The master’s examination (commonly referred to as the "oral exam") is conducted by the student's advisory committee and must be passed by all candidates for the master’s degree. The examination, drawn from the major and related fields, as appropriate, may be written, oral, or both, at the option of the student’s advisory committee.
when to take the exam:
You must schedule your master’s examination date in consultation with your advisory committee. Note the dates below, so that the exam is given early enough for graduation in a given semester. You must be in good academic standing to take the master’s exam or thesis/project defense. You must also be enrolled for at least one hour of graduate credit in the semester that the examination report is submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies; for thesis defense, the student must be enrolled in at least one hour of Thesis.
For concentrations requiring a recital, the master's final exam cannot be taken until after you have successfully completed your recital; however, there is no stipulation regarding the length of time that must elapse between recital and exam.
when to schedule the exam:
FOR
DEGREES REQUIRING A RECITAL: You must notify the Graduate Coordinator of your exam date no later than two months before your recital date. Submit the date on the Graduation Submission Form for Degrees Requiring a Recital.
FOR
DEGREES NOT REQUIRING A RECITAL: You must notify the Graduate Coordinator of your exam date no later than two months before your exam or thesis defense date. Submit the date on the Graduation Submission Form for Degrees Not Requiring a Recital.
The Graduate Coordinator will submit the Announcement of Exam form to the Office of Graduate Studies. After it is approved, OGS will return the form to the Graduate Coordinator. You will need to pick up the form from the Graduate Coordinator and take it to your exam, so that the reverse side (the Report of Examination) can be filled out by your committee members. If you have not heard from the Graduate Coordinator by two weeks before your exam, check to make sure that the form has been approved.
exam content:
At least two weeks (or more) prior to the date of the master's examination, the advisory committee members must submit to the student the general nature of the questions they will expect him or her to answer for the examination. The use of notes or other study material is not allowed during the master's examination.
Special Notes Regarding the Final Examination in Music Education:
Music Education exams are typically one-and-one-half to two hours in length. There are two components:
- PROJECT OR THESIS: This portion of the exam is each committee member's opportunity to question the student about the significance of the study, its purpose and methods employed, results obtained and implications for the student's professional work and/or the broader field of music education. A passing grade may be contingent on the student addressing concerns about the document that remain after completion of the examination. This final phase is conducted under the guidance of the committee chair, whose responsibility it is to see that each committee member's reservations are adequately addressed.
- GENERAL QUESTIONS: These should be pertinent to the music education field, but it is appropriate for the committee member to focus on aspects of his or her specialization(s), especially if the candidate has taken coursework from the committee member in these areas. Committee members should submit their questions to the candidate two weeks in advance of the final examination.
exam results:
The student must be notified of the results of the examination no later than two weeks after the date of the examination. If the department anticipates being unable to meet this deadline, it must give the student written notice to this effect prior to the examination; in this event, the student must be notified of the results of the examination no later than three weeks from the date of the examination. The results of examinations taken between semesters or during the summer must be given no later than two weeks after the first day of classes of the next regular semester.
Results of the examination shall be reported to OGS using the Report of Examination Form by the following deadlines:
- November 15 for Fall
- April 15 for Spring
- July 15 for Summer
If a candidate fails the examination, a six-month interval should elapse before a second examination is given. A candidate may take this examination only twice and must repeat the examination within one year after the first examination.
