About to graduate from college (university)? Are you considering graduate school in music abroad?
PUBLISHED WED, DEC 18 2019
Majored in Music in college and you would like to further your studies? You majored in something else, but you finally realized music is your greatest passion? If yes, please keep reading because my college major was totally unrelated to music, but I was accepted to graduates and now I am working on my doctorate in music.
Popular Locations
I will focus on schools in the United States, the United Kingdom, and briefly on German speaking countries (Germany & Austria). Please notice that music schools are called conservatories in the US and conservatoires in the UK.
Programs Offered in the US
The US has a huge variety of options, including traditional 4-year universities and conservatories that only offer music degrees. Popular institutions include Juilliard, Indiana University, Curtis, Manhattan School of Music, and University of North Texas.
Master of Art in Music (MA)
- Academic degree based on research
- Offered at most 4-year universities
- Length: 2 years
Master of Music (MMus)
- Performance degree
- Offered at most 4-year universities and conservatories
- Length: 2 years
Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA)
- Doctoral degree with a performance emphasis
- Offered at most 4-year universities
- Length: 3 years
Doctor of Philosophy in Music (PhD)
- Doctoral degree with a research focus
- Offered at most 4-year universities
- Length: 3-5 years
Graduate Diploma
- Performance-based certificate
- Offered at some 4-year universities and most conservatories
- Length: 1 year
Artist Diploma
- Professional-level performance certificate
- Offered at some 4-year universities and most conservatories
- Length: 1-2 years
Programs Offered in the UK
The UK has seven major conservatoires that only offer music programs. Please bear in mind that while many students attend 4-year universities in the US for performance courses, the performance courses offered at universities in the UK and the level of standards are NOT on par with conservatoires. Popular institutions include: Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, and Royal Northern College of Music.
Master of Art in Music (MA)
- Academic degree based on research
- Offered at mainly 4-year universities
- Length: 1 year
Master of Music (MMus) or Master of Performance (MPerf)
- Performance degree
- Offered at conservatoires and some 4-year universities
- Length: 2 years
Doctor of Philosophy in Music (PhD)
- Doctoral degree with a research emphasis
- Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) is NOT offered in the UK
- Offered at mainly 4-year universities
- Length: 3-5 years
Advanced Performance Diploma (APD)
- Performance-based diploma
- Offered at conservatoires
- Length: 1 year
Programs Offered in Germany & Austria
Master of Art (MA)
- Research-based degree
- Length: 2 years
Master of Music (MMus)
- Performance-based degree
- Length: 2 years
- Performance-based Master’s are often called MA in Austria
- Doctor of Philosophy in Music (PhD)
- Doctoral degree with a research focus
- Length: 3 years
