Music, M.A. Program
The Mission of the Department of Music at Cal State East Bay is to welcome and support a diverse student body by offering all students outstanding culturally relevant musical and educational experiences within a nurturing and inclusive environment. These experiences provide opportunities for personal and professional enrichment by developing a greater appreciation for, and understanding of, the art of music. Through performance, creative activity, research, scholarship, and teaching, students are prepared for careers as performers, composers, teachers, and independent scholars, and for advanced study.
Program Description
The Master of Arts degree in Music is an intensive program that provides advanced study for students with highly developed interests and accomplishments in music. Students are given the opportunity to improve their musicianship skills, critical skills, and professional insights in preparation for furthering their careers in performing, teaching, composing and arranging, administration, and research. It also offers opportunities for current school and college music teachers to increase their professional effectiveness and provides prospective doctoral aspirants with a sound foundation for advanced graduate study.
Students take core courses in graduate-level music theory and music history, and construct an individual course of study in an area of emphasis that supports their artistic, creative and professional goals. Areas of emphasis include: performance (classical and jazz), conducting (choral and instrumental), composition, and musicology.
Students in our program have opportunities to study with leading performers, composers, and scholars, and to partake in the musical and cultural richness of the San Francisco Bay Area. Emphasis is placed upon maintaining small class sizes and close student-to-teacher interactions. The program also provides flexibility for students to explore further study in areas relevant to their career goals and aspirations. Many of our students are actively engaged in performing, teaching, and other musical pursuits while simultaneously completing their degrees.
Students will declare an Area of Emphasis from the following:
- Performance (Classical / Jazz)
- Conducting (Choral / Instrumental)
- Composition
- Musicology
Career Opportunities
Graduates with an MA in music go on to pursue careers in a variety of musical areas and genres. These include performance, conducting, composing, and arranging for a wide variety of media; arts administration, publishing, teaching in the schools, and maintaining private studios. Many graduates go on to doctoral study and, later, become community college and university faculty members.
Program Learning Outcomes
The goals of the Master’s program are to prepare students for professional careers in performance, conducting, composition, teaching, and scholarship, while also preparing them for further music study in doctoral programs.
- Demonstrate core knowledge and skills in foundational areas of music theory and history beyond the undergraduate level.
- Identify and use standard digital and paper research tools in music and produce a comprehensive bibliography that shows their ability to utilize standard scholarly tools relevant to their concentration area according to standards set in a research and bibliographic rubric.
- Demonstrate mastery in an area of emphasis, culminating in an original creative and/or scholarly capstone project.
- Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with other musicians in a performance and/or scholarly context.
Admission Requirements
Apply to Cal State East Bay via Cal State Apply.
- For information on specific university requirements, visit the Cal State East Bay Graduate Application & Admission page.
- Prospective international applicants should also visit the University’s International Student Admission Requirements page and start the application process as soon as possible.
During the application process, you will be required to submit:
- A Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Résumé
- Two (2) letters of recommendation. These references should be teachers or colleagues who can assess your readiness to undertake graduate study.
- A Statement of Purpose (three to four pages in length) describing your objectives for pursuing a graduate degree in music, as well as your short and long-term goals.
- Evidence of your abilities in the area of emphasis you wish to pursue as a graduate student. See below for more information:
- Classical Performance: Submit a video recording (or link) that includes at least two representative works from the applicant’s Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Music senior recital or comparable repertory. Three or four pieces drawn from multiple style periods are expected. Specific Requirements for:
- Pianists: Representative works from the applicant’s Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Music senior recital or comparable repertory. Three or four pieces drawn from multiple style periods are expected, including a complete sonata by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, or contemporaries. Memorization is required. Sight-reading will also be evaluated.
- Vocalists: Include each of the following: a Baroque aria (sacred or secular); a song by a German Romantic composer; a song by Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Poulenc, Duparc, or Chausson; a song composed after 1950; and an operatic aria in Italian. The audition will last a maximum of twenty minutes and all of the music is expected to be performed from memory.
- Jazz Performance: Submit a video recording (or link) that includes: (a) a blues melody and solo on 3-5 choruses; and (b) the melody and solo on 1-2 choruses of either a song from the Great American Songbook (e.g. “Stella,” “All The Things You Are,” “Like Some In Love,” etc.) or a jazz standard (e.g. “Moments Notice,” “Stablemates,” “Along Came Betty,” etc.).
- Conducting (Choral / Instrumental): Submit a video recording (or link) featuring at least 15 minutes of a rehearsal with an ensemble. You may optionally include a video of a concert performance in addition to the rehearsal video. Final candidates will be invited to campus to audition with one of the Cal State East Bay ensembles.
- Composition: Submit scores (PDF format) of 3-4 representative compositions for various combinations of instruments/voices, preferably with an audio recording of the works (MIDI okay). In the case of electroacoustic/tape music, submit a PDF page in which you list the titles of the pieces, the software used, and a brief description of the composition process.
- Musicology: Submit a research paper (PDF format) on a topic of music history or world music. Your submission should display your ability to write thoughtfully and with clarity about issues in music.
Classification in the Program
Students who meet the minimum requirements for graduate studies are considered for admission in three categories based on CSU standards: Graduate Classified, Graduate Conditionally Classified, or Post-Baccalaureate Classified, e.g. admission to an education credential program. Students are normally admitted to the program in Music as a “Conditionally Classified Graduate” student.
A student may become a “Classified Graduate” student if (s)he:
- Has completed all undergraduate deficiencies, as determined in consultation with the graduate advisor;
- Has completed MUS 600 with a grade of “A” or “B”;
- Has fulfilled the Graduation Requirement in Writing Proficiency. For more information on meeting the University Writing Skills Requirement, contact the Testing Office.
Music Degree Requirements (30 units)
Core Courses
9 units from the following core courses are required:
Area of Emphasis
8 units of coursework in the student’s area of emphasis, fullfilled with either applied study (performers, conductors, composers) or academic study and research (musicologists).
- Performance (Classical / Jazz)
- Conducting (Choral / Instrumental)
- Composition
- Musicology
Advancement to Candidacy
“Advancement to Candidacy” is a status which recognizes completion of substantial progress towards a student’s graduate degree. A “Classified Graduate” student becomes eligible for “Advancement to Candidacy” within the M.A. in Music when they:
- Have completed 15 units of 600-level coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA;
- Have successfully completed the Music Mid-Comprehensive Examination;
- Have designed a Formal Program of Study for the completion of the degree which has been approved by the departmental Graduate Studies Committee
Capstone Requirement
All M.A. Music students must complete a capstone project for a minimum of 3 units:
- Students with an emphasis in Conducting or Performance must complete a project consisting of a graduate recital with performance notes (MUS 693).
- Students wth an emphasis in Composition must complete a project consisting of a substantial original composition (MUS 693).
- Students with an emphasis in Musicology may complete a university thesis (MUS 691) or a departmental thesis (MUS 699). With the approval of the graduate coordinator, Musicology students may complete a comprehensive examination (MUS 692) or a project (MUS 693) instead.
Elective Courses
12 units of Electives not used for Core Requirements, 6 of which must be selected from the following list of graduate seminars offered by the Music Department. Up to 6 units outside of Music may be taken with approval.
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