Doctor of Arts in Music
The doctor of arts in music (DA) degree is designed to prepare superior musicians for careers in college teaching. The philosophy of the program is to integrate in-depth preparation in one of the traditional disciplines of music with general studies in the remaining fields of music and several supervised teaching experiences at the college level. Graduates will be effective and productive artists and scholars qualified to teach specific music disciplines at the college level and to assume the more diverse responsibilities characteristic of faculty positions at many colleges and universities. The program requires a total of 90 graduate credits beyond the bachelor’s degree. The School of Music core includes foundational coursework in music education, research methods, music theory, and music history.
The area of primary emphasis may be in music performance, conducting, piano chamber music/accompanying, music theory and composition, or music education. The area of secondary emphasis may be in music performance, piano chamber music/accompanying, conducting, music theory and composition, music history and musicology, music education, entrepreneurial studies in music, or an area outside the School of Music in a subject that relates to the primary field of study.
The supplemental studies in music area includes a college teaching internship and an externship, a course in the role of music in college education, a pedagogy course, a research course, and courses in music theory and history.
Comprehensive written and oral exams are taken near the end of required coursework. The dissertation, which may take the form of a traditional written document or a substantial lecture recital, will make an original contribution to knowledge in the primary or secondary field. The dissertation may result in innovative teaching materials or methods, annotated catalogs of repertoire, research focused on a problem identifiable with college teaching, original scores or digital media materials, in-depth historical or theoretical analyses, performance and lecture on new or not widely known repertoire, or professional-grade recorded performances. No matter the type, each dissertation contains an original contribution and a substantial and substantive written component, and must be proposed and defended.
Further information about the DA is contained in the School of Music Graduate Handbook, available from the School of Music website.
90 credits
Degree Requirements
DA Degree requirements, both tracks
| Primary area of study |
18 cr |
| Secondary area of study |
15 cr |
| Supplemental studies in music |
27 cr |
| Electives |
20 cr |
| Dissertation |
10 cr |
| Total credits |
90 cr |
PRIMARY EMPHASIS: 18 CREDIT HOURS
No transfer credits are permitted. The requirements of Primary Areas are dictated by the School of Music Graduate Handbook in effect when the student begins graduate study.
SECONDARY EMPHASIS: 15 CREDIT HOURS
3 credits may be transferred from prior graduate study. The requirements of Secondary Areas are dictated by the School of Music Graduate Handbook in effect when the student begins graduate study. With the approval of the Graduate Coordinator, a student may transfer all or part of the secondary from another institution concurrently if the material is not available at Ball State (certification in a study area not offered at Ball State would be an anticipated reason). Coursework that can be studied at Ball State may not transfer in.
SUPPLEMENTAL STUDIES IN MUSIC: 27 CREDIT HOURS
- Transfer credits in this area are permitted if the study is at the same degree level at another institution (i.e. a student who began a doctorate at another institution and then transferred to Ball State).
o Credit transfer is at the Graduate Coordinator's discretion after reviewing the prior transcript and in consultation with the relevant area of study.
o If a DA student can demonstrate that they have taken a similar course to a required course at a previous institution within the last four years, they may take a different course in the same subject area at Ball State to satisfy the requirement. If a DA student has taken an appropriate research course within the last four years, they may transfer that course into the program in place of the course at Ball State. These transfers are at the discretion of the Graduate Coordinator.
- Course credits may only count in one area of the 90-hour plan. Courses listed below that are also required in the Primary Area will be substituted with other classroom courses from the academic area that are not required in the Primary Area.
- MUHI 600 and 602 do not count as core or advanced MUHI courses, and MUST 722 or composition coursework may not count to satisfy the “one additional” MUST course.
- Appropriate placement test scores are prerequisites for MUHI/MUST enrollment, and remedial coursework does not count toward degree requirements.
ELECTIVES: 20 CREDIT HOURS
Elective hours may transfer from previous graduate coursework.
Elective hours may be used to complete an additional secondary emphasis, which would be subject to the requirements of the additional secondary area (see above).
DISSERTATION (DISS 799): 10 CREDIT HOURS
TRADITIONAL or LECTURE DISSERTATION
- prior to candidacy, students must complete the 2nd Year Evaluation and Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams
TOTAL: 90 CREDIT HOURS
Supplemental Studies in Music - 27 credits
| MUSE 743 | Music in Collegiate Education | 3 |
| MUST 621 | Analytical Technique | 3 |
| MUSC 710 | Internship in College Music Teaching | 1 TO 6 |
| MUSC 711 | Externship in College Music Teaching | 3 TO 6 |
One "Advanced" MUHI course
One "Core" MUHI course
A Music Theory Seminar course
MUST 722 or composition courses may not count as the theory seminar course.
| MUST 520 | Sixteenth-Century Counterpoint | 3 |
| MUST 612 | Compositional Practices of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries | 3 |
| MUST 616 | Theory of Nineteenth-Century Music | 3 |
| MUST 617 | Theory of Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Music | 3 |
| MUST 623 | Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Counterpoint | 2 |
A pedagogy course
The pedagogy course prepares the student to teach an entry level course in either Music History or Music Theory.
| MUHI 602 | Seminar in Teaching Introduction to Music | 3 |
| MUST 722 | Seminar in the Principles of Music Theory | 3 |
A research course
| MUHI 600 | Methodology and Bibliography in Musicology | 3 |
| MUSE 668 | Research in Music Education | 3 |
Electives (20 credits)
Doctor of Arts students may transfer up to 20 credit hours from previous graduate study into this section. They may also use elective credits to pursue an additional secondary area of study. The guidelines for secondary areas are included in the School of Music Graduate Handbook for the year that the student began their doctoral degree.
Doctor of Arts students may choose any graduate level music course in the school of music as an elective. Students wishing to include graduate coursework outside the school of music must secure approval from the school of music's graduate coordinator.
Dissertation (10 credits)
Doctor of Arts students may pursue either a lecture recital dissertation or a traditional written dissertation. Further guidelines for dissertations of either modality are found in the School of Music Graduate Handbook in effect when the student begins their course of study.
Total Credit Hours: 90