies between the area handbooks and the SOMD Procedures & Policies will be resolved by the SOMD Graduate Committee.

 

A2. SOMD Graduate Entrance Examinations

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The Graduate Entrance Exams (GEE) in Music Theory, Aural Skills and History are mandatory for incoming music graduate students. Students who are awarded GEs in Music Theory are exempt from the Music Theory & Aural Skills portions.

Passing the GEE determines eligibility for graduate-level music history and theory courses. Exams are given before each fall term during Week of Welcome. Students must pass the GEE or complete remedial coursework. Failure to meet the requirement by the end of Fall term in the second-year results in dismissal from the program.

All courses (graduate and undergraduate) used to fulfill GEE requirements must pass the course with a B- or higher.

Music Theory & Aural Skills:

Students failing the GEE in Music Theory and/or Aural Skills (scoring below 70%) must take the undergraduate theory placement exam, the undergraduate aural skills placement exam, or both. Based on the placement exam results, students will enroll in the corresponding undergraduate music theory and/or aural skills courses to meet the GEE proficiency level. If a student is required to take MUS 231 Music Theory IV and/or MUS 234 Aural Skills IV, they may choose one of the following options:

  • Take MUS 231 and MUS 234 and pass with a B- or higher.
  • Retake the GEE in at the start of their second year.
  • Enroll and pass with a B- or higher the music theory/aural skills (MUS 399) review course offered over the summer.

To enroll in graduate music theory courses, students must pass both the music theory and aural skills Graduate Entrance Examinations (GEE) or complete the corresponding undergraduate coursework.

All undergraduate music theory and aural skills courses must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.

Music History:

Students scoring 50-69% on the Music History portion of the GEE must complete an extra music history survey course from the MUS 660-665 series, in addition to any required MUS 660-665 courses for their degree. The musicology faculty will select one to two survey courses based on the test results and identified weaknesses. These additional courses must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.

Students scoring below 50% on the Music History portion of the GEE will take MUS 267, 268, and 269. All undergraduate music history courses must be passed with a grade of B- or higher.

A3. Advisors

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Students are responsible for informing them­selves of all graduate degree requirements, procedures, and policies. For matters about SOMD Policies & Procedures and general graduate degree advising, students may seek advising from the SOMD Graduate Office. For matters pertaining to degree progress and curriculum specific to the major, students should consult with their faculty advisor.

During the student’s degree program, students will collaborate with the Graduate Advisor (gradmus@uoregon.edu) and their faculty advisors to determine the appropriate courses based on degree requirements. Faculty advisors are:

  • Musicology: The area chair will assign the appropriate faculty advisor.
  • Music Theory: The area chair will assign the appropriate faculty advisor.
  • Intermedia Music Technology & Data-Driven Instruments: Music technology area chair.
  • Music Composition: The area chair will assign the appropriate faculty advisor.
  • Music Education: The area chair will assign the appropriate faculty advisor.
  • Jazz Studies: Professor Paul Krueger
  • Piano Pedagogy: Grace Ho
  • Performance: Studio Instructor

Faculty advisors should be determined by the end of the first term of the student’s first year of study. Any time there is a change in faculty advisor, students must notify the SOMD Graduate Office.

A4. Grading Policies

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Students must earn a B- or better in all courses used to fulfill degree requirements. Grades of C+ or lower may not be applied for graduate credit but are com­puted in the grade point average (GPA).

Pass/No Pass Options:

A grade of P (Pass) is awarded only for the equivalent of a B– or better. A grade of N (No Pass) is neither acceptable for graduate credit nor computed in the GPA. 

All required courses for a student’s degree (including Research Development and Non-Music courses) must be taken for a letter grade rather than P/NP.

Exceptions to the above rules include Practicum (606), Terminal Project (609), Research (601), Read­ing and Conference (605), Thesis (503), Dissertation (603), and courses offered only P/NP. In each of these cases, the grade option is determined by inclusion of Practicum as a degree or Specialization requirement, UO policy, or by the professor offer­ing the course. Courses not directly related to the degree program may be taken P/NP.

Incomplete Grades:

A grade of “I” (Incomplete) represents an agreement between an instructor and a student to extend the deadline for coursework completion. Incompletes shall be granted when the instructor determines that the student meets all the following criteria. The student:

  • has been making satisfactory progress on coursework as determined by the criteria in the syllabus;
  • has been active in the course;
  • is unable to complete a portion of the course requirements due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control that occurred after the last day to drop a class (End of Week 7 of Fall/Winter/Spring terms; variable dates for summer courses);
  • is able to independently complete the remaining requirements without attending additional classes beyond the term or receiving additional instruction; and
  • requests an Incomplete by the published deadline (see Registrar’s website)

If additional class attendance or instruction is required to complete course requirements, the instructor shall not issue an Incomplete. Lack of engagement, poor performance, or a desire to repeat the course are also unacceptable reasons for issuance of the “I” mark.

Incomplete grades can only be granted by instructors and instructors are under no obligation to grant students an incomplete grade if in their judgment the criteria stated above are not met.

Instructions on how to request an Incomplete and further details can be found on the UO Registrar’s Page.

A6. Concurrent Graduate Degrees and Specializations

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Concurrent Graduate Degrees:

Students who wish to pursue concurrent graduate degrees (two master’s degrees, or a doctoral and master’s degree) should consult the SOMD Graduate Office and the Division of Graduate Studies for information.

SOMD Specializations:

 The SOMD provides various graduate specializations that can be added to any master’s or doctoral degree in the SOMD. To pursue a specialization, a student must be admitted to a University of Oregon master’s or doctoral program.

Music students may pursue any of the SOMD specializations, with the following exceptions:

  • MA & PhD Music Theory students can not pursue the Music Theory Pedagogy specialization.
  • MM & DMA Music Performance Collaborative Piano students cannot pursue the Collaborative Piano Specialization.
  • Master’s in Piano Pedagogy students can not pursue the Piano Pedagogy Specialization.

For a full list of SOMD Specializations, please consult the Info For Music Graduate Students page.

Declaring the Specialization:

Students who choose to pursue a graduate specialization should declare their intention with the SOMD Graduate Office by fall term of the second year of study.

To declare the specialization:

  1. Review the specialization requirements. Any questions about the specialization, should be directed to the faculty member in charge of the specialization: 
    • Collaborative Piano: David Riley
    • Ethnomusicology: Juan Eduardo Wolf
    • Historical Performance Practice: Lori Kruckenberg
    • Jazz Pedagogy: Paul Krueger
    • Music Theory Pedagogy: Music Theory area chair
    • Piano Pedagogy: Grace Ho
    • Violin & Viola Pedagogy: Leslie Straka
  2. Fill out the SOMD Specialization Application. After receiving and reviewing this form, the student will be sent a DocHub form to complete. 
  3. A finalized copy of the form will be sent to the student. The student is responsible for emailing the completed forms to the Division of Graduate Studies (graduatestudies@uoregon.edu) for processing. CC’ the SOMD Graduate Office in this email communication.

Specialization Requirements:

All courses required of a Specialization must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a B- or better. Courses taken P/NP may not be used to fulfill Specialization requirements unless approved by the SOMD Graduate Office.

All courses required for graduate specializations may overlap with the primary degree requirements.

Graduating with the Specialization:

No later than Friday of Week 2 in the term of graduation, the student must apply for their degree via GradWeb also indicating the graduate specialization they also plan to receive.

Graduate specializations are indicated following the major degree on official records and transcripts once the student graduates with their primary degree.

A5. Petitions & Course Waivers

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General SOMD Petitions: 

Graduate students may petition the SOMD Music Graduate Committee for changes in any aspect of the degree program. When completing the petition form, the requested change and the reasons for the variation from standard proce­dures should be clear­ly stated, and the appropriate faculty advisor’s statement of support and signature of approval must be included.

To request a SOMD Petition:

  1. If applicable, collect any documentation needed for your petition.
  2. Consult your faculty advisor and the SOMD Graduate Advisor regarding the petition. The support of the faculty advisor is necessary for the petition to proceed.
  3. Upon approval from your faculty advisor, request a petition from the SOMD Graduate Advisor (gradmus@uoregon.edu). The form will be sent via DocHub.
  4. Once the DocHub is completed, the petition will be presented to the SOMD Graduate Committee for review. The result will be shared with the student as soon as possible.

Course Waivers:

Students may petition to waive a course if: 1) they have completed a similar graduate-level course at another institution or the same or similar course at the UO prior to beginning the program, and 2) the substituted course was completed no more than seven years before the submission of the waiver.

To request a course waiver:

  1. If applicable, gather a syllabus from the course you are trying to use for the substitution. The instructor of the course at UO will need to evaluate the syllabus to determine eligibility.
  2. Consult your faculty advisor and the SOMD Graduate Advisor regarding the course waiver. The support of the faculty advisor is necessary for the petition to proceed.
  3. Upon approval from your faculty advisor, request a course waiver from the SOMD Graduate Advisor (gradmus@uoregon.edu). The form will be sent via DocHub.
  4. Once the DocHub is completed, the petition will be presented to the SOMD Graduate Committee for review. The result will be shared with the student as soon as possible.

A7. Progress Toward Degree and Retention in Program

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At the end of every term, the SOMD Graduate Office will evaluate student progress. If a student is found to not be meeting satisfactory progress, they will be placed in one of the following categories: No Action, Academic Warning, Academic Probation, or Dismissal. View each category on the Division of Graduate Studies page.  

The SOMD follows the Division of Graduate Studies Satisfactory Progress Requirements.

In addition to those requirements, the SOMD also has School specific requirements:

  1. Students must successfully complete the SOMD GEE or any necessary proficiency exams or coursework by the end of Fall term of the second year.
  2. Students are allowed two attempts to earn a B-or better in any degree-required course. If students are unsuccessful after two attempts, further enrollment as a graduate music major will be permitted only by a successful petition to the SOMD Graduate Com­mittee. 
  3. Students must pass doctoral degree comprehensive examina­tions by the second attempt.

A8. Individualized Study

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Individualized study (605) allows students to explore topics beyond the standard curriculum. It cannot be used to replace regular courses. Additionally, it cannot be used for recital or exam preparations.

To Request Individualized Study:

  1. Talk with the professor you wish to complete the individual study. Professors are not obligated to offer students individualized study.
  2. Upon receiving confirmation from the professor, complete this Individualized Study Request Form. 
  3. The SOMD Graduate Office will review your request and if you are eligible to register for Individualized Study credits, we will send you a DocHub form to finalize your term goals with your professor.
  4. Upon completion of the form, the SOMD Graduate Office will instruct you to register for the course.

Please note: Individualized study requests must be made to the SOMD Graduate Office by the 1st day of Finals Week. Missing the deadline may require a Late Drop-Add petition to the UO Registrar.

Each term, students must complete a new individualized study form to register for individualized study. Summer individualized study requires approval from the professor and the SOMD Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

A9. Performance Studies

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Course Number Credits Lesson Length Who is it for Course Fee
 MUP 635 2 Half hour Non-Performance and secondary instruments $200
MUP 650 2 Hour MM Jazz, non-Performance and secondary instruments $400
MUP 665 4 Hour MM Performance & MM Jazz $400
MUP 765 4 Hour DMA $400

 

Course numbers would be the same for each instrument, but each instrument would have its own section name and CRN.

A10. Recital Policy (All Graduate Students)

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Find detailed information on recital policies, scheduling procedures, optional recitals, and more, here.

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