Admissions Information for Graduate Applicants

General information

All applicants to the Composition division of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music must apply and be accepted by The Catholic University of America as well as the School of Music.  You may submit an online application to CUA. MM and DMA applicants may click here to access the CUA online graduate application.

For a list of frequently-asked questions, click here.

Master of Music admission and entrance requirements

Audition (strongly recommended)

• All applicants to the Master of Music program in Composition, Concert Music Emphasis, are strongly recommended to take an audition in their principal performance area (instrument or voice).  Click here to learn more about School of Music auditions.

• Students seeking admission to the MM program in Composition must submit a representative portfolio of compositions.  Prospective students should hold a Bachelor's degree in Music (or, preferably, in Music Composition) from an accredited institution; if the degree is not in Composition, it should incorporate substantial studies in composition.

• Portfolios for the MM should consist of scores and recordings, if available (MIDI or other electronic realizations of pieces should not be sent unless they are of exceptionally high quality) which show original creative work of high quality and technical merit.  Please see the guidelines above (under the BM program) for tips on presenting the best possible portfolio.

• Audition on an instrument (or voice) is also strongly recommended for the MM in Composition, Stage Music Emphasis. All applicants with performing experience are encouraged to schedule an audition, nevertheless, in order to be eligible for a music scholarship. 

• All entering graduate students in the MM Composition program (either Concert Music or Stage Music emphasis) must take the Theory Placement Examination as well as the Graduate History Placement Examination given at the beginning of each academic semester.  The Theory Placement Examination is administered by the School of Music, and is given at the beginning of the first semester of matriculation in the MM Composition program (Concert Music or Stage Music emphasis).  The dates for the fall 2009 adminstration are:

  History Placement Examination: Saturday, August 29, 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon 

  Theory Placement Examination: Saturday, August 29, 1:00 PM- 3:00 PM, TBA

• Students who require remediation as a result of these examinations, or whose baccalaureate programs exhibit significant curricular deficiencies in any of these areas, may be required to take remedial courses to satisfy these deficiencies as prerequisites for the MM program.  Remedial courses may be taken concurrently with MM program courses.

Doctor of Musical Arts admission and entrance requirements

• Students seeking admission to the DMA program in Composition must submit a representative portfolio of compositions.  Prospective students must hold a Master's degree in Music Composition from an accredited institution.

• Portfolios for the DMA should consist of scores and recordings (MIDI or other electronic realizations of pieces should not be sent unless they are of exceptionally high quality) which show original creative work of high quality and technical merit and demonstrate that a student is capable of independent work.  Please see the guidelines listed above (under the BM program) for tips on presenting the best possible portfolio.

• Audition on an instrument (or voice) is not required for the DMA in Composition, although a student wishing to pursue applied study must pass an audition in the requisite applied area. All applicants with performing experience are encouraged to schedule an audition, nevertheless, in order to be eligible for a music scholarship. 

• During the first semester of full-time study (generally on the weekend preceding the beginning of the fall semester), all graduate students in Composition are given the Theory Placement Examination and the Graduate History Examination.  These exams determine whether or not any remediation in theory or history coursework is required.  Should students require remediation in any areas, they may take these courses concurrently with graduate courses (provided that the remedial courses are not prerequisites for the graduate courses taken).  Remedial courses do not count towards the degree, but must be successfully completed in order to receive the degree.

• During the first two weeks of the first semester of full-time study in the DMA program, DMA students in Composition also take a DMA Composition Entrance Examination.  This is an examination administered over 2 days, devoted to evaluation of the student's strengths and weaknesses.  The purpose of the examination is to assist the advisor in planning a curriculum tailored to the student's specific needs.  The exam is in two (2) parts:

DMA Composition Entrance Examination contents

I. Ear Training and Sight Singing (2 hours)

  Skills evaluated:

  Sight singing of melodies (with or without solfège)

  Sight singing of rhythms

  Keyboard (piano) sight reading

  Figured bass realization

  Harmonization of melodies at the keyboard

  Open score reading at the keyboard

II. Composition/Theory (3 hours)

Orchestration (transcription from a piano work)

Composition of a four-voice fugue exposition on a given subject

Analysis of a fugue

Analysis of a given composition (generally focusing on pitch, form, textural and motivic elements)

Any deficiencies observed as a result of these exams will be addressed by appropriate coursework.  Coursework deemed to be remedial does not count toward the DMA degree; however, such courses may be taken concurrently with graduate courses, provided that the remedial courses are not prerequisites to the graduate courses.

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