Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree in the field of Organ Performance

Program Learning Outcomes for the DMA Degree

Upon completing the DMA degree, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate technical and musical competence in performance or composition at a professional level.
  2. Develop highly developed analytical skills in advanced music theory and a profound understanding of how those skills inform music performance.
  3. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the relationship between music history and music performance with greater familiarity of a wide variety of historical and contemporary performance practices.
  4. Develop career development skills that complement their professional-level performance skills.
  5. Develop working knowledge of and have experience with both classroom teaching and studio teaching methods at the conservatory and university levels.

Requirements for the DMA Degree 

For general university requirements, see Doctoral Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the DMA degree in all fields of study must complete:

  • A minimum of 90 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.  
  • Students must register for a minimum of 9 credit hours per semester of enrollment. Upon achieving candidacy, students are expected to make progress towards the completion of their degree each semester.

Requirements for the DMA Degree in the field of Organ Performance

The requirements listed in the General Announcements (GA) satisfy the minimum requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses (or requirements) not officially listed here may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions or any exceptions to the stated official curricular requirements must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the DMA Degree in the field of Organ Performance92

Degree Requirements

Performance Requirements
MUSI 683ORGAN FOR MAJORS-ADVANCED (minimum of 6 semesters)3
MUSI 736SOLO REPERTORY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS 13
MUSI 285SECONDARY HARPSICHORD2
Doctoral Recitals
MUSI 751DOCTORAL SOLO RECITAL (2 solo recitals required, 1st recital) 20
MUSI 751DOCTORAL SOLO RECITAL (2 solo recitals required, 2nd recital) 20
MUSI 752DOCTORAL CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL 20
MUSI 754DOCTORAL LECTURE-RECITAL 20
Field of Study Specific Coursework
MUSI 725ORGAN LITERATURE SEMINAR3
MUSI 608IMPROVISATION AT THE ORGAN (minimum of 2 semesters)2
DMA Core Requirements
MUSI 611CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY3
MUSI 711ANALYTICAL APPROACHES3
MUSI 733DOCTORAL SEMINAR I: CAREER SKILLS3
MUSI 735DOCTORAL SEMINAR II: REPERTORY3
MUSI 736SOLO REPERTORY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS 13
MUSI 737DOCTORAL SEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGY3
MUSI 738DOCTORAL INDIVIDUAL PROJECT3
MUSI 739PEDAGOGY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS3
Academic Coursework 3
Select 3 courses from the Music History course offerings (see course list below)9
Select 2 courses from the Music Theory course offerings (see course list below)6
Elective Requirements
Select 11 credit hours at the 300-level or above 411
Classroom Teaching
Students must complete the Classroom Teaching requirement
Examinations 5
Aural skills proficiency
Written and oral qualifying examinations 5
Doctoral Document
MUSI 700GRADUATE RESEARCH (variable credit hours and repeatable for credit) 61-9
MUSI 750DOCTORAL DOCUMENT (minimum of 2 semesters) 63
Total Credit Hours92

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Academic Coursework

Academic Coursework is comprised of a minimum of 3 courses (9 credit hours) from Music History course offerings and a minimum of 2 courses (6 credit hours) from Music Theory course offerings.

Music History Courses

MUSI 524AMERICAN MUSIC3
MUSI 525PERFORMANCE PRACTICES SEMINAR3
MUSI 527TOPICS IN EARLY MUSIC3
MUSI 528TOPICS IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES3
MUSI 529TOPICS IN 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES3
MUSI 530MUSIC, MAGIC, AND SCIENCE IN THE MODERN WORLD3
MUSI 534PROGRAM MUSIC IN THE 19TH CENTURY3
MUSI 543MUSIC AND MODERNISM IN FRANCE3
MUSI 621SELECTED STUDIES IN MUSIC HISTORY3
MUSI 623J.S. BACH: CAREER, WORKS, AND CRITICAL RECEPTION3
MUSI 624SEMINAR ON A SELECTED COMPOSER3
MUSI 625MOZART OPERAS3
MUSI 626THE CLASSICAL STYLE3
MUSI 627ROMANTIC SONGS AND PIANO PIECES3
MUSI 716MUSIC OF THE MIDDLE AGES3
MUSI 717RENAISSANCE MUSIC3

Music Theory Courses

MUSI 512ANALYTICAL SYSTEMS3
MUSI 513MODAL COUNTERPOINT3
MUSI 514SCORE READING AND THEORY AT THE KEYBOARD3
MUSI 516ADVANCED ORCHESTRATION3
MUSI 517EARLY MODERN MASTERS3
MUSI 605ADVANCED ELECTRONIC AND COMPUTER MUSIC SYSTEMS3
MUSI 606ADVANCED COMPUTER SOUND SYNTHESIS3
MUSI 610MUSIC THEORIES OF THE WORLD: CROSS-CULTURAL APPROACHES TO PITCH, MELODY, AND RHYTHM3
MUSI 611CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY3
MUSI 613TONAL COUNTERPOINT3
MUSI 614SPECIAL TOPICS IN MUSIC THEORY AND MUSIC THEORY COMPOSITION3
MUSI 615MUSIC OF RAVEL: MUSIC THEORY AND COMPOSITION3
MUSI 617MUSIC SINCE 19503
MUSI 711ANALYTICAL APPROACHES3
MUSI 712SEMINAR IN ADVANCED ANALYSIS3
MUSI 713SPECIAL TOPICS IN ADVANCED ANALYSIS3
MUSI 723AESTHETICS OF MUSIC3

Policies for the DMA Degree

Shepherd School of Music Graduate Program Handbook

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the Shepherd School of Music publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2024_25/Shepherd_School_of_Music_Graduate_Handbook.pdf.

Admission

A live audition is required for Instrumental Performance and Vocal Performance applicants. Composition applicants must submit a portfolio of representative works and interview with faculty. All doctoral applicants must complete exams in Music History and Music Theory and provide a recent research or analytic paper. 

Academic Standards

Curriculum and Degree Requirements

Further information on curricular requirements for all majors and degree programs is available from the Shepherd School of Music.

Grading Policy

For DMA students, a grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in any course is unsatisfactory and will not fulfill degree program requirements. A minimum grade of B- (2.67 grade points) per course is expected of all music students in their major applied area. A grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in the student's major applied area is considered unsatisfactory and will be evaluated in the following manner:

  • A music major who receives a grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in their major applied area will be placed on music probation. Music probation signifies that the student’s work has been sufficiently unsatisfactory to preclude graduation unless marked improvement is achieved promptly. A student on music probation may be absent from class only for extraordinary reasons and may not represent the school in any public function not directly a part of a degree program.
  • If a student receives a second semester of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in a course in their major applied area, whether for consecutive semesters or not, the student will be discontinued as a music performance major and merit scholarship from the Shepherd School will be discontinued.

Graduate degree requirement: a minimum overall grade point average of 2.67 is necessary for graduation. 

Leaves of Absence and Voluntary Withdrawal

Music majors must obtain permission in writing from the dean of the Shepherd School before requesting a leave of absence from the university. Requests must be in the dean’s office before the first day of classes in the semester for which leave is requested.

Music majors taking voluntary withdrawal from the university are not guaranteed readmission into the Shepherd School and may be asked to reapply/reaudition. Students should explain the reasons for their withdrawal to the dean before leaving campus.

Transfer Credit 

For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.

Program Transfer Credit Guidelines

Students pursuing the DMA degree should be aware of the following program-specific transfer credit guideline:

  • Transfer credit coursework cannot be applied or used to meet any of the degree program's course requirements.

Additional Information

For additional information, please see the Shepherd School of Music website: https://music.rice.edu/.

Opportunities for the DMA Degree

Other Musical Opportunities

Lectures and Performances

A visiting lecturer series, a professional concert series, and numerous distinguished visiting musicians contribute to the Shepherd School environment. The Houston Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Chorus, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Houston Masterworks Chorus, Da Camera, Context, and Chamber Music Houston, as well as the activities of other institutions of higher learning in the area, also provide exceptional opportunities for students to enjoy a wide spectrum of music.

Additional Information

For additional information, please see the Shepherd School of Music website: https://music.rice.edu/.