All applications received by March 1 will be considered for financial aid, including assistantships, beginning in the fall semester. The Department of Music Graduate Committee is responsible for selecting and recommending students for all graduate awards. Scholarships, assistantships, and fellowships are awarded on the basis of undergraduate academic record, musical talent, recommendations, and the needs of the Department.
The Office of Graduate Studies has a few awards available each year. Some have specific prerequisites, such as New Mexico residency or financial need or proven academic success; and many of them are for students already enrolled in the graduate program. For further information, see the most recent UNM Catalog under “The Graduate Program,” then “Funding Resources,” or consult the Office of Graduate Studies website at http://www.unm.edu/grad/funding/funding.html.
The Department of Music offers scholarships, graduate assistantships and teaching assistantships to current and incoming graduate students. All assistantships demand work, whether teaching or performing or another kind of service; and all assistantships cover tuition for up to 12 hours of coursework per semester for full assistantships and up to 6 hours per semester for half assistantships. Additional hours are charged at the resident tuition rate. Summer tuition is also at the resident rate, but is not covered in the assistantships. Please note that special course fees are not covered by assistantships, and these may total $250 to $300 per semester. Students on assistantships must enroll in and complete at least 6 hours of graduate work, including one three-hour academic course (i.e., not applied music or ensembles), each semester until such requirements are fulfilled.
Normally, awards are made to master’s degree students for no more than four semesters, or two years. Exceptions may be made only by petitioning the Graduate Committee with approval from the Department Chair; in any case, no student may hold an assistantship longer than five semesters. All recipients of graduate awards are expected to make acceptable progress toward their degrees and to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in graduate work. By UNM regulations, a student having a full assistantship may not have another job that requires more than 10 hours of work per week; a student having a half assistantship may not have another job that requires more than 20 hours per week.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT: To be eligible for a teaching assistantship, an international student must demonstrate proficiency in English as determined by the TOEFL: A minimum score of 250 on the computerized version of the test will be required (equivalent to 600 for the paper-based or 100 for the internet version).
