Graduate Degrees

Graduate Music Degrees Offered at Lamar University

The Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music offers the Master of Music degree with concentrations in music education (100% online) and performance. The degree is designed to advance the musicianship and pedagogy of music educators and performers within their areas of expertise

More Information:

For highly detailed Music Degree Information and Requirements, reference the Music Department's Page in the LU Course Catalog.


Graduate Program

The Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music offers the Master of Music degree with tracks in Music Education and Performance. The degree is designed to help music educators and performers advance musicianship and develop new concepts that may be applied to their particular fields of endeavor.

Admission Requirements

1. University Requirements

All persons seeking admission to any graduate degree in music must meet the university’s minimum general requirements for admission. Minimum university admissions requirements, deadlines, and other information can be found in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog.

2. General Requirements

All applications will be evaluated in full by the music department’s graduate admissions committee. Note: Students meeting minimum university and department requirements are not guaranteed admission.

All graduate applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in music (either a B.M. or a B.A./B.S. with a major in music) from a nationally-accredited program. Applicants who do not have such a degree should apply to one of our undergraduate music degrees and then reapply for our graduate degree upon completing their undergraduate major in music.

Applicants for the music education concentration who do not possess a state-level teaching certificate will only be admitted on a conditional basis, with the expectation that state-level certification will be acquired before the end of their first year of graduate studies. In the event that state-level certification is not received within the first year, continued enrollment will be determined by special permission from the music department’s graduate admissions committee.

Applicants for the performance concentration must audition for the applied committee in his or her performance area as a part of their application. Prospective students on the performance track in voice must additionally demonstrate proficiency in German, French, and Italian diction prior to acceptance in the program. The performance audition requirement will be evaluated by a committee comprised of applied faculty in the area of the applicant’s major instrument/voice.

3. GRE Requirements

For domestic students (U. S. citizens and permanent residents), application, official transcripts, and Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores are due to the Graduate Office at least 30 days before registration for the semester in which the student is entering.

  • The GRE requirement will be waived for applicants with a completed undergraduate degree in music with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on their undergraduate transcript.
  • Applicants who score lower than 150 on either the Verbal or Quantitative sections of the GRE will be accepted for admission only by special permission of the music department’s graduate admissions committee. Additional leveling requirements or special enrollment status may made as a condition of acceptance into the program.

4. Requirements for International Students

Applicants who are non-native English speakers must demonstrate minimum English proficiency at the time of application as noted on the table below.

Regular Admission Conditional Admission
TOEFL Internet-based Total 79 Below 61
Toefl Paper-based total 550 Below 500
IELTS Total 6.5 Below 6.0

 

Regular admission entails no additional language requirements. 

5. Leveling Courses and Remediation

At about the time of application, the music department’s graduate admissions committee may recommend or require remedial coursework in those areas deemed deficient in the student’s educational background. Students with an undergraduate major in music will not generally have leveling requirements, however deficiencies in one or more areas may be determined by entrance examinations or transcript evaluation. Upon evaluation by the heads of the music education, music history/literature, and music theory faculty, all leveling course requirements (as well which courses will be required as prerequisite(s) or requisite(s) to graduate-level courses) will be communicated to the applicant. In the event leveling courses are required, no more than 6 credit hours of audited remedial work will be allowed (with completion of the requirement signified by written approval of the faculty teaching the audited course). If more than 6 hours of remedial work is required, the student must enroll for course credit on their transcript and receive a minimum C grade to complete the requirement.

6. Other Information and Non-course Graduation Requirements

Regular admission entails no additional language requirements. 

The music department’s graduate admissions committee will be comprised of no fewer than three graduate faculty members with the three minimum members being (1) the music education area head (2) either the music history/literature or the music theory area head, and (3) either the director of bands or the director of choral activities. No more than two applied faculty can serve on the committee in addition to the above.

Music Degree Requirements

Candidates for the master's degree in music must meet all general degree requirements of the College of Graduate Studies.

Performance Track: 30 hours.

The Master of Music degree with a concentration in Performance requires 30 semester hours as listed below, with a public recital, lecture recital, and oral examination.

  1. Applied: 12 hours (3 semesters of 4 hours at the MUAP 5400 level).
  2. MUAP 5301 "capstone": 3 hours, including a public recital 50 minutes of music.
  3. Research methods: MUED 5320 "Music Reference, Research, and Writing." (3 hours)
  4. Music History: 6 hours (MULT 5300s, usually online)
  5. Music Theory: 6 hours (MUTY 5300s, usually online)
  6. Lecture recital: performance-related, based on research or research paper. A committee consisting of the student's major applied professor and two other performance faculty in the same/related area will evaluate.
  7. Oral Examination: The student will coordinate a three-person committee including the student's primary applied professor and two professors with whom the student has completed a minimum of one class. The examination must be completed successfully before the graduate school's published deadline.

 

Online Music Education Track: 30 hours

The Master of Music degree with a concentration in Music Education requires 30 semester hours. Thesis and non-thesis options are available. Two additional courses in music education may be substituted for the thesis, and six hours of applied music may replace two music education courses.

  1. Music Education -- 18 hours
    1. "Music Reference, Research & Writing" (MUED 5320) is required of all master's students (online)
    2. 15 hours of music education courses (online)
    3. Program Options 
      1. Fully Online Option: 18 hours (MUED 5320 plus 15 hours) of music education courses
      2. Applied Music Option: Students may substitute 6 hours of applied lessons (3 semesters, 2 credit hours each semester) for 6 hours of music education. They do not have to be in the same applied area. (Available in-person only)
      3. Thesis Option: 6 hours of thesis may be used in lieu of 6 hours of music education courses (online or in person)
  2. Music History -- 6 hours (online)
  3. Music Theory -- 6 hours (online)
  4. Oral Examination Committee: According to the student's primary area of study, Lamar University's band director, choral director, or general music specialist will serve on the committee plus two professors with whom the student has completed a minimum of one class. Optional: With permission of the Director of Graduate Music, the student may invite one graduate faculty member to serve on the committee if they are (1) related to the student's field of study; (2) the Director of Graduate Studies; or (3) the Department of Music Chair.