Degrees Plans and Handbooks 

Official degree requirements are published at catalog.unt.edu. Each degree has specific handbooks, degree plans, and requirements. It is the student’s responsibility to consult the published resources for specific requirements as each degree is very different.

The degree plan is a contract between the student and Major Professor and ensures that students are registering for courses which count toward their degree. The degree plan is to be filed at the end of the first year of study. 

Degree plans can be found in the "Degree Programs" section, under "For Current Students". 

Graduation Deadlines and Time Limits

Graduation Deadlines

Students are responsible for knowing and meeting these graduation deadlines. College of Music deadlines are two weeks in advance of the Toulouse Graduate School.

Toulouse Graduate School deadlines:  Graduation Information | Toulouse Graduate School® (unt.edu)

Time Limits

Master’s students must complete their degree within five years from the date from which first master’s credit was earned. Doctoral students must complete their degree no more than eight years from which their first doctoral credit was earned. 

The Advisory Committee

The advisory committee is responsible for administering the final comprehensive exam (for MM students) and the qualifying exams (for DMA students). It also guides the final thesis (for MA students) and dissertation (for PhD and DMA students) from the submission of the proposal to the final oral defense.

Important note:  The advisory committee should not be confused with a recital committee, which usually comprise three faculty members from the student’s applied area and are chaired by the major professor. Some recital committees also include the related-field professor.

A student’s advisory committee comprises at least three faculty members:

  1. The major professor serves as the committee chair and the student’s primary faculty mentor. For students in applied areas, the major professor is usually (but not necessarily) the studio teacher.
  2. The related-field professor represents the student’s related field (on which see below). Most degrees, including the MM and DMA, require a related field, but for those that don’t the related-field professor is replaced by a second committee member typically drawn from the student’s area of study. 
  3. The third committee member is typically drawn from the student’s area of study.
  4. Students may elect to include a fourth committee member on their committee.
  5. Changes to the advisory committee can be made (for example, if the student’s related field does not pertain to their dissertation and they wish to change membership for the defense). Consult the graduate office with any questions about changes in committee membership.

Forms and Degree Milestones

Forms are used by the Graduate Studies office to track various student degree milestones (degree plans, advisory committee, recital registration, etc). It is the student’s responsibility to acquire appropriate permissions before completing degree milestones, as articulated in the degree handbooks. Failure to do so will inevitably lead to delays in completing milestones and sometimes graduation. 

A note to faculty: Never sign a form if unable to certify its accuracy and/or have not had adequate time to review a relevant document (e.g. a topic proposal or thesis). Questions can be addressed by sending an email to the Graduate Studies Office. 

Graduate students progress through various milestones as they pursue their degrees. Some of the most significant are:

  • The Degree Plan is a formal contract between the student and the university specifying the courses they will take to fulfill the degree requirements. Students are bound by the degree requirements in effect in the year that the degree plan is approved. They must submit their degree plan before they complete their second semester of study. 
  • The Committee Form indicates the composition of the advisory committee and requires the signature of all committee members. 

Qualifying Exams (DMA Students)

The Qualifying Exams (for DMA students) are taken when the following conditions are met: the student has 1) satisfied all review and/or leveling courses; 2) has completed thirty hours of graduate coursework beyond the master’s degree; 3) has completed two degree recitals, in the case of performance majors; 4) has an approved degree plan filed with the Toulouse Graduate School.

Part I consists of two written examinations in the student’s major field (2 three hour sessions) and one in their related field (one three hour session). Once the student has passed Part I, they advance to Part II, which consists of a two-hour oral comprehensive exam that includes questions on the written examinations and on all other areas appropriate to the degree. The major professor coordinates the qualifying exams with the other members of the advisory committee. All members of the committee grade the exams.

Oral Comprehensive Exam (MM Students)

MM students must pass the Oral Comprehensive Examination covering the major and related fields. The examination may be taken no more than three times. The student may take the examination before or after the completion of the master's degree recital. When scheduling the oral examination date, the student must be aware of the Toulouse Graduate School deadline for filing the results of the oral examination in order to graduate. The Oral Comprehensive Exam Form must be submitted to music.grad@unt.edu by the Major Professor by the posted deadline in order for the student to graduate.