MSM Sacred Music at University of Notre Dame

Programme overview

The master of sacred music (MSM) interdisciplinary program combines academics and performance training with the primary purpose of forming professional musicians for work in Christian churches while also providing them with the foundations to pursue a doctorate of musical arts in performance or Ph.D. in music history, ethnomusicology, or liturgics. Through a program of study that builds on Notre Dame's strengths in theology (liturgical studies, lay ministry formation) and music (performance, history, theory), graduates of the program develop high levels of musical skill, as they also gain working knowledge of the worship lives of Christian congregations, integrating the artistic, scholarly and pastoral dimensions requisite for the profession. Students are admitted into one of three studios: organ, choral conducting, or voice. Each graduate is expected to be a well-rounded musician, possessing the necessary skills in playing, conducting, and singing to shape music programs in churches, schools, and the community-at-large. All students have assistantships, many in local churches or in the Notre Dame Children's Choir. The program has an excellent placement rate of nearly one hundred percent. Last updated: 09/28/2026 Minimum residency: 4 semesters.

Faculty: The Graduate School | Department: Sacred Music | Study mode: full-time | Location: Notre Dame, IN, United States

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Graduate School application materials: GRE General Test not accepted; TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo for non-native speakers of English; Curriculum vitae; Statement of intent; Three letters of recommendation; Writing sample(s) - refer to program site for details; Applicant must hold a bachelor's degree in music (BM, BS, BA, or BME); Audition materials - refer to program site for details; Unofficial transcripts from each post-secondary institution required at the time of application. (Official transcript showing conferral of a bachelor's degree due upon enrollment.) Application deadline: Dec. 15.

USD 69,110 a year (2026-27). Graduate School full-time tuition for 2026-27, the rate the page lists for Graduate School programmes generally (not a programme-specific schedule). Excludes technology ($250), health centre access ($150) and student activity ($100) fees. Source

Notre Dame Law School admits new Juris Doctor students for the fall term only.

Notre Dame MBA application rounds: Early Action September 10, 2026; Round 1 October 20, 2026; Round 2 January 7, 2027; Round 3 March 17, 2027. The application fee is $175, paid by credit card.

Executive MBA application rounds: Early Action September 10, 2026; Round 1 October 20, 2026; Round 2 January 7, 2027; Round 3 March 17, 2027. The application fee is $100, paid by credit card.

Juris Doctor Regular Decision: the application opens September 1 and closes March 1, with supporting documents due by March 10. The application fee is $75, payable by credit card.

Apply through the official page: https://graduateschool.nd.edu/admissions/

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