MM Composition at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Master of Music program in composition is a comprehensive professional degree offering for you if you are an outstanding student of acoustic, electronic or multimedia composition. You develop your own compositional voice and focus on your area of interest, regardless of style or aesthetics, while gaining extensive knowledge through coursework and private lessons with faculty members.

What you will study

32 credit hours including a thesis and a written comprehensive exam, or 32 credit hours including a thesis, a written comprehensive exam and an oral comprehensive exam, or 32 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (MTC 593), or 32 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (MTC 593) Composition (9 credit hours) Electives (8 credit hours) Music Theory and Music History (9 credit hours) Culminating Experience (6 credit hours) MTC 593 Applied Project (6) MTC 599 Thesis (6) Additional Curriculum Requirements All new graduate music students must complete diagnostic exams in musicology and music theory before enrolling in the ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre.

Career pathways

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre graduate programs inspire and empower students to become creative leaders who transform society through music. Career examples: arts administrator, community arts advocate, composer for film, video games or television, 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 are eligible to apply to the program if they 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. Applicants must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 credit hours or 90 quarter hours of their first bachelor's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee School of Music, Dance and Theatre application , including a resume and personal statement official transcripts prescreening portfolio three letters of recommendation proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

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 application opens almost a year before the start term. 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 with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

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

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