Overview
Our Master of Music in Composition & Theory program offers a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from music theory to contemporary composition techniques. You will take graduate seminars in music research and history, as well as advanced courses in composition and theory. You can also work on your own creative projects and collaborate with other musicians and artists. With our focused curriculum and individualized attention, your education will fit your personal and professional goals.
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Faculty and Staff
Our inspirational faculty and staff make sure students feel welcome and empowered to think outside the box and explore all possibilities of making art at UWM. Visit the Peck School of the Arts directory to meet these artists, explore their biographies and engage with recent work.
Scholarships and Aid
Financial constraints shouldn’t hinder your artistic dreams. Our comprehensive range of scholarships and aid programs is designed to empower and support artists like you.
Study Abroad
We believe that a complete education in the arts should take you beyond the classroom and the local community. By studying abroad, you’ll gain more than a change of scenery. You’ll embark on a transformative educational experience and bring a global perspective to your field of study. Explore upcoming trips offered in partnership with the Center for International Education.
Admission Requirements
Graduate applicants must meet general Graduate School admission requirements in addition to specific program requirements found on the Peck School of the Arts apply page.
To learn more, request a remote audio or video appointment with the UWM Graduate School.
Application Deadlines
Application deadlines vary by program, please review the application deadline chart for specific programs. Other important dates and deadlines can be found by using the One Stop calendars.
Admission
A student must submit a portfolio of 3-5 original compositions. A student may choose to submit one analytical paper and/or presentation as well. Specific application procedures can be found on the Peck School of the Arts apply page.
Diagnostic examinations in music history and theory are required of all entering and transferring graduate students before their first semester of study at UWM. Exceptions will be granted in extenuating circumstances. In no case will students be allowed to proceed beyond the first year of study without having taken the exams. The exams assist faculty in determining whether the student may proceed with required graduate courses, or whether they first need to remove deficiencies.
While prospective students are not required to submit Graduate Record Examination scores, they are advised to take these tests before or early in their graduate work if they wish to be considered for a UWM Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship or if they plan to continue their graduate work after completing a master’s degree at UWM.
Credits and Courses
- Undergraduate music course background must include adequate preparation in music theory demonstrated through satisfactory completion of the following or equivalent courses:
Course List Code Title Credits MUSIC 127 Materials of Theory I 2 MUSIC 128 Materials of Theory II 3 MUSIC 225 Materials of Theory III 3 MUSIC 123 Aural Theory I 1 MUSIC 124 Aural Theory II 1 MUSIC 226 Aural Theory III 1 MUSIC 421 Materials of Theory IV 3 - Preparation in music history and literature must be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of a two-semester survey course in development of music from earliest times to the present plus one semester of more specialized music history.
Applicants exhibiting deficiencies in music history will be required to enroll in MUSIC 704, and those exhibiting deficiencies in music theory will be required to enroll in MUSIC 703; these courses must be passed with a minimum grade of “B” or better. Additionally, other areas of deficiency may require further review. Graduate Music History may count toward the degree as an elective. Credits earned in making up deficiencies in music theory do not count toward the degree. The following courses are recommended to fulfill the graduate theory elective requirement: MUSIC 680, MUSIC 731, MUSIC 744.
Minimum degree requirement is 32 graduate credits, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Specific Requirements | ||
| MUSIC 710 | Graduate Studies in Music | 3 |
| MUSIC 711 | Graduate Seminar in Music History: | 3 |
| MUSIC 731 | Contemporary Composition Techniques | 3 |
| MUSIC 744 | Graduate Theory Seminar | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Studio Techniques | ||
| Interactive Electronic Music | ||
| Advanced Electronic Music and Sound Art: | ||
| MUSIC 990 | Research of Thesis | 3 |
| Composition Requirement | ||
| Select the following for 2 credits each for 4 semesters: | 8 | |
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Electives | ||
| Music Theory | 3 | |
| Music | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
Recommended Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUSIC 327 | Studio Techniques | 3 |
| MUSIC 328 | Interactive Electronic Music | 3 |
| MUSIC 420 | Advanced Electronic Music and Sound Art: | 3 |
| MUSIC 421 | Materials of Theory IV | 3 |
| MUSIC 680 | Special Studies in Music: | 1-3 |
Electives must be chosen in accordance with the needs of the individual candidate and with the advice and consent of the advisor or major professor.
Additional Requirements
Comprehensive Exam
Comprehensive examinations in both music history and music theory are required following successful completion of the recital requirement.
Thesis
The candidate for the Master of Music degree must complete one of the following:
- A composition of significant breadth will serve as the thesis for the MM in Music Theory and Composition. It may be for large or chamber ensemble with or without electronic component or for the electronic medium alone. Completion of the thesis must include its public performance. If the thesis composition is written for a large university ensemble (orchestra, wind ensemble, choir) a hearing of a single rehearsal of the entire composition will suffice.
- A research project which shall be either a paper or a theoretical program evidencing both a capacity for research and originality in creative analysis or computer composition application evidencing both research capabilities and analytical insight.
Time Limit
The student must complete all degree requirements within seven years of initial enrollment.
Lessons, Studio Class, Convocation
Music performance instruction on the primary instrument consists of three components each week: a private lesson with the studio instructor (scheduled independently), a studio class with other students on the instrument, and a department-wide recital on Friday (Convocation) with a rotating selection of student performers.
Students are required to participate in an approved performing organization in each semester in which the student is registered for music performance instruction in the major instrument.
Performance Ensembles
Students pursuing a music degree are required to participate in performing organizations during their course of study. Students must be registered in an approved ensemble concurrent with each semester of private study in lessons. Directors make ensemble assignments at the beginning of each semester. Only one approved ensemble credit per semester may apply toward degree requirements. The Department of Music recognizes the following approved ensembles: Alta Voce, Bella Voce, Concert Chorale, Kameraden Chorus, Symphony Band, Symphony Orchestra and Wind Ensemble. Other performance ensembles may be approved for music minors, students with provisional admission or in certain degree programs.
Graduate Advising
Individual Peck School of the Arts graduate advisors are assigned upon admission. Your advisor will work closely with you during your time here. To connect with your graduate program representative, please visit the Graduate tab on the Peck School of the Arts apply page.
Music, MM: Theory and Composition Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with MM in Music Theory and Composition will be able to:
- Recognize and distinguish music from all periods of European art music history, and from a variety of other world cultures and traditions, based on musical and stylistic features.
- Recognize compositional techniques employed in all periods of European art music, and organizing musical principles that shape music of other cultures.
- Recognize assumptions, concepts, models, and various methods in musicological and ethnomusicological work and in their own thinking and will be able to choose the most appropriate analytical tools and concepts to examine specific music.
- Interpret, analyze, critique, and reflect on art music from different critical perspectives and aesthetic viewpoints.
- Express ideas about music in written form demonstrating a mastery of factual knowledge, bibliographic resources, analytical method, critical thinking, and the ability to construct a coherent and well-organized argument.
- Compose music employing one or more compositional approaches to make a convincing statement.
- Recognize a range of rhetorical strategies employed by composers, and to construct persuasive and well-supported arguments employing a range of these strategies.
- Compose music for groups of different sizes, from solo and chamber music to large ensemble, and to reflect critically on that work in ways that accommodate the needs of the performers or the constraints of the medium.
- Present their work in public performance.
Policies & Regulations
Please review the Graduate School policies and regulations and refer to each specific program for any additional items.