Program Overview
Introduction to the Master of Science in Music and Technology Program
The Master of Science in Music and Technology program at Carnegie Mellon University offers students the opportunity to push the boundaries of their expertise in music and technology. This program is designed for students who have presented substantial work outside the typical four-year degree and excel in music or some aspect of technology, demonstrating an aptitude and desire to explore a specialized area with significant depth.
Program Description
The Master of Science in Music and Technology gives students the freedom to hone their skills in an interdisciplinary environment, focusing on a chosen area of study, such as Recording Technology, Audio Engineering, Computer Music, Music Composition, Music Performance, and Music Theory. Our expert faculty promotes a collaborative approach to cutting-edge education that gives our students both the specialized knowledge and breadth of skills to foster development in the field of music.
Curriculum
The program consists of a set of courses that span both music and technology, as well as a comprehensive capstone composition/design/performance project. The program is designed to offer great flexibility commensurate with the incoming student's background and goals. Course selection is supervised by the student's advisor, working in concert with an Advising Committee composed of representatives from the School of Music, the School of Computer Science, and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Core Courses
- A specific set of core courses will be identified by the Graduate Advisory Committee in consultation with each student on the basis of his or her background and experience.
- At least 24 units will be courses in the School of Music and at least 24 units will be courses in Computer Science or Electrical and Computer Engineering.
- Courses fulfilling this requirement include but are not limited to:
- 15-571/15-572 Music & Technology Project
Support Courses
- Additional courses will be chosen by the student.
- A graduate student should not repeat courses previously taken as an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon or elsewhere.
- Courses fulfilling this requirement include but are not limited to:
- Thesis research credits (i.e., 15-571/15-572 Music & Technology Project)
Performance/Capstone Thesis
- 57-971 Performance/Thesis (18 units)
Music and Technology Seminar
- 57-970 Music and Technology Seminar (4 units)
Elective Courses
- 26 units of elective courses
Total Units
- The total number of units required for the program is 144.
Competencies
The following are the respective competencies that must be developed by the successful candidate for the degree:
Electrical Engineering Emphasis
- Basic knowledge or competency in music history, keyboard, and music theory
- Thorough knowledge of electronic devices and analog circuits
- Thorough knowledge of structure and design of digital systems
- Working knowledge of recording, editing, and mastering of software and skills (ProTools)
- Working knowledge of a professional recording studio
Computer Science Emphasis
- Basic knowledge or competency in music history, keyboard, and music theory
- Knowledge of parallel and sequential data structures and algorithms
- Knowledge of computer music systems
- Working knowledge of recording, editing, and mastering of software and skills (ProTools)
Music Emphasis
- Competency in performance or composition-conservatory level
- Thorough knowledge or competency in music history, keyboard, harmony, eurythmics, theory, and solfege
- Basic knowledge of electronic devices and analog circuits
- Basic knowledge of first-level computer programming courses
- Working knowledge of recording, editing, and mastering of software and skills (ProTools)
- Working knowledge of a professional recording studio
Courses
The following are some of the courses available in the program:
Computer Music Systems and Technology
- 15-322 Introduction to Computer Music
- 15-323 Computer Music Systems and Information Processing
- 60-439 Advanced SIS: Hybrid Instrument Building
Signal Processing
- 18-290 Signals and Systems
- 18-491 Digital Signal Processing
- 18-551 Digital Communication and Signal Processing System Design
- 18-792 Advanced Digital Signal Processing
- 18-798 Image, Video, and Multimedia
Music Information Retrieval
- 11-755 Machine Learning for Signal Processing
- 15-826 Multimedia Databases and Data Mining
Machine Learning
- 10-601 or 10-701 Machine Learning
- 10-705 Intermediate Statistics
Acoustics/Recording/Instrument Design
- 18-493 Electro-acoustics
- 57-947 Sound Recording
- 57-948 Editing and Mastering
- 57-949 Multi-track Recording
- 48-726 Acoustics and Lighting
Music Cognition / Perception
- 85-756 (Graduate) Music and Mind: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Sound
- 85-785 Auditory Perception: Sense of Sound
- 57-377 Psychology of Music
Music Theory
- 57-441 Analysis of 19th Century Music
- 57-442 Analytical Techniques
- 57-430 Music of Iran
- 57-605 Theory and Analysis for Graduate Students
- 57-760 Schenkerian Analysis
- 57-934 Advanced Analytic Techniques
- 57-968 Post-tonal Theory and Analysis
- 57-954 Shaping Time in Performance
Music History
- 57-606 Music History for Graduate Students 1
- 57-609 Music History for Graduate Students 2
- 57-209 The Beatles
- 79-345 The Roots of Rock and Roll
Composition
- 57-721 Major Studio (Composition)
- 57-27x Orchestration
Performance
- 57-969 (Graduate) Score Reading/Keyboard Harmony
- 57-xxx Technologically-assisted performance independent study
General Schedule & Important Milestones
The nominal duration of the degree program for the Master of Science in Music and Technology degree is 21 months or 4 semesters, starting late August. Graduation is in May. Exact dates are available by consulting the Carnegie Mellon University Academic Calendar.
Semester 1
- Early August: Select and register courses
Semester 2
- April 30: Thesis topic decided
- Write a one-page description of your topic
- Choose thesis committee
Semester 3
- Early August: Select and register courses
- Summer and early September: Prepare a thesis proposal of about 2 pages
- September 30: Oral thesis proposal given in Music and Technology Seminar
Semester 4
- January 1: Start writing thesis (if not already started)
- March 1: Finish thesis project
- March 15: Completed thesis delivered to advisor
- March 25: Make final revisions to thesis
- April 1: Final thesis draft to committee
- April 1 - May 1: Further editing and committee approval of changes
- May 1: Master's defense should be complete by this date
The Master's defense consists of a Master's oral presentation and a Master's recital. The Master's oral presentation is a technical talk similar to a conference presentation. The talk should be carefully prepared and supported by slides with appropriate graphs and equations. If possible, the talk should include sound and/or video examples. The Master's recital should ideally be a concert or recital, possibly a joint recital or even one piece on a longer program. Alternatively, the oral presentation and recital can be combined. The music should be professional in quality and relate to the thesis. The Master's candidate need not be the performer or composer provided that the thesis results are used in the music composition or performance.