Graduate

Western’s graduate programs in music theory offer an outstanding academic experience in which students are encouraged to follow their musical and intellectual inclinations while also acquiring a foundation in recognized subfields of the discipline (such as transformational theory, Schenkerian theory, pedagogy of music theory, sonata theory, transformational theory, and history of theory). This dual approach offers a perspective that balances tradition and innovation, and exposes students to a variety of musical repertoire, theoretical systems, approaches to analytical methodology, and critical thinking.

MA degree requirements

PhD requirements

Western’s graduate programs in musicology offer both an outstanding academic experience and opportunities to pursue innovative research across a wide range of subject areas. Our faculty’s expertise extends chronologically from the early part of the last millennium to the art music and popular music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Thanks to the variety of approaches and areas of expertise of our musicology faculty members, students receive a solid grounding in research methodologies, repertoires, and time periods and in critical thinking. Our Faculty’s campus connections with scholars in programs such as Medieval Studies, American Studies, Media Studies, Women’s Studies, and Philosophy mean that students are encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship, where appropriate, and are able easily to access a yet broader array of scholarly expertise beyond the Faculty of Music.

MA degree requirements

PhD requirements

Western’s graduate programs in composition offer exceptional artistic and academic experiences. Students receive studio instruction from our distinguished faculty, who are committed to providing a stimulating, creative environment in which young composers develop their individual voices and pursue their creative goals. Students receive and create for themselves opportunities for performances of their original compositions, and are encouraged to explore a variety of artistic media and styles. In addition to communicating through original composition, students also discover opportunities to refine their written and oral communication skills in a supportive intellectual environment.

MMus degree requirements

PhD requirements

Western's graduate programs in music education offer exceptional learning and academic experiences. Thanks to the multiple areas of expertise of our diverse music education faculty, students receive opportunities for expert research supervision in many areas of study in the field of music education. Students are also encouraged to explore interdisciplinary pursuits and engage in related fields such as sociology, philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, policy, culture, gender, race, media studies, and educational leadership.

MMus degree requirements

PhD requirements

Western’s graduate programs in performance offer exceptional artistic and academic experiences. Students receive studio instruction from distinguished performers, who are committed to teaching the highest standards of artistic expression through musical performance. Students are exposed to a wide variety of musical genres and styles through experience in solo performance, master classes, chamber music, opera, orchestra, and other types of collaborative music opportunities, in a stimulating intellectual and artistic environment.

MMus degree requirements

DMA requirements