All students entering MM and DMA programs must take Moores School of Music diagnostic exams in music history and music theory prior to the start of their first semester. (Students who complete an MM degree at the Moores School of Music and who are immediately accepted-in their first semester after completion of their previous degree-to another MM or a DMA program are not required to take the diagnostic exams.) Exams are evaluated by the music history and theory faculty.

All students are allowed one opportunity to take the diagnostic exams, and the full exam must be completed to be considered (i.e., students may not elect to take portions of exams). If remedial coursework is required after the exam (as determined by the exam results), students must enroll for these courses in the earliest semester such courses are available (in all cases this will be during the first year of graduate study), and, in the case of remedial courses in music theory, students must enroll for the courses in sequence if both remedial courses are requiredi.e., students assigned to both theory reviews courses must take Graduate Music Theory Review I before taking Graduate Music Theory Review II. Passing scores on these exams, or passing grades in the appropriate (as determined by the exam results) history or theory review courses, will be required before students may enroll in graduate-level history and theory courses.

Credit for review courses will not be applied toward the degree.

Exams are given on scheduled audition days as well as in the week before classes begin in Fall and Spring semesters. More information on diagnostic exam scheduling, as well as registering for appropriate history and theory review courses, is available from the Graduate Office.

Voice majors are also required to take a diagnostic exam in English, Italian, French, and German diction. The exam is reviewed by the voice faculty. A passing score on the exam, or a passing grade(s) in the appropriate (as determined by the exam results) undergraduate-level diction course(s), will be required before completion of the degree program.

Study guide for the music theory diagnotic exam (with a sample exam)

Study guide for the music history diagnostic exam (with a sample exam)

This three-member committee writes the student's comprehensive exam. The committee consists of (1) the major professor, (2) one theory faculty member, and (3) one musicology faculty member.

Students select their own committees. Because the masters comps are based on coursework the student has taken during study for the degree, the student generally selects theory and musicology faculty with whom they have previously studied. Exceptions will occur: in cases where students have not studied with any member of the theory or musicology faculty, or the faculty with whom the student studied is on leave, the student may either choose one of these faculty (perhaps after speaking with them personally) or allow the graduate office to make the committee appointment for them. These faculty then write the comprehensive exam in consultation with the other members of the student's committee.

All committees are subject to the approval of the student's major professor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

At the doctoral level every student will have two committees during their course of study for the degree. One is the recital/document committee, the other is the doctoral comprehensive exam committee. The student is responsible for appointing only the first of these; this committee should be appointed in consultation with the student's major professor and with consideration given to the topic of the student's doctoral document (and with the knowledge that committees can be reconfigured as the document work moves in new directions). The committee must be appointed before the student's first recital.

Recital/document committee:
The committee consists of (1) the student's major professor; (2) a second faculty member from the student's major field; (3) one at-large faculty member from the School of Music but from outside the student's discipline; and (4) one at-large faculty member from any discipline, inside or outside the School of Music. At least one of members 3 and 4 must be an academic faculty member (from theory, musicology, composition, or music education). In all cases the committee must have one member who has written a doctoral document or dissertation. These committees are subject to the approval of the student's major professor and the Director of Graduate Studies and may be reconfigured at any time, as dictated by the student's course of study. Note also that the committee members listed here as numbers 1–4 should correspond to the members listed on the College of Liberal Arts and and Social Sciences Committee Appointment Form (available in the graduate office).

Doctoral comprehensive exam committee:
The committee consists of (1) the student's major professor; (2) a representative from the student's minor field; (3) one theory faculty member; and (4) one musicology faculty member. Members 2, 3, and 4 are selected by the graduate office (generally they are the coordinators in the respective areas or their designated representatives).

For information on submitting the manuscript to the dean's office, deadlines, required number of copies of the manuscript, binding the manuscript, copyrighting, order and format of pages in the document (including samples and templates for title pages, tables of contents, etc.), and other useful information, refer to this page: CLASS graduate student portal.

Guidelines for Authors of Theses and Documents (PDF file): additional information on dissertations and documents specific to the Moores School of Music.

MM students must take a written comprehensive exam covering their major field of study, music history, music theory, and score identification. Exam topics will derive from coursework completed during the degree program as well as from information pertinent to the student's field of study; the score identification portion is independent of specific coursework. Comprehensive exams take place at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters; specific dates are scheduled by the Graduate Office. Students wishing to take the comprehensive exam must submit an application form (available in the Graduate Office), with their completed degree plan (available in this handbook), to the Graduate Office by the published deadline.

Please see the graduate handbook (available above) for additional information on the comprehensive exams, including expectations, requirements, applications, etc.