The music streaming service Spotify reports there are more than 1,300 music genres in the world. Wherever your interests are along this artistic spectrum, Marshall University can be your academic and creative resource for outstanding graduate study in the field of Music.
The Master of Arts (MA) in Music at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, offers the following areas of emphasis at the graduate level. These master’s degrees in Music can typically be completed full-time in two years:
- Music Education – Thesis and non-thesis options
- Music History and Literature – Thesis and non-thesis options
- Music Performance
- Music Composition
- Jazz Studies
Since 1979, Marshall University has been a fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). Music programs at Marshall have earned recognition nationally and worldwide. Among recent distinctions, the University’s famous marching band, Marching Thunder, was invited to perform in the 2020 New Year’s Day Parade in London.
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- Meet some of our current students and hear about their favorite Marshall moments.
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- Get help with the application and enrollment process.
Marshall’s School of Music has an outstanding faculty dedicated to student success. Music professors and staff have achieved regional, national and international recognition for their artistry.
Graduate Music students can take advantage of a wide range of performance opportunities, and the MA in Music degree gives students a variety of specialized areas to explore for advanced music study. The School of Music on Marshall’s Huntington, WV, campus provides excellent facilities for practice and performance by graduate Music students.
Marshall’s Center for Wellness in the Arts is one of the few programs of its kind in the country and provides educational, preventive and therapeutic services relating to wellness and injury prevention in the performing arts.
School of Music graduates in the MA in Music program have gone on to perform in various settings, work as church musicians, and become employed in various segments of the music industry. Other graduates pursue advanced studies or begin careers teaching music.
- Singer
- Music Director
- Composer
- Orchestra
- Band
- Choir
- Choral Director
- Orchestrators
Admission Requirements
Applicants should follow the admissions process described in this catalog or at the Graduate Admissions website at www.marshall.edu/graduate/admissions/how-to-apply-for-admission.
To be admitted to the School of Music, you must:
- Have a bachelor’s degree from an accepted, accredited institution with a major in music or the equivalent.
- Have an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale, with no grade lower than a C in any music course.
- Perform an audition or submit a video audition (Jazz Studies, Applied Music Performance) or submit additional application materials (Music Composition, Music Education, Music History).
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Entering vocal performance majors with fewer than two (2) semesters of study of French, German, or Italian must complete two (2) semesters of undergraduate study in one of those languages.
- Submit an application to the School of Music, available at https://www.marshall.edu/music/school-of-music-graduate-application/.
Potential graduate students should contact the School of Music Graduate Coordinator for more specific information. Requirements for performance levels in applied music can be found in the School of Music Graduate Handbook.
Video Audition
In lieu of a live audition, prospective students may submit an unedited video, including unedited videos of a live performance. Any performance included on the video must have taken place no earlier three (3) months prior to submission. Please upload your video to an unlisted YouTube channel and provide a link on your application form
Provisional Admittance
Applicants not meeting one or more these requirements may be admitted provisionally but will not be considered degree-seeking students until all requirements are satisfied. In certain instances, after an evaluation of the undergraduate transcript, incoming graduate students will need to take remedial courses to meet academic requirements for specific emphases. These classes will be documented to the student at the time of acceptance into the graduate program in music.
Placement Examinations
All entering graduate music students must take diagnostic exams in music theory and music history prior to the start of their first semester of enrollment. Entering vocal performance majors must take a diagnostic exam in diction, covering Italian, English, French, and German languages.