Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Overview

Brandeis University's graduate programs in Music concentrate in two areas: Composition and Theory and Musicology.

Composition and Theory

The department offers three degree programs in composition and theory: MA (normally one year), MFA (normally two years), and PhD (normally two or more years following the completion of MFA requirements). The programs are designed to help students develop a command of the craft of composition. That objective is supported by studies in theory and analysis and in electro-acoustic music.

Musicology

The department offers two degree programs in musicology: MA and PhD. The programs offer an integrated approach to the understanding of the nature, structural basis, and historical development of music. Students may elect to emphasize or concentrate in music history or in theory and analysis. In the music history program, a variety of techniques and methodologies, including style development, source studies, and historiography, are applied to different repertories and historical problems. The theory and analysis program features work in the history of theory as well as analytic work in the context of theory construction involving the evaluation of pretonal, tonal, and contemporary analytic models.

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How to Apply

Application Deadlines

• PhD: Admission to the PhD programs has been paused for the 2025-2026 academic year. 
• MFA & MA: Rolling through April 1

Application Requirements

Applicants to Composition and Theory must submit:

• An online application

• An application fee

• Transcripts from all universities and colleges attended must be uploaded to your application; do not send official transcripts to our office. Official transcripts sent prior to an offer of admission will be destroyed. For more information, visit Frequently Asked Questions.

• Two letters of recommendation, submitted online. At least one should be from a faculty member.

• A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé, which should include your educational history, employment experience, and other relevant information.

• A statement of purpose in essay form, indicating your reasons for undertaking graduate study. In addition, please describe your qualifications for the academic program and your objectives in undertaking this program. Applicants to the doctoral program should outline their research interests and how they would complement those of the faculty. Applicants to the master's program should discuss their plans for their academic and professional career and how the degree would help them attain their goals.

• Portfolio: Please submit at least three original scores, with corresponding audio files of performances of those scores, if available. The Department of Music requires that you submit digital files for application review purposes, and you must contact the department to request an exception if you want to submit non-digital files. Preferable file formats are .PDF for scores and .WAV, .AIF or .MP3 for audio files. Do not send native notation program files (e.g. .MUS, .SIB). Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information. 

• Music Composition Exam: The Department of Music employs an informal testing procedure designed to assist the admission committee in reviewing applications to the graduate programs in Composition and Theory. There are two short exercises in tonal music. You will be asked to spend up to, but under no circumstances more than, four hours (including copying time) in the preparation of your answers. Upon completion of the Music Composition Exam, you will be asked to sign the appended statement affirming that you have received no outside assistance in preparing your answers. You should then upload the exam directly to your application. It is highly advised that you keep a copy of your exam for your own personal records.

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) recommended, but not required. Our GRE institution code is 3092 (please note: this institution code only applies to GRE scores). MyBest™ scores from ETS will not be accepted.

• International applicants should visit our International Students page to determine if official results from an English language proficiency exam are also required.

For a more comprehensive description of application requirements, please visit Frequently Asked Questions.

Applicants to Musicology must submit:

• An online application

• An application fee

• Transcripts from all universities and colleges attended must be uploaded to your application; do not mail official transcripts to our office. For more information, visit Frequently Asked Questions.

• Two letters of recommendation, submitted online. At least one should be from a faculty member.

• A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé, which should include your educational history, employment experience, and other relevant information.

• A statement of purpose in essay form, indicating your reasons for undertaking graduate study. In addition, please describe your qualifications for the academic program and your objectives in undertaking this program. Applicants to the doctoral program should outline their research interests and how they would complement those of the faculty. Applicants to the master's program should discuss their plans for their academic and professional career and how the degree would help them attain their goals.

• Writing Sample: Please submit a critical writing sample not to exceed 35 pages; the 35-page maximum may consist of a single critical essay or two shorter essays of approximately equal length.

• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) recommended, but not required. Our GRE institution code is 3092 (please note: this institution code only applies to GRE scores). MyBest scores from ETS will not be accepted.

• International applicants should visit our International Students page to determine if official results from an English language proficiency exam are also required.

For a more comprehensive description of application requirements, please visit Frequently Asked Questions.