The doctor of musical arts (DMA) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The DMA combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, or conducting) with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music education. The DMA degree usually takes about three to four years of full-time study to complete (in addition to the master's and bachelor's degrees), preparing students to be professional performers, conductors, and composers. As a terminal degree, the DMA qualifies its recipient to work in university, college, and conservatory teaching/research positions. Students seeking doctoral training in musicology, teaching, leadership, music administration or music theory typically enter a doctor of music education (DME) or PhD program, rather than a DMA program.
The degree is also abbreviated as DMusA or AMusD. For the related degree doctor of music education, the abbreviation is DMusE or EMusD. For the related degree doctor of arts, the abbreviation DA is used.
A large number of US institutions offer the DMA degree.[ citation needed ] The PhD and DME are generally considered to be more research oriented, while other doctorates may place more emphasis on practical applications and/or include a performance component. Such distinctions among degree types are not always so clear-cut, however. For instance, most programs include traditional research training and culminate in a written dissertation, regardless of degree designation.[ citation needed ] The music education degree can be a DME, DMA or PhD, each comprising similar research-oriented programs. Also, music education PhD programs may include performance-oriented tracks. [1] In composition, one may study for either the DMA or the PhD, depending on the institution. The PhD is the standard doctorate in music theory, musicology, music therapy, and ethnomusicology.
A related program is the doctor of sacred music (DSM), also sacrae musica doctor (SMD), which tends to be awarded by seminaries or university music schools that focus on church music, choral conducting, and organ performance. In the past, some seminaries titled the degree doctor of church music (DCM). Liberty University offers the doctor of worship studies (DWS) and doctor of music education (DME) in church music or sacred music. Only one US institution, Claremont Graduate University [2] still offers the DCM degree, in addition to the more typical DME and DMA. The vast majority of US seminaries have closed their music doctorate programs, but some still offer a master of arts or master of sacred music degree. A new program offered at Perkins School of Theology is the doctor of pastoral music (DPM). [3] While more theology-based and housed within the doctor of ministry (DMin) program, admission to the degree requires applicants to hold a master of music (MMus), master of sacred music (MSM), master of church music (MCM), MA in church music or equivalent 48-semester-hour degree recognized by the National Association of Schools of Music.
The doctor of musical arts (DMA) and doctor of music education (DME) are widely available in combination of degrees in performance (sometimes with a specialization in instrumental or voice pedagogy and/or music literature), composition, conducting, and music education. Some universities awarding doctoral degrees in these areas use the title doctor of music (DM or DMus) or doctor of arts (DA) [4] or Doctor in Musical Studies (PhD) instead of DMA. The DMA degree was pioneered by Howard Hanson and the National Association of Schools of Music, who approved the first DMA programs in 1952. Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Eastman School of Music became the first to offer the DMA. [5] Boston University offered its first DMA program in 1955. In 2005, Boston University also expanded into online music education by launching the first online doctoral degree in music, a DMA program (along with a Master of Music program) in music education.
In 1952, after six years of deliberation, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) approved thirty-two schools for graduate degrees for graduate work "in one or more of the fields into which graduate music study has been divided." The NASM was, and still is, the only accrediting agency for music schools recognized by the American Council on Education. In 1952, 143 music schools had already established standards for undergraduate degrees. [6] The national launch of DMA by institutions meeting criteria was 1953. [7]
The Director of the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music, Howard Hanson (1896–1981), who had been awarded an honorary doctorate in 1925, was one of several high-profile advocates of creating a performance-oriented doctoral degree. Hanson was the Chair of the NASM and Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Graduate Commission. [8] This commission recommended that the terminal performance doctoral degree be established. [9] This recommendation included that schools desiring to offer this degree seek the Graduate Commission's approval. [10]
In 1953, he published a proposal for a doctor of musical arts degree, which was roundly criticized by Paul Henry Lang, professor of musicology at Columbia University. [11]
Early doctor of musical arts degrees conferred
Non-NASM institutions
The alumni of Music conservatories in the United States also seek positions at universities. The conservatories that are not affiliated with the National Association of Schools of Music began offering DMAs in the late 1960s.
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The most common undergraduate degree is the bachelor's degree, although some educational systems offer lower-level undergraduate degrees such as associate and foundation degrees. Common postgraduate degrees include master's degrees and doctorates.
A doctorate or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism licentia docendi.
Degree abbreviations are used as an alternative way to specify an academic degree instead of spelling out the title in full, such as in reference books such as Who's Who and on business cards. Many degree titles have more than one possible abbreviation, with the abbreviation used varying between different universities. In the UK it is normal not to punctuate abbreviations for degrees with full stops, although this is done at some universities.
The Doctor of Education is a research or professional doctoral degree that focuses on the field of education. It prepares the holder for academic, research, administrative, clinical, or professional positions in educational, civil, private organizations, or public institutions. Considerable differences exist in structure, content and aims between regions. In the US, for instance, the EdD usually is a professional doctorate for working or learning professionals and has a large taught component with a smaller thesis, comparable to for example a DSW or DPH, whereas in the UK and Canada, the Ed.D is a full research doctorate with research and profession related courses but ultimately awarded for the thesis resulting from original research, that way aligning more with a Ph.D.
A Doctor of Science is an academic research doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, a Doctor of Science is the degree used for the standard doctorate in the sciences; elsewhere a Doctor of Science is a "higher doctorate" awarded in recognition of a substantial and sustained contribution to scientific knowledge beyond that required for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
The Master of Music is, as an academic title, the first graduate degree in music awarded by universities and conservatories. The MM combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The degree, which takes one or two years of full-time study to complete, prepares students to be professional performers, conductors, and composers, according to their area of specialization. The MM is often required as the minimum teaching credential for university, college, and conservatory instrumental or vocal teaching positions.
The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. It was established in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman.
A licentiate is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin America, and Syria.
Candidate of Philosophy can refer to the US degree or status of Candidate in Philosophy granted to Ph.D. students who have been accepted as candidates for that degree, or to degrees or former degrees at bachelor's or master's level from some Scandinavian countries.
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The school was founded in 1880 after Henry Simmons Frieze, founder and president of the Choral Union and the University Musical Society, urged leaders to include music among the school's offerings. The college was known then as the Ann Arbor School of Music. It was later incorporated into the University of Michigan with Calvin Brainerd Cady joining the faculty as the first instructor in music, after already being hired by Frieze to conduct the Choral Union.
A Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate degree. An MPhil may be awarded to postgraduate students after completing taught coursework and one to two years of original research, which may also serve as a provisional enrolment for a PhD programme.
The Doctor of Music degree is a higher doctorate awarded on the basis of a substantial portfolio of compositions and/or scholarly publications on music. Like other higher doctorates, it is granted by universities in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries. Most universities restrict candidature to their own graduates or staff, which is a reversal of the practice in former times, when candidates for the degree were not required to be a Master of Arts.
A terminal degree is the highest-level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in an academic discipline or professional field. In other cases, it is a degree that is awarded because a doctoral-level degree is not available nor appropriate.
The University of Georgia Graduate School coordinates the graduate programs of all schools and colleges at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, United States. Established in 1910, the University of Georgia Graduate School administers and confers all professional, master's and doctoral degrees. The departments under which instruction and research take place are housed in the other schools and colleges at the university.
The Master of Sacred Music degree is a two to five-year post-baccalaureate degree that combines academic and musical studies. The closure of graduate programs in organ performance across America has made the MSM increasingly the de facto degree for advanced studies in church music; MSM graduates who wish to continue their studies have the option of academic or applied (DMA) tracks. Most MSM programs are limited to choral conducting and organ performance, as these two applied fields are the primary occupations of church music directors. Piano Performance is usually taught as a subdiscipline or acquired separately.
A Doctor of Philosophy is the most common degree at the highest academic level, awarded following a course of study and research. The degree is abbreviated PhD, from the Latin Philosophiae Doctor, pronounced as three separate letters. The abbreviation DPhil, from the English 'Doctor of Philosophy', is used by a small number of British and Commonwealth universities, including Oxford, formerly York, and Sussex, as the abbreviation for degrees from those institutions. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is an earned research degree, those studying for a PhD are required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a dissertation, and defend their work before a panel of other experts in the field. The completion of a PhD is typically required for employment as a university professor, researcher, or scientist in many fields.
The Don Wright Faculty of Music is the faculty of music at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. The faculty was founded in 1968. Originally known as just the Faculty of Music, it was renamed in 2002 in honour of Don Wright after a significant donation.
The Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art is the school of arts with the School of Music, Department of Drama, and Department of Art of The Catholic University of America, located in Washington D.C.