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The DMA in Performance - Jazz Studies was approved by the UNT Graduate Council in September 2011. It received NASM approval at the November 2011 Commission meeting.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admissions Overview and Contacts

Audition/Interview Schedule

Graduate Admissions Process

Graduate Degree-Specific Graduate Admissions Requirements

Graduate Auditions Requirements
Information for International Applicants

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Applicants to this program must choose as their principal instrument one of those instruments for which we have one or more full-time faculty members in the Jazz Studies division: saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass, drumset, voice, and jazz strings (violin, viola, cello). 

 

FREQENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q. What is the deadline for applications?
  • A. The College of Music sets the deadline this way: "To be considered for admission in the Fall semester, preference will be given to applications received by the first Monday in December. Applications received after that date will be reviewed, and auditions will be scheduled on a case by case basis depending on space availability."
Q. Is the Major performance part of the degree (the private lessons, large ensemble, and small group) in the jazz or classical idiom?
  • A. Jazz.
Q. What sort of job can I get with the DMA in Performance with a local concentration in Jazz Studies?
  • A. We expect that most if not all of the students in the program will be earning the doctoral degree in order to seek academic positions, including teaching positions and academic leadership positions such as Director of Jazz Studies.
Q. What kind of preparation do you expect students to have? A certain degree in a certain field?
  • A. Our entrance standard will be measured against a completed Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies at UNT, just as we consider the completed Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies at UNT as the standard for admission to our M.M. in Jazz Studies. A master's degree in Jazz Studies is the most relevant kind of preparation, along with professional experience. A master's degree in a closely-related field, with a substantial amount of work in jazz at the master's level, would be next most relevant kind of preparation. 
  • Students who lack this level of preparation, but otherwise meet the admission requirements (pass the audition, have high enough GPA and GRE score [remember--GRE Analytical Writing section only, not the entire GRE; or take the jazz studies in-house writing exam after admission]), may be assigned review courses at the master's level. These add time to completion of the degree and don't count towards the degree.
Q. What sort of financial aid do you provide to doctoral students?
A. Many doctoral students will be offered teaching fellowships or assistantships in Jazz Studies. For out of state students, this enables the student to pay tuition at the in-state rate. One of the things that make this an excellent place to earn a doctoral degree is the fact that our undergraduate and master's programs are large (190 and 70 majors, respectively). That means there will be a variety of opportunities to gain teaching experience while earning the degree. A small number of doctoral students will be offered full tuition scholarships along with a teaching fellowship.
Q. How much does a teaching fellowship pay?
A. The current pay rate for a full-time teaching fellowship (20 hours per week of teaching including some time for preparation) for a student who has earned 18 or more graduate hours is $1,484.06 per month.
Q. What sorts of teaching do teaching fellows and teaching assistants do?
A. Examples of teaching assignments can be found on our faculty page.
Q. What is the cost of tuition and fees at UNT?
A. Visit the UNT Tuition Estimator to explore tuition costs: https://estimatemytuition.unt.edu/
Q. You want applicants to submit recordings and play an on-campus audition?
A. Correct. We will study the recordings along with the documents you send as we prepare to listen to your on-campus audition and have the interview while you are here for the on-campus audition.
Q. I just completed a master's degree. Am I eligible to apply?
A. You are eligible to apply. The Jazz Studies faculty has expressed a preference for applicants who have professional experience along with academic training. Some students may have had professional experience before starting their master's work, or may have had professional experiences mixed in with their academic work. There is not a rule that prevents a student from continuing from a master's into our doctoral program. But if the only experience a student has is academic, that application will not be as competitive as applications that show extensive professional experiences.
Q. When you write "professional experience," do you mean only performing?
A. We mean performing, teaching, composing/arranging, or other professional experiences, or some combination.
Q. What is the residency requirement?

A. From the UNT Graduate Catalog*: "The minimum residence requirement for jazz studies students consists of two consecutive long terms/semesters (fall and the following spring, or spring and the following fall) with a minimum load of 9 hours each term/semester."

Q. Will I be able to complete all of the course work in two long semesters?

A. It will take longer than two long semesters to complete all of the required course work.

Q. Are any of the required classes offered online?

A. Not at present.

Q. How many of the required classes are offered in summer sessions?

A. Few of the jazz classes are offered in summer sessions. Courses for the music theory/music history component and the related field are.

Q. Which instruments can students in this program have as their principal instrument?

A. The instruments for which we have one or more full-time faculty members in the Jazz Studies division: saxophone, trumpet, trombone, voice, piano, guitar, violin, composition, viola, cello, bass, drumset.

For more information about this major, please contact collegeofmusic@unt.edu.