8.0 Doctoral Degrees

8.1 Doctoral Degree: Outlines, Degree Plans, & Recommended Timelines

By February 14th the student must submit a degree plan, which lists all courses required for the degree and is approved by the student's major professor, doctoral committee, and the Associate Director of Graduate Studies. Students must consult their major professor/committee chair as they prepare a degree plan, who is also required to sign the plan. A list of courses that aren't offered each semester can be found in 3.15 Rotating Course Offerings. This list is not definitive and it is recommended that students contact area faculty to find out the latest course offerings for the upcoming semester. Any changes to the degree plan must be submitted in writing on a degree plan form and approved by the major professor/committee chair and Assistant Director for Graduate Studies, and filed with the School of Music Graduate Studies Office.

Degree plans may not be filed in the semester a student plans to graduate. Click on the following links for specific degree plans:

• DMA in Composition Degree Plan & Timeline
• DMA in Conducting Degree Plan & Timeline
• DMA in Performance Degree Plan & Timeline
• PhD in Music Education Degree Plan & Timeline
• PhD in Musicology Degree Plan & Timeline

8.2 Doctoral Committee

Students should consult their major professor as they prepare a tentative plan to meet the degree requirements and select a doctoral committee. After enrolling in 18 hours of courses, which usually occurs in the second semester of study, the student must select a doctoral committee by submitting the Thesis/Dissertation Faculty Committee Appointment Form to the School of Music Graduate Studies Office.

The doctoral committee serves as a consistent advisory group for the student. The committee approves degree plans, recital repertoire, the recitals themselves, serves as the examining committee for the comprehensive exam, approves the document/dissertation proposal, critiques the research document/dissertation, and serves as the final examining committee for the dissertation defense.

The committee must be comprised of at least four members and must include:

1. Major professor, serves as chair (if eligible)
2. One additional member from the student's major field
3. One member from the cognate area

If the student's DMA document or dissertation has a significant focus on music history or music theory, it is strongly suggested that a member of those areas serve on the committee. Likewise, if the student's document or dissertation has a significant focus on a tangential topic (i.e. French poetry, kinesiology) it is recommended that a faculty member with a specialty in that topic be included in the committee.

The chair of the committee must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty of the university. All members of the committee must have Graduate Faculty status; individuals who are not on the faculty of the University of Memphis may be appointed when their special expertise is needed for the dissertation, but they must seek affiliate faculty status from the Graduate School.

Recitals and exams should be scheduled when the entire committee can be in attendance. If the entire committee cannot be in attendance, then a minimum of 3 committee members must be present. Oral exams and defenses cannot be guaranteed during the summer semester, when many faculty are not in residence; students wishing to take orals or defend in the summer should consult their entire committee well in advance.

Committee membership should be changed only under extraordinary circumstances, and always in collaboration with the major professor and the Associate Director for Graduate Studies.

8.3 Doctoral Residency 

Students must commit to full-time study for a minimum of two successive semesters after admission to the degree program to fulfill the residency requirement. Full-time study is defined as 9-credits per semester (minimum). In the School of Music, sum­mer semesters may be used for this purpose; however, summer offerings in the School of Music are limited, so credits may not be available for the residency requirement.

8.4 Major Field Requirements

The DMA in Conducting and Performance require nine credits in the major field. Students are responsible for consulting the degree plan, major professor, and this document to ascertain these requirements. The following are additional area-specific requirements that are not specified in the Graduate Catalog.

Conducting

• Select from (3 cr.)
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3)
  • MUSE 8219 - Concepts in Teaching and Learning (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)
• Required (6 cr.)
  • MUSE 6208 – Band Literature (3), MUSE 7203 – Choral Literature (3), or Orchestral Literature (3)
  • MUTC 8801 - Analytical Techniques (3)

Keyboard
(A). Piano Performance (9 cr.)

• Required (6 cr.)
  • MUSE 7513 - Piano Pedagogy 1 (3) OR MUSE 7514 - Piano Pedagogy 2 (3)
  • MUHL 7003 - Piano Repertory (3)
• Select from (3 cr.)
  • MUSE 6505 - Collaborative Piano Techniques (3)
  • MUSE 7217 - Advanced Collaborative Piano Techniques (3)
  • MUHL 6014 - Chamber Music with Piano (3)
  • MUSE 7511 - Projects Piano Pedagogy (3)
  • MUSE 7515 - Class Piano Pedagogy (3)
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)

Voice
Student must take at least one course from two of the three columns.

• Column A: Pedagogy
  • MUSE 7501 - Graduate Vocal Ped 1 (3)
  • MUSE 7502 - Graduate Vocal Ped 2 (3)
  • MUSE 8516 - Graduate Diction (3)
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching in Higher Education (3)
• Column B: Literature
  • MUHL6002 - Graduate Song Lit (3)
  • MUHL 6263 - Oratorio Lit (3)
  • MUHL 6407 - History of Opera (Page) -- (3)
• Column C: Opera
  • MUAP 6301 - Acting for Opera (3)
  • MUAP 7704 - Opera Stage Direction (3)
  • MUAP 7705 - Opera Coaching (requires outstanding piano skills) (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Building Career Resources for Musicians (3)

Strings

• Select from (3 cr.)
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)
• Required (6 cr.)
  • MUSE 7204 - Instrumental Lit and Tech (3)
  • MUHL 6500 - String Repertory (3)
  • MUSE 7601 – Suzuki String Pedagogy I (3)

Secondary Instrument

• MUAP 6004 - Orchestra Excerpts (2)

Woodwinds

• Select from (3 cr.)
  • MUHL 6012 - Historical Chamber Music/Wind Instruments (3)
  • MUAP 6263 - Reed Making (1)
  • MUAP 6004 - Orchestral Excerpts (2)
  • MUSE 7608 - Instr. Ens. Rehearsal Tech. (3)
  • MUAP 7002 - Chamber Music (1)
• Required (6 cr.)
  • MUSE 6512 - Pedagogy and Literature (3)
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed. (3) OR MUAP 7802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)

Multiple Woodwind Instrument Performance:   

• Major Field (total 3 credits) 
• Three credits to be selected from: 
  • MUSE 6512 – Pedagogy & Literature (3) 
  • MUHL 7002 – Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3) 
  • MUAP 7802 – Career Resources for Musicians (3) 
  • MUHL 6012 – Historical Chamber Music/Wind Instruments (3) 
  • MUAP 6263 – Reed Making (1) 
  • MUAP 6004 – Orchestral Excerpts (2) 
  • MUSE 7608 – Instr. Ens. Rehearsal Tech. (3) 
  • MUAP 7002 – Chamber Music (1) 

Brass

• Select from (3 cr.):
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)
• Required (6 cr.):
  • MUSE 6514 - Brass Pedagogy (3)
  • MUHL 6020 – Solo Brass Literature (3)

Percussion

• Select from (3 cr.):
  • MUSE 7002 - Teaching Music in Higher Ed (3)
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)
  • MUHL 6800 - World Musical Styles (3)
• Large Ensemble (1)
  • MUAP 7204 - Percussion Ensemble (1)
  • MUAP 7205 - Contemporary Chamber Ensemble (1)
• Required (6 cr.):
  • MUSE 6520 - Percussion Pedagogy (3)
  • MUHL 6030 - Percussion Repertory (3)

8.5 Cognate Requirements 

All doctoral students must pursue a Cognate in a chosen related field for a minimum of 9 hours. Students are responsible for consulting faculty relevant to the Cognate field and the Graduate Catalog to ascertain degree requirements. Courses that make up the Cognate must be selected in consultation with a faculty member from that field and approved by the student’s doctoral committee as well as the Assistant Director for Graduate Studies when the degree plan is submitted. A student's doctoral committee must include a representative from the chosen Cognate area. 

While the School of Music offers some recommended Cognate choices, students have many options when considering their Cognate, including the possibility of creating a unique area with the aid and approval of the student’s Cognate representative and their doctoral committee at large. 

The School of Music has the following requirements for popular cognates: 

Music Education
A music education cognate consists of three courses in the MUSE prefix. No more than one course may be at the 6000 level.
Cognate Requirements:

• MUSE 7220 - Research in Music Education (3)
• Select from two MUSE courses chosen in consultation with the cognate faculty member (6)

Music Theory
A music theory cognate consists of three courses in the MUTC prefix. No more than one course may be at the 6000 level.
Cognate Requirements:

• MUTC 8101 - Pedagogy of Theory (3)
• Select from two MUTC courses chosen in consultation with the cognate faculty member (6)

Music History
Three MUHL courses, not including Bibliography (MUHL 7400/8400) or repertory courses, with no more than one at the 6000 level.

Wind, Orchestral, or Choral Conducting
A Wind, Orchestral, or Choral conducting cognate consists of three courses in the
field. No more than one course may be at the 6000 level.
Cognate Requirements:

• Two Semesters of Advanced Conducting (6)
• Select from Wind Literature, Orchestral Literature, or Choral Literature (3)

Vocology

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUSE 7501 - Vocal Pedagogy 1 (3)
  • MUSE 7502 - Vocal Pedagogy 2 (3)
• Choose one option:
  • AUSP 7003 – Anat/Phys (3)
  • AUSP 7000 – Speech Science (3)

Vocal Pedagogy

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUSE 7501 - Vocal Pedagogy 1 (3)
• Choose any two of the following options:
  • MUSE 7502 - Vocal Pedagogy 2 (3)
  • MUHL 6002 – Song Repertory I (3)
  • MUSE 6211 – Vocal Diction I (2)
  • MUHL 6263 - Oratorio Lit (3)

Opera Stage Direction

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUAP 6301 - Acting for Opera (3)
  • MUAP 7704 - Opera Stage Direction (1, 2, or 3)
  • MUSE 6211 – Vocal Diction I (2)

Opera Coaching/Conducting

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUAP 7705 - Opera Coaching (3)
  • MUSE 6211 – Vocal Diction I (2)
  • MUAP 7620 – Conducting (3)

Community Engagement & Residency

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUAP 7002 - Chamber music (1) for 3 semesters
  • MUAP 8802 - Career Resources for Musicians (3)
  • JRSM 7330 - Social Media & Community Engagement (3)

Jazz Studies

• Cognate Requirements:
  • MUTC 7104 – Analytical Studies Jazz (3)
  • MUSE 7520 – Jazz Pedagogy (3)
• Choose one option in consultation with Jazz area:
  • Improv I, II, or III

8.6 DMA Recitals & Dissertation Equivalents

The DMA degree requires between 6-9 hours of dissertation equivalent. Doctoral degree candidacy is a prerequisite for the final lecture recital. The dissertation requirements are slightly different for the various concentrations:

• Composition: Students must complete 9 hours of MUTC 9000.
• Performance & Conducting: Students must complete 6 hours of MUAP 8999 and 9000. These 6 hours must be comprised of at least 4 hours of MUAP 8999 (recital) and at least 1 hour of MUAP 9000 (dissertation) to fulfill the degree requirements.

Students preparing a doctoral degree recital will need to fill out a Doctoral Recital Form and submit it to the chair of their doctoral committee prior to the recital. This form documents the results of the recital and must be signed by all members of the student's committee. Doctoral recitals can only be passed with unanimous approval from the entire committee. Recitals are scheduled through the Scheduling Coordinator's office. The program for the recital must be submitted at least two weeks before the recital and students will be allowed up to two hours of rehearsal time in the hall prior to the recital. Please follow the guidelines listed in Recital Scheduling to schedule your recital and submit your program. Hearings are not required in the doctoral program, but may be requested by the major teacher. If this occurs, the hearing must be at least two weeks prior to the recital.

The DMA dissertation equivalent is constructed differently in the various concentrations:

• Performance: Three recitals (or two recitals and a lecture recital) and the DMA document. Music that is treated in the research document will form the basis of the lecture-recital; if the student gives three solo recitals, the repertory from the DMA document should appear on at least one of the recitals. The repertoire of each recital must be approved by the doctoral committee.
• Composition: A composition of significant proportions in a medium approved by the doctoral committee. This is typically an orchestral work of 15-20 minutes, but the exact instrumentation and length is variable, with committee approval.
• Conducting (Choral): Students in choral conducting must perform two choral recitals and one lecture-recital. A minimum of 9 credit hours of coursework must be completed before the first recital is given.
• Conducting (Orchestral): Students in orchestral conducting must perform two public orchestral conducting recitals and one lecture-recital. With the permission of the doctoral committee, a series of smaller performances may be substituted for one of the first two recitals. The lecture-recital is in support of the research document. A minimum of 9 credit hours of coursework must be completed before the first recital is given.
• Conducting (Wind): Students in wind conducting must perform two recitals and one lecture recital.
  •  Recital #1 – Rehearsal format recital
  • Recital #2 – Compilation recital
  • Recital #3 – Lecture-recital          

A minimum of 9 credit hours of coursework must be completed before the first recital. The compilation recital is an audio and video recording assembled from specific public performances with one of the major ensembles during residency. The lecture recital is in support of the research document.

8.7 Qualifying Examinations 

The qualifying exams in music history and theory are usually attempted in the third or fourth semester of full-time study. The exams may be taken after the student has completed 24 hours and with the approval of their primary Professor. Students may perform only one degree recital before attempting the qualifying exams.

The exams are normally scheduled on the Monday and Tuesday before the fall and spring semesters begin. Qualifying exams may be considered at the start of the summer semester by request. This is not guarranteed as Professors are off contract at that time. Notification of the Graduate Office by email must happen by April 1. Students who fail one or more sections of the exam will have an opportunity to retake those sections. Opportunities for remediation will be provided by courses, organized study or review sessions, and/or reading lists. A second failure will result in termination from the program. A third attempt will be permitted only by petitioning the Director of the School of Music.

The music history exam will consist of seven unknown score examples (A picture or an extract from a treatise can stand in for a score). The student picks six on which to write essays in which she or he identifies the genre, approximate date, and a plausible composer; makes a case for this identification; and say something about the significance of this sort of music (or artifact) in music history. Students will have four hours in a closed room to write these essays. Grading will be on the basis not only of right and wrong answers but of the level of articulateness and depth of understanding shown in the essays.

The music theory exam is currently virtual and will include formal analysis, identifications, definitions, and an essay. Students will have four hours to write these essays.

 8.8 Comprehensive Examinations

The comprehensive examinations consist of written and oral comprehensive exams. The examinations are directly arranged between the student and their Committee Chair and administered by the doctoral committee. Before attempting the comprehensive exams, students must have completed the following:

• Qualifying Exams (see 8.7)
• Foreign Language requirement (see 3.9)
• For DMA students, the second recital can be completed

The research document or final recital/lecture-recital may not be completed until after the comprehensive exams are passed.

DMA students
The written examination ordinarily consists of three questions, two from the major field and one from the cognate. The student is given seven days to write substantial (typically 10–15 pages), fully footnoted essays addressing the topics raised in the questions. At the committee's discretion, there may be an additional timed, private examination dealing with the pedagogy, literature, performance practice, theory, and/or history of the major field, instrument, or performance area. The examination is composed and graded by the candidate's committee: while individual questions may be designed by individual committee members, the full committee approves the questions and evaluates the written exam. 

Once the student has passed the written comprehensives, the oral comprehensive may be scheduled. The oral portion of the comprehensive examination will be conducted by the student's full doctoral committee. It will last up to two hours and will focus on the answers from the written examination and on general concerns of the committee over the major and cognate areas.

PhD students
The student, in consultation with their committee chair, proposes three areas in which she or he may be examined. The student writes three possible questions for one of the areas. The committee then picks one of those questions and provides its own questions in the other two, and the student is given seven days in which to research and answer the questions.

Once the student has passed the written comprehensives, the oral comprehensive may be scheduled. It will last up to two hours and will focus in part on the answers from the written examination and in part on general concerns of the committee over the major and minor areas. Language proficiency must be passed before taking comprehensive exams.

8.9 Admission to Doctoral Candidacy

When the written and oral comprehensive examinations have been successfully completed, the Associate Director of Graduate Studies will send a form to the Graduate School and the student will be granted doctoral candidacy.

Once candidacy is granted, the student is permitted to proceed with the dissertation or dissertation equivalent. The student in performance will be allowed to prepare for the final, third recital and begin work on the written doctoral research paper (once the topic proposal has been reviewed and approved by the doctoral committee). The student in composition may officially begin the dissertation composition. Students in musicology or music education must submit a proposal for the dissertation, which must be approved by the doctoral committee.

8.10 Proposal & Dissertation, Document, & Project Guidelines

Proposals for the DMA document & PhD dissertation
The topic proposal should be presented to the committee in a standard proposal format: thesis question, limitations, research plan (review of literature, outline), approximate timeline, and the general plan for the dissertation, lecture-recital document, or specialized project. Students should consult the Graduate School's thesis/dissertation preparation guide to become familiar with general university policies and guidelines for writing, submitting, and defending dissertations and theses. The doctoral committee must approve the proposal prior to the DMA document, dissertation, or project beginning. Once the proposal is approved by the committee, the chair of the committee will submit the Graduate School's Thesis or Dissertation Proposal Defense form to the School of Music's Graduate Studies Office. If there is substantial content that lies outside the field of music (such as statistics or medieval French poetry), at least one member of the committee should have expertise in that area. DMA candidates writing a DMA document must write a proposal 7-10 pages in length containing the criteria mentioned above. PhD students are advised to refer to "Kreitner's Dissertation Guide" found on the School of Music site.

All 9000 courses are covered by the Graduate School's continuous enrollment policy; once a student has enrolled in this number, he or she must keep enrolling for at least one credit every semester (summers excluded, except for a summer graduation) until the dissertation is complete.

Theses, research documents, and dissertations that qualify as human subjects research are required to have prior approval from the University's Institutional Review Board. See 3.13 IRB Guidelines for Research.

Use of Editors for the DMA document and PhD dissertation
The student is the sole author of the dissertation and is responsible for understanding, discussing, and defending all aspects of the work, including the methodologies employed. While some students may seek guidance with gathering and analyzing data, the use of consultants to conduct statistical work must be approved by the doctoral committee and the Assistant Director for Graduate Studies.   

The student is responsible for making sure that proposal and dissertation drafts submitted to the doctoral committee are as free of errors in form, style, diction, spelling, and grammar as possible.  

A committee chair or member may recommend that a student use a professional editor, or the student may feel that the work would benefit from editorial assistance. Any student who wishes to employ a professional editor must receive approval from the doctoral committee and make sure they use a reliable resource—for example, someone who has been recommended by a faculty member, another student, or the University of Memphis’s Dissertation Writers Resources https://libguides.memphis.edu/DWR  

While a student is encouraged to consult these resources if an editor is needed, the student is responsible for the writing and ensuring that it conforms to the standards of written English and conventions of scholarly writing set forth by the doctoral committee. 

Guidelines + Resources

8.11 Defending the Dissertation/Document

During the dissertation/research document/lecture-recital defense, the candidate meets with the doctoral committee. Committee members will ask questions and critique the document. Performance majors doing a lecture-recital typically defend after the performance, however, with committee permission, may defend prior to the performance. Once the defense is passed, the chair of the committee will submit the Graduate School's Thesis/Dissertation Final Defense Results form to the School of Music's Graduate Studies Office and a defended copy of the document is given to the Graduate School for approval. The deadline for this is typically six weeks before the end of the semester.