MMUS/DMA (COMPOSITION) EXAMINATIONS POLICY

Candidature for a degree in the Graduate Department of Music in the School of Graduate Studies will be terminated following the second failure in any final

examination given by the Department and required for the degree, with the exception of language examinations.

1. MMUS MAJOR COMPOSITION

The major composition is an extended musical work for moderately large forces (e.g., chamber orchestra), prepared under the guidance of an advisor. Title and a brief outline of the proposed work, initialled by the advisor, should be filed with the Graduate Department by 1 November.

Three copies of the score are to be submitted following written approval by the advisor. Appropriate notation and a professional standard of copying legibility are expected. The title page should include the notice, "submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Music degree in composition, University of Toronto", followed by the date, e.g., "April 2012". The score should be accompanied by a short statement (one to two pages) drawing attention to the work's form and particular technical features. The statement should not be an extended formal analysis of the work. Deadline for submission of the major composition in its final form is April 1 (September 1 for fall graduation candidates).

If an electroacoustic major composition is approved by the Department, the completed work will be submitted by the candidate in the following formats:

1) CD.2) DVD, if the mix is more than stereo, or if video is an element of the composition.

Audio files, if appropriate, in a format to be determined in consultation with the supervisor.

Additionally, the candidate will provide comprehensive documentation in the form of a "score" or graphic equivalent, technical data, and relevant commentary. This documentation should be included with all audio copies. In cases where part of the major composition is in electroacoustic form, the above provisions apply to that part.

The major composition will be judged by three members of the composition faculty, excluding the advisor. Grades to be awarded are (i) Accept; (ii) Accept with modifications; (iii) Reject. At least two of the readers must approve by voting "i" or "ii" before the date of the oral examination is set. In the case of "ii", the candidate will be given a specified deadline for making the suggested modifications, and the chair of the Graduate Music Department will appoint one of the evaluators to approve them. In the case of "iii", the candidate may either submit an entirely different major composition, after a newly approved proposal, or make an extensive reworking of the rejected one. The new major composition will then be evaluated by three faculty members in the same way as above.

2. MMUS ORAL EXAMINATION

The one and one-half hour examination will deal with questions related to the major composition and additional specific questions on an assigned score. This selected score will be announced by the Department at the beginning of the academic year. In the case of a failed oral examination, a new score may be assigned. The examination panel will consist of a voting chair and two other Graduate Department members selected in consultation with the graduate choir. The examination will be judged on a Pass/Fail basis.

Explanatory Note The candidate's major composition advisor will be his/her instructor for MUS3105Y. The grade for this course is based on the year's work and the candidate's compositional progress in general, including work on the major composition. Thus the advisor does not act as one of the Department's evaluators, although the advisor may sit as a member of the oral examination panel. Thus also, the grade for MUS3105Y is strictly a course grade in the same category as all other course grades, whereas the evaluators' grades on the major composition relate strictly to the major composition as a graduation requirement.

1. DMA RECITAL OF WORKS

Upon completion of course work, the candidate is required to prepare and direct a program of original works. (In some cases, professional quality recordings of performances that, in total, form the equivalent of a full recital may be substituted). These should represent a variety of media, and should include some works composed during residency. The program should be drawn up in consultation with the candidate's advisor, circulated to the composition faculty for approval, and filed with the Department.

2. DMA MAJOR FIELD EXAMINATION

The purpose of the Major Field examination is to assess the student’s general knowl-edge of his or her chosen research field and to examine the theoretical premises and methodological approaches set out in the research paper. The Major Field Examina-tion replaces the Comprehensive Examination and must be taken at the end of the third year. The Major Field Examination is associated with MUS 3999Y Research Project (DMA) and is scheduled to take place no later than April of year three.

Before April of year three, the student must submit an initial dissertation proposal of 500-1000 words by the beginning of year two. This proposal will derive from the re-search and writing being undertaken for MUS 3999Y, and its purpose is to elicit con-structive advice from graduate faculty that may help both to direct the student’s study and prepare him or her for the Major Field examination. Based on these responses, and on faculty members’ fields of expertise, the supervisor will appoint a Major Field Examination Committee comprising the supervisor and at least two other members of

the graduate faculty. The supervisor will determine a grade for MUS 3999Y, and the Major Field Examination Committee will pass or fail the student’s performance in the oral examination.

The student must attain at least an A- in MUS 3999Y and a pass on the major field ex-amination in order to proceed with the DMA. In the event that these standards are not met, a second Major Field examination will be scheduled approximately three months later for a second attempt at the oral examination. A failure to achieve the standards set for the oral examination at the second attempt results in the student being required to withdraw from the program.

It is the responsibility of the Associate Dean, Graduate Education to inform the student of the results of the Major Field Examination as soon as possible. It is the responsibil-ity of the Major Field Examination Committee to make a recommendation to the Asso-ciate Dean, Graduate Education concerning the timing of the second examination if necessary. The committee appointed to conduct the second examination should as far as possible include the same members who examined the student in the first place.

On successful completion of all courses, and Major Field Examination requirements, a doctoral student becomes a doctoral candidate and embarks fully on dissertation re-search and writing and on the completion of the recital requirements.

2. DMA COMPOSITION(THESIS)

Please refer to the School of Graduate Studies Website at: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/current/thesis/index.asp

3. DMA FINAL ORAL EXAMINATION Please refer to the School of Graduate Website at: http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/informationfor/students/finup/oralex.htm

July 11, 2012