Application

Applying for Admission to the Graduate Program in Music

Supplementary application materials should be sent to:

Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Music
University of Pennsylvania
3700 Market Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia PA 19104-6313

Application materials will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope is included with the application materials.

Click here to submit your ONLINE APPLICATION

COMPONENTS OF THE APPLICATION. The materials required of applicants differ slightly depending upon the program to which application is being made.

Applicants to the Ph.D. programs in musical composition must provide:
1. The application form
2. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work (two copies each)
3. At least three letters of recommendation
4. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (see the additional remarks on the GRE scores below)
5. At least one paper on an analytical, historical, or theoretical subject
6. Scores and (if possible) recordings of recent compositions

Applicants to the Ph.D. programs in the history, theory, or anthropology of music must provide:
1. The application form
2. Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work (two copies each)
3. At least three letters of recommendation
4. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (see the additional remarks on the GRE scores below)
5. At least two papers on an analytical, cultural, historical, or theoretical subject.

FELLOWSHIPS
link to Fellowship information.

GRADUATE RECORD EXAMINATION. Applicants for financial assistance must take the Graduate Record Examination in time for the university to receive their test scores by December 15. Candidates should take the Verbal, Quantitative, and Writing sections of the examination. The University of Pennsylvania's school code for the GRE is 2926. GRE and GPA scores of students admitted for the current academic year 2008-2009 are as follows:

	Median	Range
Verbal	660	550-770
Quantitative	700	530-800
Writing	5.0	4.0-6.0
GPA	3.79	3.6-4.0

CAMPUS VISITS. Faculty interviews and a visit to the campus are not necessary for application. After all applications have been received and reviewed, applicants who are accepted to our program are invited to visit the campus for an opportunity to meet the faculty and current students and sit in on seminars. Campus visits are usually arranged in March and funded by the department. For the 2008-09 academic year, we received approximately 100 applications. We typically offer admission to 8 – 12 students. If you happen to be in the Philadelphia area during the school year, you are welcome to visit the Music Department main office, which is open most weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

MID-YEAR ADMISSIONS. The department discourages admission in the spring semester, but is willing to consider it under very special circumstances. Financial assistance is not generally available for students entering the program in the spring semester. Prospective applicants who wish to be admitted in mid-year should discuss their circumstances with the Director of Graduate Studies.

PART-TIME STUDENTS. Generally, the department does not admit part-time students.

A NOTE FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS. All applicants whose native language is not English must submit acceptable proof of proficiency in English prior to consideration for admission. Normally, such substantiation of English proficiency is accomplished by taking both the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE), which are administered by the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, New Jersey). The results of these examinations must be sent to the department by December 15.

TRANSFER CREDIT. No more than four course units of transfer credit for graduate-level work pursued at other institutions may be applied toward the A.M. degree. The University allows up to eight of the twenty course units required for the Ph.D. to be transferred for graduate work carried out elsewhere. Such transfer credit is awarded, however, only after the student has been enrolled in our doctoral program for a full academic year--that is, after the faculty has had a chance to evaluate the appropriateness of the earlier work as preparation for the doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania.

A FINAL WORD ON THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS. The admissions process is taken very seriously by the faculty and staff of the Department of Music. Candidates for admission are encouraged to communicate with the Graduate Studies Assistant, Margie Smith<mmsmith@sas.upenn.edu> about any questions they may have.