Composition

Master of Arts (MA) in Composition

The master of arts in composition offers intensive study through courses and lessons in composition and orchestration while customizing your studies with a variety of supplemental course selections, culminating in a final recital.  

Composition students receive individual lessons and participate in group seminars, and both the School of Music and the Twin Cities offer a wide range of new music performance opportunities. The Contemporary Music Workshop provides ongoing interaction between composition and performance students. Composition faculty represent national and international profiles in a variety of media and seek to nurture students’ original creative interests and knowledge.

Students applying to this program should have completed the equivalent of a minimum of one year of orchestration, one semester of counterpoint, and three years of theory and analysis (tonal and post-tonal).

For your MA, you will be expected to meet the following requirements:

  • 12 credits of composition lessons
  • 9 credits in Creative Studies and Media, including 3 credits in Music Information Technology
  • 6 credits of music theory and musicology/ethnomusicology courses
  • 2 credits in ensembles
  • 3 credits from outside the School of Music related to your course of study
  • Knowledge in special research skills or reading knowledge in at least one language outside of English
  • Completion of one or two projects during the final semester of composition lessons
  • 45 minutes of music created while enrolled in the MA program
  • Final oral examination

Requirements for the MA in Music