Programs of Study at Peabody Conservatory

Degree Programs

The Bachelor of Music is a four-year performance degree program with majors in keyboard instruments, orchestral instruments, early music instruments, guitar, voice, jazz, and composition. With appropriate education courses, the bachelor's program can lead to a degree in music education (in most cases combined with a Performer's Certificate). Peabody also offers a Bachelor of Music in Recording Arts and Sciences. This is a five-year, double-degree program involving performance, recording, and electrical engineering.

The Master of Music offers majors in performance, performance/pedagogy, musicology, music education, music theory pedagogy, conducting, composition, computer music, and early music. The program provides for intensive high-level development in the major field. There is a history/theory core common to all majors.

The Doctor of Musical Arts offers majors in performance, conducting, and composition. Students are expected to gain the highest level of professional development in their majors, enriched by a comprehensive program of music history, literature, theory, repertoire studies, and related liberal arts.

The Master of Arts in Audio Sciences provides the technical knowledge and musical skills necessary to work at an advanced level in the field of audio and/or acoustics. The program is intended both for current audio professionals wishing to obtain a post-baccalaureate credential and individuals with a background in science, technology, and/or music seeking additional training in order to gain employment in the audio industry. The curriculum is designed as a two- or three-year full-time residency program.

Five-Year BM/MM Program

Qualified Peabody undergraduates have the option of applying to complete an MM degree in one additional year of study after they complete their BM degree. The selection process takes place in the junior year and includes academic and performance elements. Students selected for the program maintain their initial financial assistance levels throughout the five years of study.

1. Admittance to the BM/MM program is limited to outstanding performers with excellent academic records. Minimum standards for application are an average of A- and above in all major lessons and juries, and grades of B+ or higher in each of the following areas: two or more semesters of the core music history courses; four or more semesters of the core music theory courses; two or more semesters of ear training/sight singing courses; and two or more semesters of keyboard skills courses. In addition, successful applicants will have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50 and will have attained the Dean's List (which requires a cumulative GPA of 3.67 or higher) for a minimum of four semesters.
2. BM students may apply for admittance to the BM/MM program in the academic year in which they are scheduled to perform their 309 jury or junior recital (or, for composition majors, in their junior year) by submitting an application to the program due on April 1 of that year.
3. The applicant may use the junior recital, the 309 jury, or a hearing during May auditions as the audition for this program; there must be a specific signature line for this purpose on any grade sheet used for a performance which is part of the application to the BM/MM program. Individual departments can specify repertoire requirements for applicants to this program.
4. Admittance to the BM/MM program is contingent upon acceptance into the program by the majority of the faculty adjudicating the performance and, in every case, by no fewer than three faculty members. If there are only one or two faculty members in a particular performance area, the Dean of the Conservatory will appoint other conservatory faculty for the adjudication. Composition majors must submit a portfolio of no fewer than five compositions completed at Peabody for consideration by at least three members of the composition faculty.
5. Each application must include a letter of recommendation from the student's studio teacher as well as a letter of recommendation from one faculty member from the humanities department, the music theory department, or the musicology department.
6. Each application must pass a review by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the Dean of the Conservatory.
7. Admittance into the BM/MM program guarantees the extension of each student's initial merit scholarship award for a fifth year of study.
8. Admittance into the BM/MM performance program includes the proviso that a student's fourth and fifth years of performance or composition study be with a single studio teacher unless there are circumstances that require special arrangements to be made by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
9. Applicants who wish to complete a BM in performance or composition and then earn an MM in musicology, music theory pedagogy, or performance/pedagogy are also eligible to apply for this program.

Performance Intensive Diploma Programs

The Performer's Certificate is a three-year undergraduate performance intensive program. It is closely related to the Bachelor of Music program, but without the liberal arts component.

The Graduate Performance Diploma is a two-year, graduate-level performance program made up of lessons, recitals, ensembles and one class per semester. It is designed to meet the needs of highly accomplished performers who wish to pursue a more performance-intensive goal than represented by the M.M. or D.M.A. Majors are available in all areas of performance, including opera and chamber music. The Graduate Performance Diploma is considered a full-time program, but since the course load is reduced the tuition is substantially lower than for a degree program.

The Artist Diploma is a program reserved for the most professional and experienced performers, with emphasis on repertoire designed to meet the needs of performers who are preparing and qualified to embark upon a professional career. Evidence of a professional performance career already underway is a prerequisite for admission. The curriculum consists of lessons, recitals and one class per semester. Artist Diploma students may audit as many classes as they wish. Due to the few courses required, tuition is substantially lower than for a degree program.