Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Degree in the field of Piano 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 beyond the bachelor's degree to satisfy degree requirements.   

Requirements for the DMA Degree in the field of Piano 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 Piano Performance90

Degree Requirements

Performance Requirements
MUSI 681PIANO FOR MAJORS-ADVANCED (minimum of 8 semesters) 13
MUSI 736SOLO REPERTORY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS (minimum of 2 semesters) 23
MUSI 751DOCTORAL SOLO RECITAL 30
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 23
MUSI 737DOCTORAL SEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGY3
MUSI 738DOCTORAL INDIVIDUAL PROJECT3
MUSI 739PEDAGOGY FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS3
Academic Coursework 4
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 15 credit hours at the 300-level or above 515
Classroom Teaching
Students must complete the Classroom Teaching requirement
Proficiencies 6
Students must demonstrate the following proficiency:
Aural skills
Doctoral Document
MUSI 750DOCTORAL DOCUMENT (minimum of 2 semesters) 73
Total Credit Hours90

Footnotes and Additional Information 

Academic Coursework

Academic Coursework is comprised of a minimum of 4 courses (12 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 523BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESEARCH METHODS3
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 537SATIE, COCTEAU, & LES SIX: PARIS IN THE 1920s AND BEYOND3
MUSI 543MUSIC AND MODERNISM IN FRANCE3
MUSI 551MUSIC OF RICHARD STRAUSS3
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
MUSI 721MUSIC OF SCHOENBERG3
MUSI 722MUSIC OF STRAVINSKY3

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 COMPOSTION3
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/2023_24/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

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.

Note: For music history and musicology majors a grade of C+ (2.33 grade points) or lower in any music history course is considered unsatisfactory and will be evaluated as above.

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. 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 guidelines:

  • Requests for transfer credit will be considered by the program director on an individual case-by-case basis. 

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