The Department of Music at Stony Brook offers the MA and PhD degrees in Music Composition.
The championship of new music runs deep in the department, with a consistently large
contingent of faculty composers and performance faculty who have been in the forefront
of new music commissioning since the department’s inception in the late 1960’s.
Students are admitted to the graduate program in a competitive process on the basis
of promising individual voices that are developed through weekly composition lessons.
Students develop their compositional art and craft against the backdrop of course
requirements informed by Western art music traditions [see curricular requirements
here.] Our six faculty composers embrace a broad spectrum of compositional styles
and philosophies and support the varied creative trajectories of admitted students
as they evolve during their time in the composition program.
The MA and PhD are full-time programs that have 2- to 3-year residential requirements,
and students actively participate in the extensive activities of the program by attending
concerts, rehearsals, regular faculty and guest composer colloquia, and a weekly Composers
Forum. Student works are presented on new music concerts by the Stony Brook Contemporary
Chamber players, called by the New York Times “a small army of musicians who demonstrate
consistent accomplishment.” Every semester, the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra reads
graduate compositions for orchestra and our opera program performs scenes from student
works. One of the principal advantages of studying at Stony Brook is access to the
large graduate performance program of almost 200 student musicians, most of whom study
for the DMA degree. Many performers have gone on to form new music groups such as
the New Millennium Ensemble, Sputterbox, Unheard-of Ensemble, and Yarn/Wire. Additional
performances by performers in a variety of genres are mounted by the Staller Center,
the professional arts organization on campus. New York City, 55 miles to the west
and accessible by a train with a campus station, further provides a stimulating cultural
environment and opportunities for performance.
It is our mission to prepare for their professional careers post graduation, not only
through the continued development and refinement of their compositional practice,
but also by providing a solid foundation in Western art music and experience in teaching
and other administrative activities. Many students in the graduate composition program
receive tuition scholarships and assistantships to teach their own classes in music
theory, musicianship, computer music, and composition under the supervision of faculty
mentors. They are ready upon graduation to take their place as faculty at fine institutions
in the U.S. and abroad. Former graduate students have faculty appointments at Bard
College, Brandeis University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Crane School of Music,
New York University, Northwestern University, the University of Washington, among
many others, and abroad in institutions in Israel, Spain, Finland, Hong Kong, and
Lebanon. Other graduates have gone on to successful non-academic professional careers,
in publishing houses, music venues, and non-profit arts organizations.
The capstone of the MA in Composition is a composition portfolio. Preparation for
this includes a grounding in Western classical theory (musicianship, counterpoint,
and analysis), music technology, orchestration, specialized composition topics courses,
and participation in weekly Composers Forum meetings. A principal aspect of training
is weekly composition lessons. We operate on an “open studio” model: students have
the option of studying with several teachers over the course of their study.
In the second year, in addition to submission of the composition portfolio, students
take a qualifying exam in analysis of tonal and post-tonal music.
The PhD in Music (Composition)
In the first year of study, PhD students are assigned a faculty committee, to determine
with them an appropriate course of study that takes into account prior coursework
and student interest. Students create works for a PhD portfolio.
Prior to advancing to candidacy (normally after two or three years in the program),
composition students submit their PhD portfolio, take a field exam covering “new music”
from the last 100 years, present a PhD colloquium and submit a PhD essay, both on
topics in 20th and 21st Century music of their choice.
The thesis for the PhD in Composition is a substantial creative work.
Please note that the Composition program may email you to request an interview (to
be held on Zoom on January 17), in order to learn more about your interests and potential
in the program.
Required Materials for Application
Applications– submitted through the Graduate School application system (Slate) (link on this page,
above).
Application Fee– paid via the application.
Personal Statement - uploaded to the application. Please indicate what you hope to accomplish from your graduate studies in Stony Brook's
Music Department, what your career goals are, and what music or musicians have influenced
your path as a musician. Please note: All written work submitted to support your application must be your own. In particular,
the use of generative AI to generate entire sentences and paragraphs is not permitted
and may be disqualifying.
Resume/CV - uploaded to the application.
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation– recommenders submit through the application system.
Transcripts–official transcripts from institutions where a degree was received. For coursework
relevant to the proposed course of study taken outside of a degree, unofficial transcripts
will suffice. Details on the submission process can be found here (see Transcripts: Requirements and Submission).
Sample Compositions with Recordings– please provide 2-4 scores and recordings as appropriate, uploaded to the application.
One academic paper: Please upload one original paper that demonstrates your ability to write effectively
about music and sound. The paper, typically generated in prior coursework, should
be at least 2500 words, not including the bibliography, and demonstrate familiarity
with conventional citation practices. Please note: All written work submitted to support your application must be your own. In particular,
the use of generative AI to generate entire sentences and paragraphs is not permitted
and may be disqualifying.
GRE Scores - GRE scores are NOT required.
TOEFL Scores (if applicable):
Applicants whose native language is not English who have received/will receive a degree
from an English-speaking institution will not have to supply a TOEFL score (or approved
equivalent) for the purposes of admission.
Applicants who only have received/will receive an Artist’s Diploma or Advanced Graduate
Certificate in an English-speaking institution will be required to provide a TOEFL
score (or approved equivalent) for the purposes of admission.
Applicants whose native language is not English and have not received/will not have
received a degree from an English-speaking institution will be required to provide
a passing TOEFL (or approved equivalent- see below for acceptable tests) score in
order to be admitted. For any test, the most recent scores are counted, and the test
must not be more than two years old at the time of application (this means that tests
taken prior to January 2022 cannot be considered for Fall 2024 admissions).
Tests Accepted: Stony Brook University accepts either TOEFL or IELTS scores. For Fall 2022, Stony
Brook University is also accepting Duolingo, TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS
Indicator. Currently, Stony Brook University does NOT accept TOEFL My Best Score.
Reporting of Scores:
For TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition, have ETS send scores to Stony Brook University
using code 2548. Only electronic transmission of scores from ETS to Stony Brook University
is considered official for TOEFL scores – copies of your results are not acceptable.
For IELTS, have the organization mail an official score report to the Music department.
For IELTS Indicator, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at
gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.
For Duolingo scores, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at
gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.
Minimum Scores
Minimum score requirements are as follows:
TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition: 80 for MA applicants
IELTS or IELTS Indicator: An overall score of 6.5 with no subsection below 6
Duolingo: 105 for MA applicants
Spoken English
All students with a TA/GA stipend whose native language is not English and who have
not received/will not have received a degree from an English-speaking institution
must demonstrate a sufficient level of English-speaking proficiency and may be required
to take English courses based on these measures. Proficiency is determined by the
speak subsection score. For TOEFL/TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS/IELTS Indicator
speak subsection scores, please see the chart below:
TOEFL iBT Speak
IELTS Speak
Course Requirement
Result
25-30
7 or higher
none
Eligible to TA
22-24
6.5
OAE 594
Eligible to TA
19-21
6
OAE 592
Eligible to run recitation and lab sessions and/or grade
15-18
5-5.5
OAE 590
Not eligible to TA
Duolingo scores will be assessed by Stony Brook University’s Linguistics department
for placement into OAE courses for doctoral students and masters students who were
given a TA or GA.
More information
Please see the Graduate Bulletin for further information:
Applications– submitted through the Graduate School application system (Slate) (link on this page,
above).
Application Fee– paid via the application.
Personal Statement - Please indicate what you hope to accomplish from your graduate studies in Stony
Brook's Music Department, what your career goals are, and what music or musicians
have influenced your path as a musician. Please note: All written work submitted to
support your application must be your own. In particular, the use of generative AI
to generate entire sentences and paragraphs is not permitted and may be disqualifying.
Resume/CV - uploaded to the application.
Three (3) Letters of Recommendation– recommenders submit through the application system.
Transcripts– official transcripts from institutions where a degree was received. For coursework
relevant to the proposed course of study taken outside a degree, unofficial transcripts
will suffice. Details on the submission process can be found here (see Transcripts: Requirements and Submission).
Sample Compositions with Recordings– please provide 2-4 scores and recordings as appropriate, uploaded to the application.
One academic paper: Please upload one original paper that demonstrates your ability to write effectively
about music and sound. The paper, typically generated in prior coursework, should
be at least 2500 words, not including the bibliography, and demonstrate familiarity
with conventional citation practices. Please note: All written work submitted to support your application must be your own. In particular,
the use of generative AI to generate entire sentences and paragraphs is not permitted
and may be disqualifying.
GRE Scores - GRE scores are NOT required.
TOEFL Scores (if applicable):
Applicants whose native language is not English who have received/will receive a degree
from an English-speaking institution will not have to supply a TOEFL score (or approved
equivalent) for the purposes of admission.
Applicants who only have received/will receive an Artist’s Diploma or Advanced Graduate
Certificate in an English-speaking institution will be required to provide a TOEFL
score (or approved equivalent) for the purposes of admission.
Applicants whose native language is not English and have not received/will not have
received a degree from an English-speaking institution will be required to provide
a passing TOEFL (or approved equivalent- see below for acceptable tests) score in
order to be admitted. For any test, the most recent scores are counted, and the test
must not be more than two years old at the time of application (this means that tests
taken prior to January 2022 cannot be considered for Fall 2024 admissions).
Tests Accepted: Stony Brook University accepts either TOEFL or IELTS scores. For Fall 2022 , Stony
Brook University is also accepting Duolingo, TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS
Indicator. Currently, Stony Brook University does NOT accept TOEFL My Best Score.
Reporting of Scores:
For TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition, have ETS send scores to Stony Brook University
using code 2548. Only electronic transmission of scores from ETS to Stony Brook University
is considered official for TOEFL scores – copies of your results are not acceptable.
For IELTS, have the organization mail an official score report to the Music department.
For IELTS Indicator, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at
gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.
For Duolingo scores, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at
gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.
Minimum Scores
Minimum score requirements are as follows:
TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition: 90 for PhD applicants
IELTS or IELTS Indicator: An overall score of 6.5 with no subsection below 6
Duolingo: 110 for PhD applicants
Spoken English
All students with a TA/GA stipend whose native language is not English and who have
not received/will not have received a degree from an English-speaking institution must
demonstrate a sufficient level of English-speaking proficiency and may be required
to take English courses based on these measures. Proficiency is determined by the
speak subsection score. For TOEFL/TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS/IELTS Indicator
speak subsection scores, please see the chart below:
TOEFL iBT Speak
IELTS Speak
Course Requirement
Result
25-30
7 or higher
none
Eligible to TA
22-24
6.5
OAE 594
Eligible to TA
19-21
6
OAE 592
Eligible to run recitation and lab sessions and/or grade
15-18
5-5.5
OAE 590
Not eligible to TA
Duolingo scores will be assessed by Stony Brook University’s Linguistics department
for placement into OAE courses for doctoral students and masters students who were
given a TA or GA.
More information
Please see the Graduate Bulletin for further information:
