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Applying to Our Programs

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The Fall 24 application for Graduate Studies at UC Santa Cruz opens on October 1, 2023. The Music Department deadline is Thursday, December 14, 2023.
**Please note that the Music Department only accepts new students in the Fall.

For a link to the online application, information on general campus requirements, and guidelines for how to submit test scores and transcripts, please visit the Graduate Admissions page.

The following are required of all applicants:

  • Personal history/statement
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Writing Sample
  • Résumé
  • Three letters of recommendation (MUST be submitted online)
  • Transcripts. It will now be possible to upload unofficial transcripts for the application. Official transcripts will not be required until an admitted student accepts.
  • *Please note that the Music Department no longer requires applicants to submit GRE scores. The GRE is optional. 

In general, all materials will be submitted through the online application.

The online application will guide you through these requirements, including any supplemental materials. Program-specific requirements regarding supplemental materials are listed below. Questions regarding supplemental materials or applications in general can be directed to the Music Graduate Advisor at mga.mus@ucsc.edu. Please note that CDs, DVDs, scores, and other application materials will not be returned.

 

Admissions Fee Waiver Application Instructions

  1. Prior to your request, please complete, upload, and submit the following application items: your statement of purpose, personal history statement, writing sample, and your resume.

  2. Do not pay your application fee to the University prior to your fee-waiver request. 

  3. Requesting the fee waiver:

    • Domestic Students- In the application portal, follow the directions for requesting a fee waiver from Grad Div. If you are denied this fee waiver, reach out to mga.mus@ucsc.edu stating why you are ineligible for this waiver and attach your statement of financial need. If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal.

    • International Students- Contact mga.mus@ucsc.edu stating why you are requesting a fee waiver and attach your statement of financial need. If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal (NOTE: DO NOT SELECT FEE WAIVER as an international student). 

Fee waiver application deadline: Friday, December 1st, 2023

Statement of Financial Need Requirements: The statement of financial need should not exceed one page and should fully explain, in your own words, your need for financial assistance. 

ALL applicants are eligible to apply for a fee waiver and we encourage you to submit the request if you have a need. Note: The online application portal states that international students are not eligible, however the Music Department will consider requests on a case by case basis and work with the Graduate Division to allow international students to apply for the application fee waiver if needed. if you have applied, and received, a fee waiver for a past application cycle, we are unlikely to grant one for this application cycle. Application fee payments do not guarantee you admission. 

 

M.A. in Music, Composition Emphasis:

Applicants should include three compositions; at least two of these must include a printed score. Scores should be uploaded to the online application in PDF format. To submit recordings of any compositions, please upload them as a sound file to a website such as soundcloud.com, or as audio/video to YouTube. The online application will have a space to enter the URL. 

M.A. in Music, Performance Practice Emphasis:

Applicants must include a 10- to 20-minute unedited recording of one or more recent performances as instrumentalist, vocalist, or conductor. Audio files should be uploaded to a website such as soundcloud.com and video files should be uploaded to YouTube. The online application will have a space to enter the URLs. Audio or video recordings of performances may also be submitted on CD, DVD, or USB flash storage, and should be sent to the following address:

Graduate Program Advisor
Music Department
UCSC
1156 High Street 
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
USA

Please note that submitted materials can not be returned.

D.M.A. in Music Composition:

Applicants must submit documents representative of four compositions. At least two of these should be scores, but other document types, including performance directions and/or code, are welcome.  Applicants to the computer-assisted composition track should include either an example of a computer program they have written (a source code for the program plus documentation describing its use) or other evidence of technical competence with computers. Scores should be uploaded to the online application in PDF format.

To submit recordings of any compositions, please upload them as a sound file to a website such as soundcloud.com. The online application will have a space to enter the URL.

 

Ph.D. in Music:

Applicants to the PhD program in music must demonstrate the potential for both original scholarship and excellence in classroom teaching. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of: success in undergraduate and/or master's level coursework in music history, ethnomusicology, and theory; skills in verbal communication that suggest promise of a successful publishing career in music, and strong work in the classroom; and the intersection of their subspecialty interest with the expertise of the UCSC faculty.

For more information, please contact the Music Graduate Advisor at (831) 459-3199 or <mga.mus@ucsc.edu>.