Admissions

Graduate Application Procedures

Application to the graduate program is a two-part process, including application to the Toulouse Graduate School (or to International Admissions and Programs for international students) and to the composition program in the College of Music. Both parts of the process must be completed by the first Monday in December in order for the application to be evaluated.

Graduate students interested in requesting composition as a related field must follow the application procedures at the bottom of this page.

PLEASE FOLLOW ALL APPLICATION PROCEDURES CAREFULLY; late or incomplete applications will not be processed.

Applying to the University and the Toulouse Graduate School

Current guidelines regarding application to the University may be obtained as follows:

  1. U.S. citizens and permanent resident aliens — refer to the Toulouse Graduate School website (http://www.tsgs.unt.edu).
  2. International students — refer to the International Admission and Programs website (www.international.unt.edu). [NOTE: international applicants must be accepted provisionally to the composition program prior to enrollment in the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI).]


Applying to the Composition Program and the College of Music

Applicants to any of the graduate programs in composition must submit a completed application form and portfolio to the College of Music Admissions Office by the first Monday in December to be considered for acceptance in the following academic year. The portfolio must include:

  1. Scores of three representative works.
  2. Recordings of three representative works, at least two of which should correspond with the scores submitted. MIDI realizations may be used in exceptional cases.
  3. A current résumé or vita, which includes the following:
    1. A list of original compositions, including title, medium, date composed, and duration.
    2. A list of performances of original compositions, including date, location, and performers.
    3. A list of prizes, commissions, grants, or other honors recently received.
  4. Complete academic transcripts (photocopies acceptable); note that this is separate from the transcripts sent to the Toulouse Graduate School.
  5. Official GRE scores (photocopies acceptable); note that this is separate from the GRE scores sent to the Toulouse Graduate School.
  6. Letters of recommendation from three persons qualified to evaluate the applicant's accomplishments and merits.
  7. Writing samples (e.g., research paper, thesis, etc.).
  8. Personal statement that addresses the following:
    1. Compositional aesthetics and influences.
    2. Statement of purpose: why are you interested in pursuing graduate studies at the University of North Texas?
    3. Long-range professional goals.

The portfolio may be submitted in one of three ways; electronic submissions (options 1 or 2 below) are preferred:

  1. In electronic format (pdf, mp3, aiff, and mov formats only), e-mailed to Administrative Assistant Michelle Hurt. Depending on the size of the files, it may be necessary to send these materials as a ZIP file.
  2. Posted on a personal website; the url may be e-mailed to Michelle Hurt.
  3. Printed and bound scores, printed documents, and audio/video recordings (CD and/or DVD format only) may be mailed to:

    4. University of North Texas
    ATTN: Michelle Hurt
    Division of Composition Studies
    College of Music
    1155 Union Circle #311367
    Denton, TX 76203-5017


General Application Information

  1. Please note that application to the Toulouse Graduate School is separate from application to the College of Music, and that admission to the Graduate School does not imply acceptance to the composition program.
  2. Applications are reviewed at one time each year for acceptance the following fall semester; new applications will not be considered for the spring semester. Applications received after the posted deadline will not be considered.
  3. Applicants who are selected after the first round will be notified by the end of January and are expected to schedule an interview at the UNT campus prior to the first Monday in March.
  4. Applicants will be notified by early April concerning the status of their applications.
  5. Applicants are expected to submit GRE scores at the time of application in order to be considered for graduate studies in composition:
    1. In exceptional cases, students may be admitted conditionally pending successful completion of the GRE Analytical Writing exam by the end of the first semester of enrollment. However, all applicants accepted to the program must have at least attempted the GRE Analytical Writing exam prior to enrollment in graduate courses.
    2. The Graduate Preparation Course (GPC), provided for international students by the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI), will not be accepted as a substitute for the GRE requirement.
  6. International applicants in composition must be conditionally accepted to the program prior to beginning studies at the Intensive English Language Institute (IELI). Acceptance to and/or studies in IELI in no way ensures acceptance to the composition program.
  7. Conditionally accepted students are ineligible for graduate assistantship or scholarship support.
  8. No performance audition is required in order to apply to the graduate program in composition.



Applying to the Composition Program as a Related Field

Students in other graduate music programs (MM, MA, DMA, PhD) may request composition as a related field, pending approval from the major area.

  1. The following prerequisites apply for the related field in music composition:
    1. A Bachelor's degree in music or the equivalent.
    2. At least two semesters of composition lessons or the equivalent.
    3. Evidence of compositional activity (e.g., performances, awards, etc.).
  2. Applicants who do not meet the above criteria may be provisionally accepted as a related field student in composition at the discretion of the composition faculty, pending completion of recommended deficiency courses.
  3. To be considered as a related field student in composition, applicants must submit a portfolio to the composition division chair that includes the following:
    1. Scores of three representative works.
    2. Recordings (CD and/or DVD only) of three representative works, at least two of which should correspond with the scores submitted. MIDI realizations may be used in exceptional cases.
    3. A list of original compositions, including title, medium, date composed, duration, and performance history.
    4. Complete academic transcripts (photocopies acceptable).
    5. Letter of recommendation from a person qualified to evaluate the applicant's accomplishments and merits in the area of composition.
    6. Writing sample (e.g., research paper, thesis, etc.).

Portfolios for the related field in composition will be accepted throughout the academic year. Applicants should allow at least four weeks for the portfolio to be reviewed by the composition faculty prior to notification.