Introduction
The comprehensive exam for the Master of Music degree serves as an opportunity for students to demonstrate their ability to synthesize and apply their graduate university and teaching, pedagogy, or performing experiences and their ability to articulate their understanding of their studies during their progress during the degree. This guide provides information concerning the comprehensive examination, which is a requirement for the completion of a Master of Music degree. The examination consists of two parts, written and oral.
Catalog Description
The UTSA Graduate Catalog specifies that candidates for the Master of Music degree are required to successfully pass comprehensive examinations tailored to the student's program and area of emphasis. Comprehensive examinations are given only to those students who have compiled with the following requirements:
- Completion of all conditions of admission, if any were assigned at the time of admission
- Completion of all special admission requirements for the degree program, if any
- Be in good standing
- Have an acceptable program of study in the discipline in which the degree is sought
- If a thesis is to be written, selection of supervising professor and thesis committee and acceptance of thesis topic
When to Take the Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive examination is normally taken during the student’s final semester. Comprehensive exams are offered each Spring and Fall semester. Summer comprehensive exams may be permitted under special circumstances, pending faculty availability. In order to take the examination, the student must be currently enrolled in the university and registered in at least one course during the semester in which the comprehensive exam is scheduled.
Supervising Committee
Each comprehensive examination is developed, administered, and scored under the guidance of a supervising committee with three or more members, one of whom is designated as chair. The chair must be a member of the Music Graduate Faculty (a tenured or tenure-track faculty member). Fixed-Term Track (FTT) faculty may serve as co-chair, but not as the sole chair of the committee. Students completing a thesis in music education, pedagogy project, or recital project, will select their thesis or project committee as their comprehensive exam committee.
In general, all committee members should be members of the Music Graduate Faculty with whom the candidate has taken coursework. One committee member must be from an area outside the student’s degree emphasis. Occasionally, off-campus scholars are appointed because their expertise would be valuable to the student. Committee members who are not tenure or tenure-track faculty at UTSA must be approved as Special Members of the Graduate Faculty. Please contact the GAR to verify that all committee members are eligible to serve as graduate committee members. The composition of the committee is subject to approval by the Dean of the Graduate School.
The supervising committee is responsible for the quality, depth, and balance of the comprehensive examination. Each committee member should specify the format, length, and specifications for their section of the written portion of the exam.
The Examination
The comprehensive examination consists of two parts: A written and an oral exam.
Written Exam
For students in the Music Education emphasis who are completing a thesis, or students in the Performance, Conducting, or Vocal Pedagogy and Performance emphases who are completing a recital document as their recital project, the thesis or document will serve as the written comprehensive exam.
For all other students, the written comprehensive exam consists of one written topic assigned by each of the committee members. These written topics may take the format of a written paper, an analysis project, an annotated bibliography, or a similar project that demonstrates the student’s ability to synthesize and apply concepts from their coursework to their teaching, performance, or pedagogical activities. The written comprehensive exam may address relevant issues pertaining to all or a selection of works on the candidate's degree recital or major repertoire works in the student’s area of study as selected by the student in consultation with his or her teacher and approved by the committee.
Each individual committee member will specify expectations for length, format, and depth of the project. Efforts will be made to ensure questions for each student correspond with material learned in the program. All questions are developed collaboratively and approved by the music graduate faculty. Please follow the deadlines in the Timelines for Graduation to meet with your committee, develop, and finalize comprehensive exam questions. The written comprehensive exam topics must be finalized no later than four weeks before the oral comprehensive exam. The written comprehensive exam topics must be completed and submitted to all committee members no later than two weeks before the oral comprehensive exam. Failure to follow this timeline may result in the cancellation of the oral comprehensive exam and rescheduling for the following semester.
Students in Music Education should consult the additional material and rubric in the Music Education Comprehensive Exam Guidelines document
Please be sure to follow all of the deadlines outlined in the Timelines for Graduation
Oral Exam
Oral exams typically take place approximately two weeks following the completion of the written exam. The oral examination consists of questions developed by committee members after reviewing the student’s written exams. Questions from the committee members provide students the opportunity to clarify or broaden their written answers, and allow for a deeper discussion than time may have allowed for on the written exam.