The Juilliard School - College Division - Music Division

Music Division
Programs of Study

Photo by Henry Grossman

The Music Division's four-year undergraduate program leads to the Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree. A three-year Diploma program for a few gifted students concentrates almost exclusively on performance.

The Music Division also offers graduate-level programs leading to a Graduate Diploma, a Master of Music degree, or a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. Postgraduate study is available to selected advanced students in the Artist Diploma Program.

The Diploma option in dance, drama, and music, without liberal arts requirements, is occasionally chosen by students transferring to Juilliard or those who already have a baccalaureate degree.

Barnard and Columbia students also have the opportunity to pursue music studies at Juilliard. To be admitted, they must audition at Juilliard during the regular audition periods. Students admitted to the cross-registration program in music take annual juries to determine their eligibility to continue in the program.

Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Music
The Bachelor of Music (B.M.) degree program is the principal undergraduate program in music, and nearly all of the undergraduate musicians are enrolled in it. It requires students to supplement their music studies with a prescribed number of courses in the Liberal Arts department.

The B.M. degree program normally requires four years to complete. The minimum residency is two years for qualified and approved transfer students (three years for majors in Voice). All requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years of a student's original enrollment in the B.M. program. The B.M. degree is available in the following major fields:

Composition
Guitar
Harpsichord
Jazz Studies
Orchestral Instruments
Organ
Piano
Voice

Diploma
The Diploma program is a three-year program of study for the few very gifted undergraduate musicians in keyboard, orchestral instruments, and voice who, for personal or professional reasons, must pursue a non-degree course of study concentrating almost exclusively on performance. Students may enter this program only upon recommendation of the dean and the Admissions Committee. The Diploma is available in the following major fields:

Composition
Guitar
Harpsichord
Jazz Studies
Orchestral Instruments
Organ
Piano
Voice

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Graduate Programs

Master of Music
The Master of Music degree program is an advanced course of study for musicians who hold the bachelor's degree and who seek graduate musical training and classroom learning to prepare themselves more fully for careers as professional musicians.

The minimum residency to complete the degree is two years, and all requirements for the degree must be completed within four years of the original date of enrollment.

Students are expected to demonstrate proficiency in certain prerequisite requirements. If several of these courses are required, it may be educationally advisable to lengthen the two-year residency in order to give adequate time to all studies.

The M.M. degree is available in the following major fields:

Collaborative Piano
Composition
Conducting (Orchestral)
Guitar
Harpsichord
Jazz Studies
Orchestral Instruments
Organ
Piano
Voice

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Graduate Diploma
The Graduate Diploma program is for highly gifted musicians who wish to pursue musical studies beyond the undergraduate level but do not wish to enter the full Master of Music degree program. An undergraduate degree or diploma is required for admission.

All requirements for the Graduate Diploma should be completed within one year, except for majors in Collaborative Piano, Conducting, Guitar, and Voice, which require two years of study. The Graduate Diploma is available in the following major fields:

Collaborative Piano
Composition
Conducting (Orchestral)
Guitar
Harpsichord
Jazz Studies
Orchestral Instruments
Organ
Piano
Voice

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Artist Diploma Programs

Artist Diploma
The Artist Diploma program is the most advanced non-degree track, and provides focused studies for young artists in the pre-professional stages of their careers. Qualification to enter these programs is predicated principally on the level and quality of performance and/or achievement, rather than the attainment of specific academic credentials. The Artist Diploma in music concentrations is a two-year program. Young artists must be invited to continue their studies into the second year. A minimum of 52 credits is required to complete the Artist Diploma.

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Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies
The Artist Diploma in Jazz Studies is designed to educate the finest young jazz musicians who have already had some professional experience and/or who have distinguished themselves in college jazz programs.

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Artist Diploma in Opera Studies
The Artist Diploma in Opera Studies is a pre-professional program in the Juilliard Opera Center for a select number of young artists, providing both public and non-public performance opportunities and a focus on musical and dramatic studies that will prepare them for the demands of the opera profession.

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Artist Diploma in Performance
The Artist Diploma in Performance exists for the few highly gifted and experienced performing musicians at the post-master's level who wish to pursue focused studies in their major field leading to specific professional goals. With an emphasis on repertoire, the program is designed to develop both the artistry and professionalism in performers who possess the ability and determination to realize their talent in the contemporary world.

Curriculum
Instruction and assignments, which include private lessons, departmental studies, and performance, are directed by the dean in consultation with the major teacher and department chair.

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Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies
The Artist Diploma in String Quartet Studies enables a pre-formed string quartet to move from serious study of the repertoire toward a professional career as a teaching and performing quartet.

Curriculum
Coachings and assignments are under the supervision of the Juilliard String Quartet.

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C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellows Program

The C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellows Program, made possible by a generous endowment grant from the Starr Foundation, enables all candidates accepted into the D.M.A. degree to pursue their resident studies on a full-tuition scholarship basis.

The Doctor of Musical Arts degree program is the most advanced course of study offered at The Juilliard School. Admission to this program is limited to the most gifted and accomplished musicians who also possess a broad range of knowledge about music, a keen intellect, a natural curiosity for a wide variety of disciplines, and the potential for pursuing high-level performance, scholarly, and teaching careers.

The Doctor of Musical Arts degree program requires a minimum full-time residency at Juilliard of two years. All degree requirements must be completed within five years of admission. Following the required two years of full-time residency, doctoral candidates who have not completed the document and/or recital requirements need not pay tuition but are required to pay an annual matriculation fee. Any requests for extension of the five-year limit on enrollment in the program must be made in writing to the Doctoral Governance Committee prior to that limit (the exact date for extension requests is specified in the D.M.A. Program calendar). Doctoral students' eligibility for awards from Juilliard scholarship funds is limited to two years. Continued instruction in the major field is available upon request at an additional charge for the first year of non-residency.

The D.M.A. degree is available in the following areas of specialization: