PortalMaster of Music (M.M)
World-class training that prepares students to excel as versatile, 21st century musicians.
An exceptional music education
The Master of Music degree (M.M.) offers exceptional advanced training for performers, teachers, composers, and scholars. The M.M. provides individualized instruction that focuses on the professional development and unique career goals of each student. Students develop advanced competencies in their degree majors— which includes an M.M. in Performance, Education, Composition, and Jazz Studies— and have opportunities to diversify their portfolios with elective courses and specializations across other areas that are relevant to their field. The M.M. in Performance and Jazz Studies degrees include four semesters of studio instruction on either an instrument or voice and culminate in public solo recitals. The M.M. in Music Education and Composition degrees culminate in a capstone project or original compositions. The intensive applied curriculum provides students with skills they will use throughout their professional careers.
Master’s students in music work closely with a world-class faculty of performers, composers, and scholars who hold advanced academic degrees from some of the world’s finest institutions, including: Juilliard, Cincinnati Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Eastman, University of Southern California, Florida State University, and the University of Texas.
Graduate Assistantship (GA) positions are available only to admitted graduate music majors. A student appointed as a graduate assistant will be paid a stipend and receive a tuition remission for up to 36 s.h. In addition, music performance fees and class fees are waived. For additional information, applicants should contact the YSU College of Graduate Studies at 330-941-3091.
Youngstown State University is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The Dana School of Music, an All-Steinway School, is located in Bliss Hall and houses the 248-seat Bliss Recital Hall with a Schlicker organ, a state-of-the-art recording studio, 92 Steinway instruments, large and chamber ensemble rehearsal spaces, and 80 acoustically treated practice rooms. Students also utilize more than 140 studios, classrooms, and keyboard and computer laboratories.
Dana School of Music students and alumni regularly earn national and international recognition in performance, teaching, and research. They have won competition awards, been accepted to prestigious graduate programs, been awarded fellowships and internships, and earned positions as academic faculty. They are Grammy® Award winners, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members, performers with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and award-winning producers and arrangers, among others. Our graduates may be found in every segment of America’s musical life. Our M.M. degree will further your success, no matter where.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to graduate study in the Master of Music degree must present a baccalaureate degree in music from an accredited college or university. Admission requires a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.7 (on a 4.0 scale). Please note: Individual programs may have additional requirements. For information, students may link to the program in which they’re interested.