DMA Music (Performance) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Doctor of Musical Arts program in music with a concentration in performance is a professional offering for you as an advanced musician seeking high-level performance instruction and preparation for teaching positions at the university level.

What you will study

90 credit hours, a research paper, a written comprehensive exam and an oral comprehensive exam Required Core (4 credit hours) MUP 727 Studio Instruction (4) Performance Concentration (24 credit hours) MUP 727 Studio Instruction (12) MUP 796 Solo Performance (12) Emphasis Area Coursework (23 credit hours) Music History and Music Theory (27 credit hours) Research (12 credit hours) MUP 792 Research (12) Culminating Experience (0) Research paper in the form of a bound document Additional Curriculum Information Students select an area of emphasis from the following: piano pedagogy, collaborative piano, instrumental, keyboard and voice.

Career pathways

Musicians with expertise in performing, composing, teaching, researching, arts advocacy and serving as therapists are in high demand across many areas, including performing arts organizations, educational institutions, entertainment companies, health and wellness industries, and community arts organizations. Career examples: arts administrator, community arts advocate, composer for film, video games and television, music therapist, performing musician, public or community school teacher, university professor.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants must have earned a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution, or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree from an institution in another country that is officially recognized by that country. Students seeking admission typically hold a Master of Music degree. Applicants with other degrees are considered if they have received graduate training similar to that offered in a Master of Music program. Applicants must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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