Degree Requirements

Degree Requirements and Courses

Students must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours of credit in approved 500-level courses. A minimum of 20 semester hours must be completed at the University of South Alabama. Up to 12 hours of USA courses taken while in another program (or non-degree status) may be applied. Only courses not applied to another degree may count. Maximum of 12 hours with grades of "A", "B", or "S" of approved transfer credit is allowed. If the university is non-accredited, the individual USA graduate program will determine if the quality and content of the courses meet the standards of the program.

Grade Requirements

• A minimum of a 3.0 GPA on all work attempted is required for graduation.
• Courses in which a student receives a "D" or below will not be counted toward the degree program.
• A maximum of two courses with a grade of "C" will be counted toward the degree program.
• Students receiving four grades of "C" or below, regardless of the overall GPA will be dismissed from the program.
• A student who receives a failing grade in a course for graduate credit may be dismissed from the program.

Time Limitations

• All degree requirements must be completed within seven calendar years.
• Most students who take nine hours per semester complete the degree within a two-year period.
• The time required for degree completion depends on how many courses a student can take each semester and the ability of that student to complete the recital(s) or final project(s).

Course Load

Six to ten credit hours per semester constitute a full-time course load.

Note: No more than twelve credits in this area are applicable toward a degree.

Performance Degree Course Requirements by Concentration

• All master’s degree students will be advised by the Graduate Music Program Coordinator to ensure timely completion of the curriculum.
• The time required for degree completion depends on how many courses a student can take each semester and the ability of that student to complete the recital(s) or final project(s).

Piano Performance Degree Checklist

(14-19 Courses, 32 Hours)

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
MUL 501	Graduate Research in Music	2
MUA 599	Curr, Ped & Instrct Techniques	2
MUS 585	Practicum in Coll Keyboard	2
MUL 585	Grad Piano Literature Survey	2
Complete three hours of ensemble:		3
MUO 5**
Select 12 hours from the following		12
MUL 535	American Music
MUL 590	Spec Topics in Music History
MUT 512	Intro Analysis of Music Lit
MUT 513	Pedagogy of Theory
Select eight hours from the following		8
MUA 501	Piano
MUA 502	Piano
MUA 503	Piano
MUA 500	Graduate Recital (Submit form at least 2 weeks prior) 1	1
Total Hours		32

¹

All Recitals: Students are required to write program notes under the supervision of their applied professor. Notes must include biographical information about composer and information about the piece. Cite sources, if used.