EXIT REQUIREMENTS
Graduate Oral Examination
All graduate degree programs in the School of Music require the successful completion of an oral examination. The oral examination should be taken by the quarter following the completion of all course work. It must take place no later than thirty (30) calendar days into the quarter of scheduled graduation. If courses are required to fulfill deficiencies, the student must have completed or be currently enrolled in the final courses before scheduling the oral examination. All progress reports (PRs.), No Report (NR), and Incomplete (I) grades in courses essential to the student's degree program must be completed before the student may apply to take the oral examination.
When all requirements have been met, the student may obtain the Graduate Oral Examination Scheduling (GOES) form from the School of Music office. The student then reviews his or her academic file with the major advisor, theory, and music history representatives (in that order).
Scheduling the Graduate Oral Examination
After the GOES form has been approved, the student may select the Oral Examination Committee and arrange a time for the Oral Examination through the School of Music office.
Selecting the Graduate Oral Examination Committee
The Graduate Oral Examination Committee is selected by the student in consultation with the Chair of Graduate Studies.
The examining committee for a candidate in music education shall consist of two faculty from music education, one from music theory, and one from music history.
The Content of the Graduate Oral Examination
The music history portion of the graduate oral examination may include questions about styles, genre, and specific composers and works of the common stylistic periods as found in the most recent edition of the Norton Scores. The student should be able to cite and discuss titles, authors, and the scope of coverage and content of the common bibliographic tools, including music dictionaries, monographs, thematic indexes, collected editions, periodicals and journals, especially those related to the candidate's major instrument or medium of performance.
The music theory portion of the graduate oral examination may include questions about the harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic practices of the 18th and 19th centuries. Questions upon tertian diatonic and chromatic harmonic usage, dissonance treatment, melodic phrase structures, rhythmic devices, and the usual forms associated with these periods, including typical binary, ternary, compound ternary designs, single-movement sonata form, rondo, variation, and fugal forms and terminology. Questions regarding 20th century music may focus upon the extensions of tertian harmony, tonal dissonance as typified by compositions of Stravinsky, Ives, Bartok, and Hindemith, and atonal usage, as found in the music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern and their adherents.
In the area of music education, questions will cover music education in general, instrumental or choral music.
The Procedure of the Graduate Oral Examination
The graduate oral examination shall be chaired by the chair of graduate studies, or his or her appointed representative.
The examination shall last approximately one hour, with the representatives of each area receiving equal questioning time, and shall be terminated at the discretion of the chair of the examining committee.
At the conclusion of the examination, the committee shall determine by vote whether the candidate has passed the examination in each area. The candidate shall be considered to have passed if no negative vote is cast.
A candidate who fails any area of the examination shall be re-examined only in that area.
A candidate shall be allowed to attempt the examination not more than three times, and not more than once in a given quarter. Exceptions to this must be endorsed and recommended by the examination committee and approved by the chair of graduate studies.
Culminating Projects and Non-Thesis Alternatives
The Master of Music in Music Education ". . . at a distance" is a non-thesis degree program.
Culminating projects, or Professional/Clinical Projects, are required in non-thesis degree programs in music education.
The Professional/Clincial Project in music education is a limited research study, usually in the area of the student's field of specialization. Guidelines for various types of projects (experimental, historical, survey, etc.) are available from the graduate music education faculty.
A candidate for the non-thesis option in music education must prepare a project proposal and have it approved by the faculty member sponsoring the project, the chair of music education, and the chair of graduate studies.
Project proposal forms are available from the music education division. MUS 675, MUS 671, and MUS 672 must be completed before the proposal can be submitted.
Deadlines and Dates
Graduate students are responsible for meeting prescribed deadlines for oral examinations, for application for conferral of degrees, etc. The student should consult procedures for Graduate Theses, Recitals, and Oral Examinations in this Handbook and in the Ohio University Graduate Catalog, and may also contact the Program Director to confirm the deadlines.
A Second Master's Degree
A student wishing to pursue a second master's degree outside the School of Music must inform the departments (or schools) and the office of Graduate Student Services of his or her intent to file formal application for admission to a second degree program.
When two or more degrees are pursued, the details of each degree program must be approved in writing by both departments (or schools), and by the dean of the individual college(s) in advance of admission to the second program.
Whether the credit was earned at Ohio University or at another institution, no more than 12 quarter hours may be applied toward both degrees.