FAll, 2008, Comprehensive Exams will be given on Saturday, September 27. Contact the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at least two weeks in advance to register.
All master of music candidates in the School of Music must successfully complete the graduate comprehensive examination. The exam is offered once each fall and spring term and also during the summer session. Exam dates are posted on the graduate bulletin board next to room 140 in the Music Building and broadcast announcements are made via e-mail to all current music graduate students who have provided e-mail addresses. You must register to take the examination by contacting the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at least two weeks before your chosen exam date. You must be registered for at least one hour of graduate credit during the term you take the exam.
The examination consists of four written questions, selected from a packet prepared specifically for the individual student:
All students in the music education and performance specializations who take the test must complete a general question in music theory, usually a harmonic and formal analysis of a piece from the common-practice period. Students who tested well on the school’s theory diagnostic exam at the beginning of their matriculation, or who successfully completed MUSC 501, Graduate Theory Review, should have no problems.
All students in the music education and performance specializations who take the test must also complete a general question in music history. Students who tested well on the school’s history diagnostic exams, or who successfully completed MUSC 521, Graduate History Review I and MUSC 522, Graduate History Review II, should have no problems.
Students in some Individualized specializations may not be required to take the theory and/or history questions. In such cases, appropriate substitutions will be made.
The second part of the exam consists of essay questions pertaining to courses (including applied instrumental or vocal study) that individual students have completed as part of their programs of study. Questions will not be provided for courses a student is taking at the time of the exam. Questions are not provided for MUSC 533, 584, ensembles, and independent studies, and are not usually provided for seminar or special topics courses.
TWO questions must be selected from this portion of the exam, and must be from DIFFERENT courses. Any exceptions will be noted in the individual exam packets.
To pass the examination, students must successfully complete three of the four questions on which they write. Students may retake individual questions that they did not pass, but only one retake is allowed, and this must be done prior to the Graduate School’s deadline for submission of the exam report for the term.