Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 30

Required Courses:

Core Courses
MUST 8100Jazz Ensemble (4 terms) 14
MUST 8104Jazz Major3
MUST 8114Jazz Major3
MUST 8124Jazz Major3
Jazz Seminars or Jazz Special Topics Courses9
Electives 25
Final Project
MUST 8184Jazz Major (Recital)3
Total Credit Hours30
1

MM candidates must be available for ensemble assignments, which are determined by the department chair and may exceed curricular requirements.

2

Select from Music, Music Education, Music Studies, or other graduate departments. At least 3 credits must be in academic, non-performance coursework. Advisor approval required.

Additional Requirements:
Diagnostic Examinations:
All entering Master of Music students in Jazz Studies are required to take Diagnostic Examinations in Jazz Theory and Jazz Styles and Analysis prior to the first term of graduate study. The purpose of these examinations is to determine weaknesses in undergraduate preparation. Depending on the examination results, students may be required to take one or more remedial courses. In these instances, the remedial courses will be graded on a "Credit / No Credit" basis and the official university transcript will indicate "CR" (for "Credit," meaning that the deficiency has been satisfied) or "NC" (for "No Credit," meaning that the deficiency has not been satisfied). Students must have a "B-" or better average in any remedial course or section thereof to earn the grade of "Credit" and to satisfy the requirement. Students who earn a grade of "NC" (that is, having a class average below "B-") must retake that course or section until an average of "B-" or higher is achieved and a grade of "CR" is recorded on the official university transcript.

Remedial courses are offered for undergraduate credit only, and may not count toward graduate degree requirements. Students may take the test only once, and if they do not pass the test or any portion thereof, they must enroll in the remedial course(s) during their first term of study. Depending on which section(s) of the examination are failed, the examiners will stipulate which sections of remedial coursework the student must take. The courses are:

MUST 5105Remedial Studies in Jazz History1-3
MUST 5106Remedial Studies in Jazz Theory1-3

The requirement to take the Diagnostic Examination in any area is waived only for graduates of the Boyer College of Music and Dance who

  1. matriculate and enroll in the term immediately following completion of all undergraduate degree requirements; and
  2. received grades of "B-" or better in every undergraduate course taken in each individual examination area to be waived.

Professional Development Policy:
In addition to taking the required subjects for their degrees, all students in the Boyer College of Music and Dance are obligated to serve in a number of capacities in order to enrich their academic and musical expertise. Boyer College of Music and Dance believes that such experiences give impetus to successful professional careers. Among the duties that may be required are conducting laboratory classes; tutoring; teaching private lessons; coaching; participating in the distribution and inventory control of Temple University-owned musical instruments and instructional materials; participating in ensembles; accompanying; performing at admissions and open house events; supervising performance classes; and engaging in other academic activities.

Performing Ensembles:

  1. Touring: All students in touring performing ensembles are required to participate in all scheduled tours. These tours, usually one or two weeks in length, often take place immediately after termination of terms. Students must arrange their schedules to accommodate this requirement.
  2. Participation: Master's degree candidates in Jazz Studies must be available for ensemble assignments at the discretion of the department chair, including participation beyond curricular requirements.
  3. Non-Credit Participation: With special permission, graduate students for whom there is no ensemble requirement, or where previous ensemble credits exceed the graduation requirement, may participate in choral and instrumental ensembles without cost, with prior permission from the ensemble director, the department chair and the Associate Dean.

Independent Study Courses:
Independent study courses provide a special opportunity for graduate students to work in a highly individualized setting with one or more faculty members. All such study must receive the approval of the faculty member providing the instruction, the students' major advisor, and the Associate Dean. Approval is granted only after the student has presented a detailed description of the intended independent study project. Approval of independent study projects is granted only for students whose academic and musical record provides substantial support for the benefits of this type of study. In no case may more than 20% of a graduate student's curriculum be taken as independent study. Private lessons beyond those required in the curriculum are not an appropriate form of independent study.

Acceptable English:
All students, including those for whom English is not the native language, are expected to present all written work in acceptable English. No double standard exists to differentiate students on the basis of proficiency in the use of the English language. Students are also responsible for becoming familiar with the College's statement on plagiarism and academic honesty.

Graduate Private Lesson Policy:
Weekly one-hour private lessons are provided for all matriculated master's and doctoral performance majors in good standing, provided at least three additional credits of programmatically required graduate-level study are taken simultaneously. A $250 per term lesson fee (subject to change without notice) is charged for all private lessons. Tuition remission may not be used to cover the private lesson fee.

Private applied lessons beyond the four-term requirement currently in effect for graduate performance students may be extended with the permission of the jury, department chair, and the Associate Dean or Dean of the Boyer College of Music and Dance.

Recital Extension:
Students withdrawing from the recital requirement during the recital term receive an Incomplete and must register for extended study for non-degree credit (MUSC 5000 Recital Extension for 2 credits). Recital Extension must be taken each term until the recital has been presented. This course is offered on a "Credit/No Credit" basis only. Upon satisfactory completion of the recital, the Incomplete for the recital course is replaced by a letter grade and MUSC 5000 Recital Extension is issued a grade of "CR." Credit derived from Recital Extension is not counted toward degree requirements.

  1. Recital Extension Fees: Tuition for these additional terms of private study is the cost of 2 graduate credits plus a $500 Recital Extension fee. Graduate assistantships and other forms of University-sponsored financial aid do not cover the Recital Extension fee.
  2. Exceptions to Recital Extension:
    1. Students who perform their recitals during the first three weeks of the Spring term are not required to register for Recital Extension that term.
    2. Students who register for Recital Extension during the Summer may perform their recitals during the first three weeks of the Fall term. However, any student who does not take Recital Extension during the Summer may not present the recital in the Fall term, regardless of the date, without also registering for the Fall term of Recital Extension.
  3. Failure to Present Recital: The degree status of students who are unable to present a recital after one term of Recital Extension is reviewed by the Associate Dean and the major advisor, who, in consultation with the major teacher and department, determine whether or not the student may continue in the program. Inability to present the recital after one term of Recital Extension may be grounds for dismissal from the degree program for failing to maintain reasonable academic progress.

Incompletes:
All incomplete grades and keyboard proficiencies must be fulfilled by the first day of the month in which the student expects to graduate.

Culminating Events:
Comprehensive Final Project:
Embedded in MUST 8184 Jazz Major (Recital), the final project is based on the total studio experience and the final recital, the program of which demonstrates completed research, composition and arranging.

Public Recital:
Performance majors present a public recital as the culminating event for the master's degree [MUST 8184 Jazz Major (Recital)]. Graduation recitals are typically one hour in length; presented on campus in either Rock Hall or Klein Recital Hall; and adjudicated by three full-time music faculty members. The student must show evidence through Temple University transcript records of having taken private lessons up to the time of the graduation recital. Students who wish to play a recital in the early Fall should plan to register for and complete the final term of lessons during the preceding Summer months.

A Recital Permission Form indicating the private teacher's approval for performance of the graduation recital must be signed by the private teacher and submitted six weeks prior to the recital. (If the recital is in the first five weeks of the Spring term, the form must be submitted two weeks before the end of the Fall term.) If required by the private teacher, a Recital Permission Jury must be scheduled at least four weeks prior to the recital. If the form is not submitted or a required jury is not scheduled, the department reserves the right to cancel or postpone the recital.