Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) Handbook

Full-time enrollment for Fall and Spring semesters is:

• Enrollment in 9 credit hours,

• Enrollment in 6 credit hours plus a GTA (regardless of % of appointment),

• Doctoral candidates (post-oral comps) enrolled in dissertation or document credits as required.

Full-time enrollment for Summer semester is:

• Enrollment in 6 credits hours,

• Enrollment in 3 credit hours plus a summer GTA appointment regardless of percentage of appointment,

• Doctoral candidates (post-oral comps) enrolled in dissertation or document credits as required.

Full-time status might be required by the rules and regulations governing student loan deferments, scholarships and fellowships, and foreign student visas (F-1 and J-1).  Note: Summer enrollment is not required unless you are planning to graduate during the summer semester. 

You may enroll in a maximum of 16 credits in the fall and spring semesters and 8 credits during the summer session. If you must enroll in more than the maximum number of credits, please submit the Request to Enroll Above Maximum Hours Limit form to request permission to add the class. If you are NOT required to have full-time status, 1 credit hour is the minimum required to remain active in the program.

Doctoral candidates, see information regarding the post-comp enrollment requirement that go into effect the semester after you pass your Oral Comprehensive Exam.

To avoid late enrollment fees, you must enroll BEFORE the first day of classes. Enrollment information, including the enrollment schedule, is found in the academic calendar for the specific semester. Late enrollment begins at 12:00 a.m. on the first instructional day of the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. To make changes to your enrollment review the Schedule Change Information on the Registrar's website, and Considerations and Impacts of a Drop or Withdrawal for more details. 

If you enroll AFTER the first week of classes, you must submit a Request to Enroll After the Deadline (Late Enrollment) form to request permission to enroll in a class after the last day to enroll online. This form will route to instructors and schools for approval. If approved the Office of the University Registrar will enroll you in the class. Enrollment after the 20th day of classes is only permitted in rare cases, by completing a FacEx Appeal.

IMPORTANT: Late enrollment can take several weeks to be fully processed. Students should attend class as soon as they can to avoid missing critical material for success. Please work with the instructor of the course you are adding to gain access to class materials and complete late enrollment. 

You may request a leave of absence in cases of illness, emergency, to pursue family responsibilities, or to pursue activities related to long-range professional goals. The time taken for a leave of absence does not count against your degree program time constraints (see Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs Policy). Taking a leave of absence is highly encouraged over not enrolling and being discontinued by the University. 

A leave of absence is granted for 1 year at a time, for a maximum of 5 years. To begin a leave of absence, you must submit the Leave of Absence (LOA) Request form, stating the reason for the leave, and for which semester(s). Your advisor will be notified of your request. The first request for a leave of absence is automatically granted. Subsequent requests must be submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Music (COGSIM) for approval. Progress toward completing your degree will be considered in granting further Leaves of Absence.

International students must work with an ISS counselor if they are planning to request a Leave of Absence. Depending on your situation, there may be additional documents you must submit.

The School of Music allows, under special circumstances, retroactive withdrawal from all classes by graduate students, for an entire semester. We do not allow for selective withdrawal from individual courses retroactively. To request a retroactive withdraw, complete a FacEx Appeal. The request requires approval from the faculty advisor and area coordinator before being sent to the Graduate Student Services office at musicgrad@ku.edu.  

Degree progress check sheets are available online. The initial individualized degree plan will be sent to new students prior to enrollment. It is the student's responsibility to work with their advisor and track progress towards the degree. You may send a copy of your updated plan to the Graduate Student Services office, at musicgrad@ku.edu, to request a degree check at any time. An advising report (unofficial transcript) showing the courses taken and final grades can be found in the myKU Portal.

A student who has been actively enrolled in a degree-seeking graduate program but has not been enrolled for one academic year (three consecutive semesters, including summer) or less, may be eligible to use the Permit to Re-enroll form.

A student who has been actively enrolled in a degree-seeking program and has not enrolled for four or more consecutive semesters (including summer) without an approved Leave of Absence is not eligible to use the Permit to Re-enroll form and must re-apply for graduate admission, including a possible audition. In this case, you would be admitted as a new student and additional requirements may be in effect.

University policy states that you must be enrolled in at least 1 credit during the semester you apply to graduate or the semester prior if meeting the early graduation deadline. This includes the summer term if graduating in summer. If meeting the early fall graduation deadline, summer enrollment is not required if enrolled in at least one credit the spring semester prior. 

There are two graduation deadlines each semester. An early graduation deadline (without enrollment) and a regular deadline (with enrollment). The early graduation deadline may be referred to as an "enrollment grace period.” If you meet all degree requirements, which include passing your Final Exam or Defense and submitting required documents, by the end of the first two weeks of the Fall or Spring semester (or the end of the first week of the Summer semester), you do not have to enroll for that semester to graduate. You must have been enrolled in at least one credit the previous semester (except for early fall, see above). All graduation deadlines are posted to the Academic Catalog for each academic year. 

The grades “W” and “I” may be given. The letter “I” indicates incomplete work that may be completed without re-enrollment in the course (generally within one year). The letter “W” indicates withdrawal for which no credit or grade point is assigned. “WG” is used when no grade has been given by the class instructor and means “waiting for grade.”

A student who has an “I” posted for a course must make up the work by the date determined by the instructor, in consultation with the student, which may not exceed 1 calendar year, or the last day of the term of graduation, whichever comes first. An “I” not completed within a year is automatically converted to a grade of “F” or to the lapse grade assigned by the course instructor. The grade of F or the lapse grade will be included in the transcripts and GPA.

Extensions to the time limit may be granted by the dean’s representative upon submission of a petition from the student containing the endorsement of the course instructor who assigned the “I” grade, or the area coordinator if the instructor is unavailable. After the “I” grade is converted to a grade of “F,” the grade may only be changed in accordance with USRR Article II, Section 3.

It is your responsibility to make certain that all Incompletes have been replaced with a letter grade by your final semester. Your application for graduation will not be approved with Incompletes on your academic record.

You must maintain at least a 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in all coursework in your major area and you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all graduate-level courses. If your cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, you will be placed on academic probation. You must raise your GPA to 3.0 or above by the end of the following semester (probationary period) to be returned to regular status.

If you have not raised your GPA to 3.0 by the end of the semester of probation, you will not be allowed to re-enroll in coursework and will be dismissed, unless the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs acts favorably on a recommendation from the faculty members in your area that you continue in graduate study on continued probation.

At the doctoral level, credits do not officially transfer. Prior coursework may be taken into consideration when developing a course of study with your advisor, and processed as a course reduction. The faculty advisor and program Area Coordinator must approve any credits being considered, and the student must complete a Graduate Student COGSIM Petition to document the update with the school's Graduate Student Services office. 

The longer you remain enrolled in a course, the lower your refund will be if you decide to drop the course. Check the Registrar’s Office website, KU Registrar, for the academic calendar that provides deadlines for dropping classes and the refund rate. You may drop courses online up to the last day to drop. After that date, you may only drop if you complete a FacEx Appeal and it is approved.

If you have extenuating circumstances and need to request a refund after the deadline, you can submit a fee petition with school support. There is no guarantee you will receive a refund, as these petitions are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  

Each section is evaluated as Satisfactory (S), Review (R), or Deficient (D). If Satisfactory (S), no remedial work is required. If you receive a Review (R), you are strongly encouraged to review the material on your own before your oral exams. If Deficient (D), you must remediate the deficiency by completing a review course or graduate-level course.

If a student fails one or more of the diagnostic areas of the diagnostic exam, the student either (a) passes the diagnostic exam in the failed areas on the second or third attempt, or (b) earns a grade of C or better in the appropriate courses listed below to clear the deficiency.

Deficiencies must be remediated as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the third semester of enrollment and at the latest by the end of the fourth semester. If a student has not cleared all deficiencies by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment, graduation may be delayed as the student completes the required deficiency courses. 

The above is the only avenue for students to clear deficiencies. Independent study is not permissible, nor will diagnostic exams be made available to students outside of the opportunities scheduled before each fall and spring semester.

Musicology diagnostic exams will cover 6 historical periods:

• Medieval
• Classical
• Renaissance
• Romantic
• Baroque
• 20th-21st Century

The examination includes essay questions, identification of terms, titles and names, and identification of stylistic traits in recorded examples.
Review courses will be offered each semester, but it is important for students to plan for enrollment based on course availability. Note: 400-level  courses do not count toward your degree and are for remediation of deficiencies only. Courses 500-level and above can count towards the degree and will count towards the graduate GPA.

Review Courses
Fall:
MUSC 474: Graduate Review: Medieval (1 credit; offered 1st third of the semester)
MUSC 475: Graduate Review: Renaissance (1 credit; offered 2nd third of the semester)
MUSC 476: Graduate Review: Baroque (1 credit; offered 3rd third of the semester)
Spring:
MUSC 477: Graduate Review: Classic (1 credit; offered 1st third of the semester)
MUSC 478: Graduate Review: Romantic (1 credit; offered 2nd third of the semester)
MUSC 479: Graduate Review: 20th-21st Century (1 credit; offered 3rd third of the semester)

Graduate-Level Course Equivalencies*
Fall:
MUSC 752: Music of the Middle Ages (3 credit hrs; offered fall in odd years)
MUSC 753: Music of the Renaissance (3 credit hrs; offered fall in even years)
MUSC 757: Music of the Twentieth Century (3 credit hrs; offered fall in even years)

Spring: 
MUSC 756: Music of the Romantic Era (3 credit hrs; offered spring in even years)
MUSC 754: Music of the Baroque Era (3 credit hrs; offered spring in odd years)

*Note: There is no graduate-level equivalency course for Classical. Students can only meet this deficiency with MUSC 477 (offered in spring semester).

Textbooks appropriate for review include:

• Mark Evan Bonds, A History of Music In Western Culture
• Richard L. Crocker, A History of Musical Style
• J. Peter Burkholder, Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music
• David Poultney, Studying Music History: Learning, Reasoning, and Writing about Music History and Literature
• Douglass Seaton, Ideas and Styles in the Western Musical Tradition
• K. Marie Stolba, The Development of Western Music: A History

The course of study in each major field is found in the online catalog at KU Academic Catalog: School of Music. Student's should use the degree progress check sheet to track progress and milestones.

The student’s major professor and graduate committee should assume primary responsibility for monitoring progress within the approved plan. Plans will be kept in the student’s online student record (accessible to faculty online). Subsequent changes to the degree progress check sheet must be approved by the student’s advisor. According to Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs (GPA) policy, doctoral students must complete a minimum program engagement equivalent to two full-time semesters.  This may be accomplished through either of the following:

• Two semesters (fall and/or spring) of full-time enrollment in KU coursework, as defined by University policy

• At least 18 hours of enrollment in KU coursework spread out over several part-time semesters.

Summer enrollment is not required to maintain registration, but summer enrollments may be counted toward the 18 part-time pre-comprehensive hours. The time spent in attaining the master’s degree at KU may also count toward this enrollment requirement, at the program’s discretion. 

If a DMA student chooses to add an additional Master’s degree while pursuing their doctorate, they should complete the online application form (no additional fee) and be aware of the following:

1. The student will be required to complete a minimum of 18 credits toward the added Master’s degree while pursuing a Doctoral degree.

2. Credits taken for an optional cognate or graduate certificate program may be used for the added Master’s degree with advisor and area coordinator approval. 

3. The Master’s advisor has the prerogative to assign required credits if there is significant overlap. 

4. 6 of the 12 MTHC or MUSC credits required for the Doctoral degree can be used to meet the requirements for the added Master’s degree. 

5. If the 3 credits for MUSC 801: Music Bibliography and Research have been waived for the Doctoral degree, they are also waived for the added Master’s degree.

All Doctoral degrees must be completed within 8 years from the time of enrollment in doctoral coursework. Students may petition for a one-year extension beyond the 8-year requirement. Petitions for extensions go to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Music (COGSIM).  

Some music degree programs have a language requirement. Examine your Degree Requirements Check Sheet for the specific language requirements and discuss them with your advisor or Program Area Coordinator.

DMA Voice students must have taken one year each of French, German, and Italian during their college career. They can be courses taken at any time during your college career. In consultation with your advisor, any of the following may be used to fulfill the language requirement: 

• Completion of a two-semester undergraduate-level sequence of the language;

• Completion of a two-semester undergraduate-level accelerated sequence of the language;

• Completion of a one-semester graduate-level reading course;

• Completion of an approved two-semester on-line undergraduate language course; or

• Completion of a KU or other approved test in the language.

If you are coming to KU with one semester of a language which is not a graduate level reading course, you must take a second semester course in the language, take a graduate reading course, or pass a KU or other approved test. To document completion of your language requirements, please submit a Language Request form for each language once complete. 

Elective hours can be selected from any music or non-music courses at KU. Elective courses must be at the graduate level (500 or above) to count toward the degree and approved by your advisor.

MUSC 801, Music Bibliography and Research, is required for all graduate students in music and satisfies the Graduate Studies “Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship” (RSRS) requirement for doctoral students. All doctoral students must meet the RSRS requirement before proceeding to the oral comprehensive exam. 

Important note: This requirement will be updated for doctoral students entering the program in fall 2027, and you can see those updated requirements in the Research Skills and Responsible Conduct of Research Policy. 

If you have taken a comparable Research and Bibliography graduate course at another university, you may request a waiver of MUSC 801. To request a waiver, provide the Musicology Area Coordinator with a syllabus of the course you wish to use in place of MUSC 801.

Your Graduate Advisory Committee administers your Oral Comprehensive Examination and the Doctoral Final Examination/Defense. 

Your Graduate Advisory Committee is a 4-member committee (minimum). 

DMA students in performance should select their performance committee members prior to their first recital (so they can attend). You may wait to choose your Graduate Studies Representative until before your Oral Comprehensive Exam. Members of your committee must be on the Graduate Faculty. Discuss the membership of your committee with your advisor and personally ask each faculty member to serve and approve the Advisory Committee Approval form online.

Only faculty members with privileges to serve or chair a doctoral committee may be selected. A member without those privileges may not serve on a doctoral committee.

Advisory committees are comprised of two members from your department, one Graduate Studies Representative from outside of your department, and one faculty member from the Academic Music Department (musicology, music theory, or music composition).

All four members of your advisory committee must participate in the Oral Comprehensive Exam and the Doctoral Final Exam/Defense. For doctoral oral examinations, all members of your committee must be present for the Oral Comprehensive Examination or Final Oral Examination/Defense to commence (see oral exam attendance policy).

When a situation arises in which a committee member cannot be present, attendance via mediated means is acceptable at the discretion of the committee chair and may require the exam to be rescheduled. In cases where the student prefers an examination in which all committee members are present, the student’s preference shall be honored.

Graduate students in the School of Music must maintain an expected level of academic performance throughout their program to maintain good academic standing. Criteria for evaluating satisfactory performance include:

1. a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the major area;

2. academic and scholarly integrity;

3. compliance with academic policies at the University, School, and Area level; and

4. satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree, to be evaluated yearly as determined by the following:

   1. satisfaction of diagnostic deficiencies in the first 3 semesters of enrollment;

   2. performance of the DMA qualifying recital by the end of the third semester of graduate study; and

   3. satisfactory completion of at least 1 credit that meets degree requirements each semester of enrollment.

Students who are unable to complete degree requirements during any semester due to injuries, illness, financial difficulties, or family emergencies should submit a request for a Leave of Absence. Failure to request a Leave of Absence will not relieve the student of the requirements to continue to make progress toward the degree as defined above.

Failure to make progress toward the degree as defined above will result in a student not being in good academic standing and the student will be put on probation or dismissed from the program. The school will evaluate graduate students pursuing more than one degree program based on their progress toward meeting the requirements of each program individually.

The first DMA recital serves as a qualifying recital and is used to determine whether you will be allowed to continue in the DMA program. Unless an extension is approved, the first DMA recital must be presented within the first three semesters of enrollment. You may petition for an extension by submitting a formal written request, including justification for the extension, to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The request must include a letter of support from the major professor and an endorsement from the program area coordinator.

As determined by the your Graduate Advisory Committee, there are three possible outcomes from the qualifying recital:

• You are allowed to continue in your proposed course of study and proceed with subsequent DMA recitals,

• You are allowed to continue in your proposed course of study, but will be required to repeat the first DMA recital or;

• You are not allowed to continue in the DMA program.

If you are required to repeat your first recital, you will only have one additional opportunity after the first attempt.

Options for the types of recitals that will fulfill the recital requirement may include a full solo recital, concerto performance, chamber music program, or a second Lecture-Recital. Please discuss options with your advisor.

Piano: Students majoring in piano must perform a chamber music or concerto recital as one of the three required degree recitals.

Wind and Orchestra Conducting: Doctoral students in instrumental conducting must perform three recitals, each consisting of 50-60 minutes of programmed music. These recitals may consist of the combination of works conducted with various scheduled university ensembles over the course of multiple semesters.

Choral Conducting: Doctoral students in choral conducting are required to conduct three recitals. Each of the recitals will be a concert-length public performance with the ensemble to which the student has been assigned. “Concert-length public performance” is defined as a minimum of 30 minutes of conducted music.

A conducting student who wishes to use an ensemble other than a scheduled university ensemble must obtain permission from the student’s major professor.

All degree recitals, regardless of performance location, must be scheduled and registered in the School of Music Communications and Events Center, 460 Murphy Hall at least 3 weeks prior to the performance date. The recital scheduling packet is available in 460 Murphy as well as online at music.ku.edu/recital-scheduling. Your advisor’s signature must be on the recital form. Recital scheduling is also required for conducting students who are using several performances as one recital and voice students who are using an opera role as a degree recital. If you have enrolled in ___965: Doctoral Recital, you must register your recital using the recital packet.

• Only one of the three DMA degree recitals may be held away from the city of Lawrence.
• The DMA Lecture-Recital must be held in the city of Lawrence.
• Your major professor must approve in writing any of the three DMA degree recitals held away from the city of Lawrence.
• The performance must be a public performance.
• A quality video recording of the event must be made and submitted as required.
• At least one member of your committee is expected to be present. Attendance is at the student’s expense. The major professor and the student’s Graduate Advisory Committee must approve in writing an event for which no committee member will be present.

Students are welcome to check the School of Music events calendar online at:  https://music.ku.edu/calendar. Before scheduling a recital, confirm available dates with your advisor and accompanist to avoid conflicts. When ready to schedule, be prepared by having a primary date/time and 4 alternative dates/times.

Recital fees are listed online and students with financial need may apply for financial assistance (processed as a reimbursement)by completing the Recital Fee Funding Request Form. 

Recital fees include:

• Murphy Hall Recital

  • Includes hall rental, marketing, piano tuning, programs, student monitor, audio recording

• Bales Recital Hall

  • Includes hall rental, marketing, & programs. 

  • Recording is done by Bales staff.

• Off-campus Recital

  • Includes marketing, programs, & student monitor

  • Recording is NOT included

  • Note: Off-campus recitals may incur extra costs such as venue rental, piano tuning, and recording

• Conducting Recital

  • Includes marketing, programs, student monitor, & audio recording

All graduate degree recitals must be recorded for inclusion in the School of Music digital archive. If your recital is recorded by School of Music Recording Services you will receive a link to the digital file after your recital. Students using other than School of Music Recording Services must submit a digital copy of the recital program to musicgrad@ku.edu and submit an audio recording to the recording engineer, recording@ku.edu, by the end of the semester in which the recital is performed for inclusion in the digital archive.

Conducting students using a compilation of performances for a degree recital must contact recording@ku.edu for instructions on how to submit the recordings for the digital archive.

The Lecture-Recital is the final recital for the DMA in performance areas. It includes the lecture document, which is approved as outlined below. The defense of the document is scheduled with your advisory committee, generally held after the Lecture-Recital. 

The Lecture-Recital should be between 70 and 80 minutes in length, including the intermission, normally with a minimum of 30 minutes’ performance time. The music should be new to the student and should include at least one major work. The candidate should be the principal performer and lecturer.

The candidate may present the lecture as a formal reading of the paper or in a less formal, paraphrased manner. The style of the presentation will be determined by the student and the major advisor.

The Doctoral Qualifying Examinations are School of Music exams that must be passed before taking the Oral Comprehensive Examination. You must have satisfied all diagnostic examination deficiencies before you are eligible to sit for these exams. Please work with your advisor and the Director of Graduate Student Services on timing for these exams. Scheduled dates for the Written Qualifying Exams are posted in the School of Music Graduate Calendar.  

When you are ready to take the examinations, notify the contacts listed in the calendar of your intent to participate in the next scheduled exam or email musicgrad@ku.edu.

The DMA Qualifying Examinations have three components:

1. Music History – will assess student knowledge of representative literature and composers of each major period of music history, as well as general bibliographic resources in music. This exam will be prepared and graded by the Musicology Area.

2. Music Theory – will assess broad knowledge of music theory as it relates to music performers. The exam will be prepared and graded by the Theory Area. Organ and Church Music DMA students have two options for the music theory exam: either the Theory Written Qualifying Exam or a Keyboard Improvisation exam.

3. Major Field – will assess aspects of the student’s major field, including but not necessarily limited to, applied literature/repertoire, pedagogy, and specialization-specific sources and resources. Faculty in the major area are responsible for preparing and grading this exam. 

PhD-Musicology, PhD-Theory, and DMA-Composition students should discuss the components of their Written Qualifying Exams with their advisors.

The Music History Qualifying Exam is proctored in-person once per semester during the academic year or students may choose to take an additional three-credit-hour MUSC course with approval from their major advisor and area coordinator to meet this requirement. Please take note of the following rules and suggestions for the Music History Qualifying Exam.

• There are old versions of the exam available in the Music Library that you can consult for study purposes.
• No notes, either handwritten or saved on a computer or similar device, may be consulted in the examination room. All information that students provide in answering questions must be supplied from knowledge that they possess when they enter the room. The exam will be proctored by Musicology faculty and graduate teaching assistants.
• A laptop may be used for the bibliography section, which requires access to the internet, but it is possible that all other sections of the exam will be taken on paper. Laptops will only be allowed on other sections of the test if an effective lockdown browser can be found.
• Phones may be in the room, but may not be on the desk where the student is working on the exam. Phones must be turned off and may not be consulted at any point while taking the exam.
• You will not be allowed to work outside of the exam room except during the bibliography section.

The Music Theory Qualifying Exam is proctored online through Canvas. Students may take the Theory Qualifying Exam once per semester during the academic year. Exemptions would need to be justified on exceptional grounds and at the discretion of the Music Theory Area. Students may take the Theory Qualifying Exam as many times as necessary to pass the exam. 

Students should use the free online source Open Music Theory (openmusictheory.com/) in preparing for the exam. The site is intended to facilitate review of material that has already been studied in one form or another. If students would like to find more in-depth sources, they can feel free to contact the Music Theory faculty for recommendations. The exam will not have any questions about Galant Schemata or Pop/Rock Music but everything else covered in the online source is a possibility.

Oral Comprehensive Examination

The Oral Comprehensive Examination is required of all KU doctoral students. Once passed, it confers All But Dissertation (ABD) status and you become a doctoral candidate. Although this is a university-level exam, it is administered by your Graduate Advisory Committee.
You may schedule your Oral Comprehensive Exam:

• when you have cleared all diagnostic deficiencies;
• when you have passed your Written Qualifying Exams or completed the additional waiver course;
• when you have given at least two of your required degree recitals;
• when you have no incompletes on your transcript in any classes; and
• when you are in good academic standing.

Under no circumstances will students be allowed to schedule and take the Oral Comprehensive Exam until all of these criteria have been met.

The Oral Comprehensive Exam will cover all aspects of your major field of study and serves as a synthesis of your academic training as a whole. Questions will be asked by each member of your committee to assess the professional level and depth of your knowledge of theory, musicology, pedagogy, repertoire, and any other specific questions deemed pertinent to your major area. Doctoral students are expected to have developed the capacity for individual study and inquiry; therefore, the subject matter of the examination is not necessarily limited to courses in which the student has enrolled. It is recommended that DMA students complete the Oral Comprehensive Exam after four semesters of graduate study, prior to your final semester. 

Exam Authorization Form for Oral Comps and Doctoral Final Exam

The Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Exam and the Doctoral Final Exam/Defense are University-level exams. The Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs Office is notified of the School-approved exam by the submission of the Exam Authorization PtD (Progress to Degree) form.  This form must be completed by the student, and submitted to the Director of Graduate Student Services, no later than 2 weeks before your scheduled Oral Comprehensive Exam or Doctoral Final Exam. This form must be completed by the student, and a confirmation email will be sent to the full committee. Pre-approval and exam results will be managed through this online form system, documented by Graduate Student Services in the school. The form should be submitted no later than 2 weeks prior to your scheduled exam. The school will verify that you have completed the RSRS requirement, that faculty serving on the committee are eligibility, you have completed the residency requirement, and that you have successfully passed all Written Qualifying Exams or are enrolled in the waiver course. The same form is used before the Doctoral Final Examination/Defense to submit the title of your final DMA Document or PhD Dissertation.

Failure to submit this form 2 weeks in advance of the exam may result in the cancellation or rescheduling of your exam.

For both the Oral Comprehensive Exam and the Doctoral Final Exam/Defense, the committee reports a grade of Honors, Satisfactory, or Fail. If you receive a “Fail” on the exam, you may repeat it on the recommendation of your Graduate Advisory Committee, but under no circumstances will you be allowed to take it more than three times. You may not retake the Oral Comprehensive Exam until at least 30 days have elapsed since the previous attempt. The committee has the option of extending this period to either 60 or 90 days, depending on the number of categories the student has failed (oral exam) and the severity of the deficiencies noted in the student’s answers (either the oral comprehensive or the final exam). 

Beginning with the semester after passing the Oral Comprehensive Exam until all requirements for your degree are completed OR until 18 post-comprehensive hours have been completed, all Doctoral candidates must enroll in a minimum of 6 credits during the fall and spring semesters. The credits taken during the semester you pass your Oral Comprehensive Exam will count toward the 18 post-comprehensive credit requirement.

If you have reached the 18-credit hour minimum and have not completed your degree requirements, you must continue to be enrolled every Fall and Spring semester in at least 1 credit until you graduate.

ALL doctoral-level students must submit a Research Proposal Approval Form to their committee members. You will find guidance for writing an effective proposal in to DMA Document Guidelines and Time Frame. Your advisor and committee members will work with you on the content and scope of your proposal and may provide feedback to help you move forward with your research.  

Important note: PhD and DMA-Composition students must submit a proposal to all members of their committee no later than the end of the semester in which the Oral Exam is completed.

For the Dissertation Recording Project, students will have the option to submit a studio recording (can be recorded in Swarthout using the KU SOM Recording Services) or a live recording of an event (with an audience) with a 30-minute minimum of recorded material. If a live recording is used, it must demonstrate the student’s highest ability. There should be a compelling reason to use a live recording such as a world premiere live concerto performance, or teaching demonstrations, for example, and it must be agreed upon with the major professor in advance and in the project proposal. 

For a studio recording, the candidate must appear as the principal soloist or as a primary member of an ensemble. The project must be accompanied by a 20-30 page written document that provides a detailed description and justification of the project, comprehensive program or liner notes, and an abstract. Students will publish the recording on platforms such as Spotify, Apple, Bandcamp, etc. and include a link to the published recording in their document. This document must pass the same rigor as the lecture/recital document outlined below.  The candidate is expected to demonstrate leadership across all phases of the endeavor, including planning, production, and post-production. In lieu of, or in addition to the recording, the candidate may submit a comprehensive pedagogical or instructional video, or a series of such videos.

If students are preparing to schedule both the Oral Comprehensive Exam and the Doctoral Final Exam/Defense in the same semester, the DMA Document proposal must be submitted to the committee the semester prior to the defense. 

See below is the recommended timeline for document progress. Students should work with their advisor and committee to create an approved timeline for degree completion.  

The recommended timeline indicates the established best practices for completion of the DMA Document. Meeting these deadlines ensure that your advisor (chair) and committee members will have sufficient time to carefully assess your work and provide the necessary guidance and critical reading for a successful paper. If you fail to meet these recommended deadlines, you may delay graduation or be required to enroll beyond degree requirements (see doctoral candidacy policy).

All School of Music doctoral students must submit their final draft of the DMA document or PhD dissertation to UMI (ProQuest) publishing by the graduation deadline for the planned semester. The instructions for submission can be found at the Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs (GPA) website. The deadlines for each semester can be found on the Graduation Calendar.

Your submission will be published in an 8.5 x 11 format regardless of the size of the document you submit. If you have questions about the submission of large-format scores, please contact UMI ProQuest at https://support.proquest.com/. 

To complete requirements for graduation, all doctoral students who have defended a final document must submit a PDF copy or photo of the signed Title and Acceptance pages (first two pages of your document) to the Graduate Student Services office at musicgrad@ku.edu, or drop them off in 446 Murphy Hall. You are advised to take the signature pages with you to the Final Exam/Defense to get the necessary signatures while your committee is convened, but electronic signatures are acceptable for graduation purposes.

Note: Official signatures are not uploaded within your ProQuest submission. Signature pages are only submitted to the school for documentation purposes. The online version of the title and acceptance pages may include the names of your committee members, but not their signatures. 

Doctoral students must be especially focused on the timing of the final year of their degree program. You are strongly encouraged to meet with Graduate Student Services well before you plan to graduate to make certain you are meeting all requirements and milestones, that you know what remains, and that you will be approved to graduate.

The School of Music graduation ceremony takes place on the Saturday prior to commencement and includes the hooding of graduating Master’s students. Only those students who have applied for graduation in Enroll and Pay and/or registered for the event are eligible to participate in the hooding ceremony. Students may only attend the ceremony once per KU degree in the School of Music. Information on the University commencement can be found at KU Commencement. To order your diploma, refer to KU Registrar: Diplomas.

The university holds a doctoral hooding ceremony at the Lied Center for all graduating doctoral students at KU. Information on the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony can be found on the Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs (GPA) website. Please check this site for requirements, tickets, date, and time.

Information on the KU Commencement can be found at commencement.ku.edu. 

For exceptions to degree requirements or other policies and regulations within each degree program, students must submit a petition to COGSIM. If the request is submitted with documented support from the faculty advisor and area program coordinator and does not conflict with University Policy it will be administratively approved by the Graduate Student Services office and an updated individual degree progress check sheet will be provided to the student. 

For a grade appeal, the student must first attempt to resolve the issue by contacting the instructor within six months. If the grade conflict remains unresolved, a student may initiate an appeal of a final course grade if, but only if, they believe that there has been an improper application of the grading procedure the instructor announced for the course within the syllabus.

A graduate student may initiate their appeal by completing the Academic Grade Appeal Report form. A student may appeal the decision made by the school with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and, ultimately, to the University Judicial Board.

If the student’s appeal is sustained at any level, the final course grade shall be assigned in accordance with Section 2.3.5 of the University Senate Rules and Regulations. The Associate Dean for Student Affairs may be consulted at any time for advice on any aspect of the process.