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Music, MA
Program Requirements and Information
The Master of Arts in Music is a powerful, flexible, and affordable two-year degree program that allows you to pursue concentrated study in a musical field of your choosing. Personalize your graduate degree with a focus in music education, performance, music technology, music theory, conducting, Kodály Method, composition, musicology, or a combination of disciplines.
As of 2019, courses in UCM’s nationally recognized music technology program are available to you as a graduate student. Learn about audio production, electronic music, technology-based performance, technology pedagogy, and other cutting-edge topics at the intersections of sound and technology.
Our summer master's degree program, with courses in music education, conducting, and the popular Kodály Summer Institute, is intended primarily for full-time teachers who wish to complete a graduate degree in three successive summers, with little or no course work during the standard academic year.
The M.A. is designed with your professional working schedule in mind. Required courses are offered in the evening during fall and spring semesters, with several courses offered in a hybrid format that allows you to either participate in a traditional classroom or enroll online as an off-campus or commuting student.
For more information, including Graduate Assistantships, scroll down.
Click here to apply now | Click here to schedule an audition
Information for off-campus and online students
UCM has invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology to ensure that you are able to hear, see, collaborate, and participate from home just as if you were in the classroom. We also offer a wide range of courses and workshops as part of every summer session, that can be taken for graduate credit.
Required courses are offered in the evening during fall and spring semesters, with several courses offered in a hybrid on-campus/online format.
View the course requirements for the M.A. in Music here.
Some graduate courses are offered on a rotating basis, and are not offered every semester or year. You can view the cyclical schedule of graduate classes in Music here.
Program Guide
Explore admissions requirements, learning outcomes, degree requirements, course options
and more.
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Graduate Assistantships
As an admitted graduate student in music, you may apply for assistantships in music and other areas of the university where assistantships do not require specialized knowledge. Assistantships include:
- a fee waiver for graduate courses taken for credit
- a stipend for the academic year
Students who apply for an assistantship in music should make application by March 1 if they intend to begin graduate study the following August. Assistantships are announced by April 15 for the coming academic year.
Click here to apply for a Graduate Assistantship
Summer Masters Degree
Uncommon opportunities for music educators
- Earn your Master’s degree in three summers + selected online courses at one of the most affordable universities in the midwest
- Engage with world-class music education and conducting faculty
- Maximize your teaching skills and musical talents with practical coursework you can apply to your teaching during the intervening years and beyond.
- Specialize in Music Education, Kodály Method, or Conducting
Information and links
View the course requirements for the M.A. in Music here.
Contact info
For more information, contact our summer masters faculty:
Corey Seapy, Summer Programs Coordinator
Jackson Thomas, Director of Choral Activities
Juli Weber, Director of Kodály Programs
Master of Arts with Music Technology focus
People who might be interested in pursuing a Master of Arts with a focus in Music Technology include:
Audio engineers, so you can:
- Expand your knowledge in your chosen field
- Earn a degree that will enable you to teach at higher education institutions
- Explore new creative paths and possibilities offered by the latest in music technology
Educators, so you can:
- Create quality music technology offerings in your classroom
- Learn more about current trends and tools that you can incorporate into your classroom.
- Learn ways to reach students who are interested in producing, beat making, song writing, recording, or audio engineering
Composers and Performers, so you can:
- Incorporate the latest in music technology into your creative practice including: interactive audio, data sonification, 360 spatialization, non-linear organization methods, non-traditional controllers, custom hardware, Max/MSP, and more
- Learn to record and create professional documentation of your work using our professional studios, hardware, software, microphones, and more
College graduates, so you can:
- Prepare for work in the music industry
- Prepare for PhD studies
- Acquire and master new skills
Sound Designers, Installation Artists, Video Artists, Theatrical Sound Engineers, and more, we can help you develop greater expertise with audio-related technology!
Earn your master’s degree without interrupting your busy life! Many courses are available during the summer months. Our M.A. is a flexible degree with many possibilities to customize the degree to your personal interests.
With UCM’s M.A. in Music, you can complete your degree in as little as two years of full-time study. Options for evening and hybrid/online courses are available to fit your schedule. Our world-class faculty members are dedicated to helping you enhance your skills and personalize your degree within the fields that interest you most. You decide which combination of coursework will help take you to the next level!
All students are required by our accrediting institution to take the core curriculum. Please note that performance requirements can be fulfilled with Music Technology Performance studies.
After the core curriculum, you can then choose 11-14 units of electives, currently Music Technology offers:
- Mus 5020 Advanced Music Technology Performance III: This course introduces the student to advanced concepts and practices of modern technological performances culminating in a final performance using the new techniques and methods acquired.
- Mus 5040 Music Business Practices: Copyright, entrepreneurial skills, and business principles relevant to the music industry.
- Mus 5190 Electronic Music Composition: Composition of electronic music in popular and artistic styles. Technical principles, history of the genre, and aesthetic considerations of electronic music.
- Mus 5195 Max and MSP: MIDI/Audio programming, application development, and music composition in the Max/MSP environment.
- Mus 5410 Electronic Music Production Techniques: Tools and techniques used in electronic music production, including MIDI, OpenSoundControl, synthesis, sampling, sequencing, loops, and others.
- Mus 5430 Seminar in Music Technology: Advanced individual and/or group work in music technology and audio production.
- Mus 5440 Music Technology and Culture: A critical exploration of the constantly changing relationships between society, artists, engineers and the technologies they use.
- Mus 5445 Contemporary Electronic Music Analysis: Students will explore the combination of close listening, software-based musical analysis, research, and descriptive writing to create multi-faceted analyses of experimental and popular contemporary electronic music.
- Mus 5500 Audio for X: Tools, techniques, and creative approaches to creating audio and designing sound for various environments, including films, games, interactive media, and others.
- Note that not all coursese are offered every semester or every year.
View the course requirements for the M.A. in Music here.
Some graduate courses are offered on a rotating basis, and are not offered every semester or year. You can view the cyclical schedule of graduate classes in Music here.
Master of Arts with Piano or Piano Pedagogy focus
Pianists graduating from UCM's well-established piano program enjoy an outstanding record of professional success as teachers, performers, and influencers in the region and beyond. With our world-class teaching faculty and longstanding commitment to native Missouri and neighboring state residents, we are here to help you take the next step forward in your professional career!
The M.A. is a flexible, two-year program designed to meet your needs as a working musician or college graduate. If you are looking for a stepping stone toward an advanced teaching profile or a D.M.A. in piano performance or pedagogy, then this is the degree for you.
View the course requirements for the M.A. in Music here.
Some graduate courses are offered on a rotating basis, and are not offered every semester or year. You can view the cyclical schedule of graduate classes in Music here.
Whether you are preparing to apply for a D.M.A. or want to open up new career paths as an advanced studio teacher, performer, college educator, or accompanist, the M.A. gives you the opportunity to work as a professional musician while you complete your degree.
You can teach undergraduate class piano at UCM; accompany recitals for voice and instrumental majors; be a rehearsal pianist or music director for opera and musical theater; or take our cutting-edge Music Technology courses to enhance your online or digital production portfolio.
Graduate assistantships are available for pianists.
Duties: Duties may include one or a combination of the following activities, dependent on student interest and department need. Activities could include collaborative piano (instrumental and vocal accompaniment), opera (accompanist/vocal coach), musical theater (keyboard and music direction), or music technology (audio engineering).
The total value of each assistantship is $15,000, renewable every year. Each semester you will receive: 1) a tuition waiver and 2) a matching scholarship of approximately $3750 each (total $7,500 per semester). UCM offers competitively low tuition rates for in-state and neighboring state residents.
Click here to apply for a Graduate Assistantship.
- You will study with nationally and internationally active performing and teaching faculty in piano and piano pedagogy.
- You will join a close-knit piano community at UCM that has established an outstanding reputation in the Missouri region and beyond.
- You will attend an All-Steinway School with unlimited access to world-class instruments on stage and in the practice hallway, including our most recent acquisition of a brand new Steinway “D” concert grand in 2016.
Whether your goal is getting into a top DMA/PhD program, improving your teaching in the private studio or classroom, or developing collaborative and technology skills that will place you in the top tier of demand for advanced professional musicians, there is a place for you at UCM!
For more information contact Dr. Mia Kim or Dr. Albert Kim. To apply and schedule an audition, click the links at the bottom of this page.
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