General information  ·  How to start exams  ·  Written exams  ·  Oral exam  ·  Candidacy/In absentia registration

Current Written Exam Calendar  ·  Current Oral Exam Calendar

General information

For information on the DM in Composition major field K702 and K703 exams (and Doctoral Minor in Composition exams), see here.

Doctoral degree students become candidates for their degrees when they have passed the qualifying examinations and have been recommended by their advisory committee to the dean of the University Graduate School or the dean of the School of Music.

It is to a student's advantage to take qualifying exams as soon as possible after course work is finished. Written exams may be taken during the last semester of doctoral course work, as long as all course work for that field has been completed.

 Note that all portions of the doctoral qualifying exams (written and oral) must be completed within one calendar year. Any requests for exceptions must be made in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, who is also available for general advising on the qualifying exam process.

The process in outline:

• Complete all courses and proficiencies and the required recitals
• Apply to begin exams
• Schedule and take written exams; most major-field exams require an approved topic proposal
• Meet with the Director of Graduate Studies
• Reserve an oral exam date; check the date with committee members; confirm the date
• Take the oral exam within one year of starting written exams
• Stay registered every fall and spring semester from the semester after the oral exam is passed until degree is complete

How to start exams

To start the qualifying examination process, a student needs to fill out a “Doctoral Written Qualifying Examination Request Form,” available here. The Director of Graduate Studies will check over the student’s file and inform the student which exams he or she is eligible to schedule. Students will be notified by e-mail; this can take up to a week. Once approved, students may schedule exams in the Graduate Office.

Before you ask to begin exams, you should take care of these things:

Proficiencies and tool subjects. Complete each of these (including language grammar, diction, performance, keyboard, music theory, music history, styles and bibliography) before you begin exams. They must be completed before you may take any exams.

Course work. Complete course work, or be in its last semester. You may view your Degree Audit at OneStart, or may request a report (degree check) by scheduling an appointment with a Music Graduate Office advisor or the Director of Graduate Studies.  Please note that you have to complete all proficiencies and all courses in the field related to the particular exam before you will be eligible to schedule an exam during your last semester of coursework.

Major field. Make sure any elective courses or approved substitutions have been documented by the chair of your department and appear correctly on your Degree Audit. Ask the chair to send the Director of Graduate Studies a note with the information if necessary. DM Composition students do not take a written major-field exam, but must have completed their 24-hour and 7-day documents.

You must have completed a certain number of recitals before taking your major field exam.  The number varies by degree:

Minor field(s). Formally declare your minors by having the appropriate department approve your proposed courses. (The minor-field form is available here.) If your minor is outside the School of Music, please ask the department to indicate in writing whether written and oral qualifying exams will be required.

Advisory Committee. Ask to have your committee appointed; the form is here. This committee consists of three major-field representatives and one representative from each minor field, and is responsible for the written and oral qualifying exams. For students with a minor field in Music Theory or Music History & Literature, you will need to submit a Minor Field representative in Music History & Literature form, or a Minor Field representative in Music Theory form. The Minor Field Representative in Music History & Literature and the Minor Field Representative in Music Theory forms require faculty signatures, and are then submitted first to the Music Theory and Musicology department office (in the Simon Center Building room M225H), and then to the Music Graduate Office. Note that Guided Electives do not have a representative.

Topic proposal. In most departments, you need to write a topic proposal for a document or dissertation and have it approved by your Research Committee before you may take the written exam in your major field. For more on this process, see the notes here. Note that your Research Committee must be established separately from the Advisory Committee even if their membership overlaps.

Written examinations

For information on the DM in Composition major field K702 and K703 exams (and Doctoral Minor in Composition exams), see here.

Students must take written examinations in their major and minor fields. The examinations are prepared by the student's advisory committee member(s) representing the major or minor field and may be based on the content of courses taken in each field or on the background and concepts pertinent to the area. (DM Composition students do not take a written major-field exam.)

The School of Music ordinarily requires a written exam or its equivalent in every minor. At the discretion of the minor-field representative (as guided by appropriate department policy), students having music performance as a minor may substitute a 30-minute performance examination by a faculty jury or a recital for the written examination. Students in this situation must ask their minor field representative to inform the Music Graduate Office that he or she approves the use of a recital in place of a written examination and to inform the office once the recital performance is complete.  Minors outside the School of Music may or may not require a written exam.

Written exams may be taken in any order.

Most written exams are given individually in the exam room in the Graduate Music Office. Exams in Music Theory are given as a group several times a year on set dates. (See here for Music Theory minor exam dates.)

Major Field Written Exams are given Monday through Friday in two parts over a single day. The first part begins at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 11:50 a.m.; the second part begins at 1:00 p.m. and ends at 4:50 p.m.

Minor Field Written Exams other than Music Theory and Electronic Music are given Monday through Friday either from 8:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. or from 1 p.m. to 4:50 p.m.

Written exams are given during the fall and spring semesters, and during Summer Session II (not Summer Session I).  Because of the press of other office work, no exams are given during the first two weeks of classes during the fall and spring.  No exams are given during the last week of classes during the fall and spring.  No exams are given during exam week during fall, spring, or summer.  No exams are given during the first or last week of classes during the summer.  Exams are not given when classes are not in session (spring break, July 4, etc.)

Students planning to take written exams during Summer Session II must schedule them by March 15th.  The only exception to this deadline is for students taking the Music Theory minor exam (the deadline to sign up for the summer Music Theory exam is April 15).  All other Summer Session II exams must be scheduled by March 15.

The student has the option to write the exam by hand or to use one of the exam room computers (Macintosh or Windows). Blue books (for exams in writing), scratch paper, staff paper, and computer disks (if using a computer) are provided. Backpacks, purses, books, notes, electronic aids, etc. are not allowed in the exam room; these items may be left with the Graduate Secretary. The student may bring food, drinks, candy, glasses, pens, pencils, a clock, tissues, etc. Because the weather and heating/cooling vary, it is recommended that students bring a sweater.

Completed exams are sent to the committee or representative for grading. Students will be given a copy of their written exam answers. Grading often takes several weeks; summer exams are usually not read until the fall. Exam results will be reported to the student by e-mail.

Students are encouraged to consult often with committee members about the exam process, but please note that it is generally not appropriate for students to bother committee members about exams while they are being graded. Students wondering about the status of their exams should inquire in the Graduate Office. Exam results are also posted on the student's Degree Audit on OneStart.

If any area of the written exam is failed, the student will need to repeat that portion successfully before proceeding to the orals. (NOTE: In Music Theory, the entire exam must be retaken.)

Check here for availability of written exam dates and scheduling information.

Oral Examination

The major-field oral qualifying examination focuses on the student's major area, especially on the literature on the repertory list and beyond it. The exam may include assessment of the student's ability to articulate an understanding of the formal/analytical characteristics of the music, its historical development and social context, and features related to its teaching and learning. A majority vote of the committee determines the outcome of the major-field examination. Minor-field oral examinations, if required, take place at the same time but are evaluated separately.

Oral exams are given only during the fall and spring semesters on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday beginning at 3:30 p.m. and usually ending between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. No orals are given during the first two weeks or the last week of classes, during exam week, or during the summer. Oral examinations take place in the conference room in the Music Graduate Office.

Steps for Scheduling an Oral Exam:

1. Take and pass all required written qualifying examinations. The Music Graduate Office will notify students by e-mail when they have successfully completed the last written exam and are eligible to schedule an oral exam.

2. Create a repertory list, approved by the Chair of the Advisory Committee. The repertory list, required for most DM areas, serves as the starting point for major-field questions that concern repertory. (Minor-field representatives may use the list if they wish. Students should talk with their minor-field representatives to make sure that expectations for the oral exam are clear.) PhD and DME students do not need to prepare a repertory list.

Follow these steps to submit your repertory list. These steps need to be complete before you can confirm a reservation of an oral exam date.

1. Consult with the Chair of your Advisory Committee about which pieces to include on the list

2. Copy or type the repertory list into an email.  Be sure to list the full title and composer name of each piece and put the list in chronological order.

3. Email your list to the Chair of your Advisory Committee.  Ask the Chair of your Committee to forward your email to the Doctoral Clerk (musdoc@indiana.edu) with his or her approval of your list.  If the Chair of your Committee does not use email, please email the list directly to musdoc@indiana.edu and also submit a paper copy of the list, signed by the Chair of your Committee, to the Music Graduate Office.

3. Schedule a meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies to discuss the oral examination and preparation for it.

4. Tentatively reserve a date with the doctoral clerk. The current status of the oral exam calendar is available here.  Tentative reservations are good for one week. Dates not confirmed within a week may need to be offered to other students because of the high demand.

Please consult with the doctoral clerk or Director of Graduate Studies if you are having trouble lining up a date. Keep in mind that the peak times for exams are at the end of semesters (just as with recitals). The oral exam calendar is opened roughly month by month; the Graduate Office sends announcements when portions of the calendar are opened.

5. Confirm the availability of each member of the Advisory Committee who needs to be present on the tentatively reserved date. This includes your minor field representative (if required).

If you find that a member of your committee absolutely cannot attend your oral exam, you and that committee member should consult about a possible eligible substitute from the same department. Please propose this substitute as soon as possible in writing to the Director of Graduate Studies

6. When the repertory list has been approved by the Advisory Committee chair and submitted to the Music Graduate Office, a meeting with the Director of Graduate Studies held or scheduled, and the availability of committee members ascertained, confirm the date of the exam with the doctoral clerk.

A failed examination may be retaken once. The committee may prescribe the scope of questioning of the reexamination.

Check here for availability of oral exam dates and scheduling information.

Candidacy/In absentia registration

After successful completion of all doctoral qualifying exams, the student is admitted to candidacy. After admission to candidacy, the student must be enrolled each semester until graduation. In absentia registration is available for candidates not living in Bloomington.

Detailed information is available here.