Frequently Asked Questions

Send compositions that you feel are your strongest and most representative. Consider submitting works that are contrasting in instrumentation and/or character, to give us an idea of the range of your music. Three scores with corresponding recordings are sufficient, though you may submit more. While we accept MIDI realizations, we prefer live recordings, even if imperfect. For undergraduate applicants an orchestral piece is neither required nor expected.

All composition students receive weekly, one hour private studio lessons. In general, we use a "rotating studio" model, in which students study with a different faculty member each year. The department makes studio assignments before each fall semester, after soliciting  students' ranked preferences. In addition to weekly lessons, there are opportunities to participate in master classes and lessons from outside composers, including as part of our Visiting Composer program, a once-a-year short residency by a distinguished composer. Recent Visiting Composers have included: John Harbison, Melinda Wagner, George Lewis and William Bolcom.

The number of students varies from year to year, but in general there are 15 - 18 composers in residence at any one time, split between undergraduate and graduate students. Thus, individual studio sizes are very small, usually around 3 students. All composers (undergraduate and graduate) meet together once a week for Composition Seminar. Enrollment in Composition Seminar is required in every semester. Its instruction is rotated among the composition faculty.

There are many opportunities for new music performance at Shepherd.

• Composition Forum, a recital featuring works of student composers, is presented once each semester (twice a year). This concert is organized by students through the weekly Composition Seminar and features student performers.
• A short residency by a Visiting Ensemble, generally in the spring semester, includes recorded readings of student works. Past resident ensembles have included Arditti String Quartet, the NUNC Ensemble, the Prism Saxophine Quartet, Relache, and Speculum Musicae.
• Hear & Now is a student ensemble dedicated to contemporary music. The group is student-run, in collaboration with the Associate Conductor Jerry Hou. The ensemble programs exclusively new music, both from the repertoire and newly composed works.
• Other opportunities for the performance of new work are plentiful. Rice's Moody Center for the Arts cultivates connections across artistic disciplines and regularly features musical projects. New Art/New Music is a concert of student works written for performance in conjunction with Moody's resident artist exhibits. Student composers have written work in collaboration with Rice's VADA (Visual and Dramatic Arts) program, including incidental music for Rice Theater's annual productions. Rice's residential colleges are also the source of many student-driven musical endeavors including chamber music, light opera and musical theater.
• For composers, a degree recital is required in the final year. Performance majors complete two degree recitals, and frequently program newly written works by their composer colleagues. With the small size of the Shepherd School, a collaboration between composers and performers is frequent and meaningful.

Yes. Composers are required to enroll in 5 semesters of large ensemble, which can be fulfilled by performing in Undergraduate Chorus, Campanile Orchestra, Rice Symphonic Band or Jazz Ensemble. In addition, many of our composers continue to perform and conduct in a variety of contexts and repertoires while at Shepherd.

Undergraduate composition majors study piano every semester and are required to demonstrate a level of piano proficiency by the end of the degree. Students for whom piano is their major instrument may enroll in lessons as well, generally taken with a doctoral student. Secondary instrument (non-piano) or voice lessons are also possible, for a semesterly fee. Secondary lessons are taken with a graduate student or with a staff member.

We do not have a film music program, though many of our students collaborate with filmmakers and visual artists at Rice. We also have electives which involve music for media and incorporate inter-disciplinary collaboration.

Participation in the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra is limited to performance majors. However, composers may participate in Campanile Orchestra, an ensemble formed of non-majors and community members.

A double major in music composition (BMus) and some other area at Rice is possible. However, credit and class requirements vary considerably between degrees. For scheduling purposes, a double degree involving a program with substantial credit requirements (e.g., the various engineering programs) may require more than 8 semesters to complete.

The Shepherd School does not offer credit for AP Music. At the discretion of the instructor, students may have the opportunity to test out of select introductory courses in music theory and aural skills by exam.

Please see the following link to the curricular requirements for the Bachelor of Music in Composition.

A senior recital, consisting of 50 minutes of music, is given in the final year of the degree.

For further questions about the BMus curriculum or to arrange a visit to the Shepherd School, please contact Karim Al-Zand, Professor of Composition and Theory.

The MMus application process is a two-stage process. After submitting your application and portfolio by December 1, the music composition faculty thoroughly reviews each application. Based on those reviews, a subset of applicants is invited to Rice to visit classes, attend events, and meet with faculty. There is no required entrance exam.

Yes. A campus visit is not required. You will be provided contact information for a faculty member who can answer any questions you might have about the program.

Students accepted into the program and who remain in good standing receive a full-tuition award for two years. Additional fellowship stipends are also available on a limited basis.

If a student composes a work of up to 8 minutes for full orchestra or chamber orchestra, the Shepherd School guarantees a public performance. The Paul Cooper Prize is awarded annually to an orchestra thesis or dissertation: it includes a cash award and a performance on a Shepherd School subscription concert. The remaining theses are performed on a special New Works concert.

Students may choose to compose their dissertation for another ensemble of their choices subject to their thesis advisor's approval.

The MMus is a 2-year degree. Coursework is completed in both years and a recital of original compositions is required in the second year. The recital should comprise of music written at Rice and be a minimum of fifty minutes in length. A thesis is completed in the second year.

A recital of 50 minutes is given in the second year of the degree. Music on the recital must have been composed during the time in the program.

Please see the following link to the curricular requirements for Masters of Music in Composition.

For For further questions about the MMus curriculum or to arrange a visit to the Shepherd School, please contact  Pierre Jalbert, Professor of Composition and Theory.

The DMA application is a two-stage process. after submitting your application and portfolio by December 1, the music composition faculty thoroughly reviews each application. Based on those reviews, a subset of applicants will be asked to take online doctoral entrance examinations in Music History and Music Theory, to visit Rice to attend classes, attend events, and meet with the faculty. After completing the interviews and grading the entrance exams, the faculty offers successful applicants admission into the program.

Yes, in cases where students are unable to visit campus, students can make arrangement to  conduct online interviews.

DMA finalists are required to take two entrance exams, one in music theory and one in musicology. These form an important part of the entrance requirements. Students are advised to prepare thoroughly for these exams. Summaries of the two entrance exams that were given in Spring 2022 are provided below:

• Music Theory Exam Summary: online exam
• Time Allotment: 2 1/2 hours
• Music Terms, Harmonic Analysis of Chorale, Analysis of a short tonal piece, Analysis of a short post-tonal piece
• Musicology Exam Summary: online exam
• Time Allotment: 2 1/2 hours
• 6 brief questions based on 6 listening excerpts, 17 brief questions based on 7 score excerpts, 10 identification questions based on terms and names, 2 essay-length questions (400-500 words), 1 chronology question based on genres

Students accepted into the program and who remain in good standing receive a full tuition award for four years and a generous stipend for three years. After completing the third year of coursework, students take qualifying doctoral exams. Upon successful completion of their exams, students may begin writing their dissertation compositions. While Doctoral students have a total of eight years to complete the DMA degree, most students typically finish their degree requirements in four or five years.

During the first year of the DMA program, no teaching assignments are given to new students. During years two and three, students are given a classroom teaching assignment of one course per semester.

If a student composes a work of up to 8 minutes for full orchestra or chamber orchestra, the Shepherd School guarantees a public performance. The Paul Cooper Prize is awarded annually to an orchestra dissertation or thesis: it includes a cash award and a performance on a Shepherd School subscription concert. The remaining dissertations are performed on a special New Works concert.

Students may choose to compose their dissertation for another ensemble of their choices subject to their advisor's approval.

Please see the following link to the curricular requirements for Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition.

Composers in the DMA program are required to give two recitals of original compositions, each being a minimum of fifty minutes in length. The pieces presented on the recital are to be composed by the student while studying at Rice University, not prior to that time. It is also optional for students to give a lecture-recital in place of one of the composition recitals. Another option, if given permission by their composition teacher, is for a student to submit links to a recital-length collection of recordings and/or videos of pieces that have been performed elsewhere and that are not possible to be performed on campus.

For further questions about the DMA core curriculum, please contact Richard Lavenda, Professor of Composition and Theory, Director of Graduate Studies.



For specific admissions questions for the Shepherd School of Music, please contact Melissa McCrimmon, Music Admissions Assistant.

For specific admissions questions for DMA composition applicants to arrange a visit to the Shepherd School, please contact Kurt Stallmann, Professor of Composition and Theory, Director of Rice Electroacoustic Music Labs (REMLABS)