GRADUATE DEGREES AND AREAS OF STUDY

Rice University awards the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in select areas of study.

Master of Music
The Master of Music is a two-year professional degree designed for students seeking a career as a performing musician, composer, or scholar in the field. The curriculum emphasizes practical experiences for the students, including lessons, ensembles, solo and chamber performance, and research. As students of Rice, master’s candidates may take advantage of the rich academic resources and offerings of the University.

Areas of study toward the Master of Music degree are: Bassoon, Cello, Clarinet, Composition, Double Bass, Flute, Harp, Horn, Musicology, Oboe, Orchestral Conducting, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Piano Chamber Music/Accompanying, String Quartet, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Viola, Violin, and Voice.

Doctor of Musical Arts
In the fall semester of 2007, The Shepherd School of Music initiated a revised and restructured doctoral program.  The changes we have made, outlined below, are designed to augment the many strengths of our already successful program.  Our graduates currently are teaching and performing in universities and orchestras around the world.  The new doctorate is designed for those very talented, accomplished composers, instrumentalists, and singers who seek a program that offers superlative studio teaching accompanied by a wide range of performance opportunities balanced with innovative, challenging academic courses, teaching under the direction of experienced, imaginative mentors, and independent and collaborative work with students and faculty from both the Shepherd School and from Rice University.
Features of the new DMA include:

• Full tuition scholarships and generous stipends that support three years of coursework, with no duties required in the first year
• Team-taught seminars exclusively for doctoral students, designed to prepare students to be innovative, technologically savvy leaders in the music world of the future
• Formalized support for independent projects and the fostering and encouragement of ideas
• Training in classroom pedagogy as well as in studio teaching
• Opportunities to gain both classroom and studio teaching experience

Areas of study toward the Doctor of Musical Arts are: Cello, Clarinet, Composition, Double Bass, Flute, Oboe, Percussion, Piano, Violin, Viola, and Voice.