Admissions

Qualifications

To pursue doctoral level graduate study in Music, applicants are required to have earned a Bachelor’s degree, and it is expected that applicants to the doctoral programs will have the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Music. If you have not actually earned a degree in Music, comparison with the Stanford Department of Music’s requirements for the Bachelor’s degree will help you determine whether or not you will need to take courses in music theory, history, etc., on your own.

The terminal Master's program in Music, Science, and Technology is designed for candidates having an undergraduate engineering, science, music, or arts degree, or a degree that includes course work in engineering mathematics.

Application Deadline and Fee

Electronic applications are accessed via the Graduate Admissions website beginning in September of each year for admission in September the following year. Applications must be completed and filed by the second Tuesday in December. [N.B. For purposes of hard copy supplementary materials, this is a postmarkdate.] The filing fee is $125.00. For information on Fee Waivers and funding please see Funding Information.

Required Supplementary Items to the Application

Include the following as uploaded documents within the online application:

• Statement of purpose;

• Three letters of recommendation;

• Scanned (i.e., unofficial) transcripts from each school attended for at least one year; and

• PhD and MA applicants must also include a writing sample demonstrating scholarly ability (i.e., Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis, papers submitted for classes, published papers, etc.).

Have the following items sent directly to the Department of Music:

• Official transcripts: May be EITHER electronic or hard copy but must meet the criteria listed here:
  gradadmissions.stanford.edu/applying/starting-your-application/required-application-documents/transcripts-academic-records-0

  • E-transcripts --  Sent directly via encrypted service to: dabarney@stanford.edu OR

  • Hard copy -- Mailed directly from the issuing institution to the department (address below).

[For additional information concerning international academic credentials, see the Office of Graduate Admissions "International Applicants" site.]

• Educational Testing Service (ETS) should send the following scores to school code 4704 (there is no department code):

  • GRE scores from an exam taken within the past 5 years AND

  • TOEFL scores, if English is not your primary language and you do not meet the requirements for a waiver to this requirement.

• DMA composition applicants must also include:

  • Hard copy representative scores and recordings (3–6 recommended; CD and/or DVD) AND

  • A complete list of your compositions.

All hard copy items should be sent to:

Department of Music
Graduate Admissions
Braun Music Center
541 Lasuen Mall, MC: 3076
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-3076

Funding Information

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