Program Overview

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Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree in the Field of Piano Performance

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in the field of Piano Performance is a professional degree that provides advanced training in the field of music performance.

Program Learning Outcomes for the DMA Degree

Upon completing the DMA degree, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate technical and musical competence in performance or composition at a professional level.
2. Develop highly developed analytical skills in advanced music theory and a profound understanding of how those skills inform music performance.
3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relationship between music history and music performance with greater familiarity of a wide variety of historical and contemporary performance practices.
4. Develop career development skills that complement their professional-level performance skills.
5. Develop working knowledge of and have experience with both classroom teaching and studio teaching methods at the conservatory and university levels.

Requirements for the DMA Degree

For general university requirements, see Doctoral Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the DMA degree in all fields of study must complete:

• A minimum of 90 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
• Students must register for a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester of enrollment. Upon achieving candidacy, students are expected to make progress towards the completion of their degree each semester.

Requirements for the DMA Degree in the Field of Piano Performance

The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Degree Requirements

• Performance Requirements:
  • MUSI 681: PIANO FOR MAJORS-ADVANCED (minimum of 6 semesters), 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 736: SOLO REPERTORY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS (minimum of 2 semesters), 3 credit hours
• Doctoral Recitals:
  • MUSI 751: DOCTORAL SOLO RECITAL (2 solo recitals required, 1st recital), 0 credit hours
  • MUSI 751: DOCTORAL SOLO RECITAL (2 solo recitals required, 2nd recital), 0 credit hours
  • MUSI 752: DOCTORAL CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL, 0 credit hours
  • MUSI 753: DOCTORAL CONCERTO RECITAL, 0 credit hours
  • MUSI 754: DOCTORAL LECTURE-RECITAL, 0 credit hours
• DMA Core Requirements:
  • MUSI 611: CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 711: ANALYTICAL APPROACHES, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 733: DOCTORAL SEMINAR I: CAREER SKILLS, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 735: DOCTORAL SEMINAR II: REPERTORY, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 736: SOLO REPERTORY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 737: DOCTORAL SEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGY, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 738: DOCTORAL INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, 3 credit hours
  • MUSI 739: PEDAGOGY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS, 3 credit hours
• Academic Coursework:
  • Select 3 courses from the Music History course offerings, 9 credit hours
  • Select 2 courses from the Music Theory course offerings, 6 credit hours
• Elective Requirements:
  • Select 15 credit hours at the 300-level or above, 15 credit hours
• Classroom Teaching:
  • Students must complete the Classroom Teaching requirement
• Examinations:
  • Aural skills proficiency
  • Written and oral qualifying examinations
• Doctoral Document:
  • MUSI 700: GRADUATE RESEARCH (variable credit hours and repeatable for credit), 1-9 credit hours
  • MUSI 750: DOCTORAL DOCUMENT (minimum of 2 semesters), 3 credit hours

Music History Courses

• MUSI 524: AMERICAN MUSIC, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 525: PERFORMANCE PRACTICES SEMINAR, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 527: TOPICS IN EARLY MUSIC, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 528: TOPICS IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 529: TOPICS IN 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 530: MUSIC, MAGIC, AND SCIENCE IN THE MODERN WORLD, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 534: PROGRAM MUSIC IN THE 19TH CENTURY, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 543: MUSIC AND MODERNISM IN FRANCE, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 621: SELECTED STUDIES IN MUSIC HISTORY, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 623: J.S. BACH: CAREER, WORKS, AND CRITICAL RECEPTION, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 624: SEMINAR ON A SELECTED COMPOSER, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 625: MOZART OPERAS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 626: THE CLASSICAL STYLE, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 627: ROMANTIC SONGS AND PIANO PIECES, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 716: MUSIC OF THE MIDDLE AGES, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 717: RENAISSANCE MUSIC, 3 credit hours

Music Theory Courses

• MUSI 512: ANALYTICAL SYSTEMS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 513: MODAL COUNTERPOINT, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 514: SCORE READING AND THEORY AT THE KEYBOARD, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 516: ADVANCED ORCHESTRATION, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 517: EARLY MODERN MASTERS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 605: ADVANCED ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER MUSIC SYSTEMS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 606: ADVANCED COMPUTER SOUND SYNTHESIS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 610: MUSIC THEORIES OF THE WORLD: CROSS-CULTURAL APPROACHES TO PITCH, MELODY, AND RHYTHM, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 611: CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 613: TONAL COUNTERPOINT, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 614: SPECIAL TOPICS IN MUSIC THEORY AND MUSIC THEORY COMPOSITION, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 615: MUSIC OF RAVEL: MUSIC THEORY AND COMPOSITION, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 617: MUSIC SINCE 1950, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 711: ANALYTICAL APPROACHES, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 712: SEMINAR IN ADVANCED ANALYSIS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 713: SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED ANALYSIS, 3 credit hours
• MUSI 723: AESTHETICS OF MUSIC, 3 credit hours

Policies for the DMA Degree

Admission

A live audition is required for Instrumental Performance and Vocal Performance applicants. Composition applicants must submit a portfolio of representative works and interview with faculty. All doctoral applicants must complete exams in Music History and Music Theory and provide a recent research or analytic paper.

Academic Standards

Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Further information on curricular requirements for all majors and degree programs is available from the Shepherd School of Music.

Grading Policy

For DMA students, a grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in any course is unsatisfactory and will not fulfill degree program requirements. A minimum grade of B- (2.67 grade points) per course is expected of all music students in their major applied area. A grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in the student's major applied area is considered unsatisfactory and will be evaluated in the following manner:

• A music major who receives a grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in their major applied area will be placed on music probation. Music probation signifies that the student's work has been sufficiently unsatisfactory to preclude graduation unless marked improvement is achieved promptly. A student on music probation may be absent from class only for extraordinary reasons and may not represent the school in any public function not directly a part of a degree program.
• If a student receives a second semester of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in their major applied area, whether for consecutive semesters or not, the student will be discontinued as a music performance major and merit scholarship from the Shepherd School will be discontinued.

Graduate degree requirement: a minimum overall grade point average of 2.67 is necessary for graduation.

Leaves of Absence and Voluntary Withdrawal

Music majors must obtain permission in writing from the dean of the Shepherd School before requesting a leave of absence from the university. Requests must be in the dean's office before the first day of classes in the semester for which leave is requested.

Music majors taking voluntary withdrawal from the university are not guaranteed readmission into the Shepherd School and may be asked to reapply/reaudition. Students should explain the reasons for their withdrawal to the dean before leaving campus.

Transfer Credit

For Rice University's policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program's advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the DMA degree should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:

• Transfer credit coursework cannot be applied or used to meet any of the degree program's course requirements.

Opportunities for the DMA Degree

Other Musical Opportunities

Lectures and Performances

A visiting lecturer series, a professional concert series, and numerous distinguished visiting musicians contribute to the Shepherd School environment. The Houston Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Chorus, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Houston Masterworks Chorus, Da Camera, Context, and Chamber Music Houston, as well as the activities of other institutions of higher learning in the area, also provide exceptional opportunities for students to enjoy a wide spectrum of music.