Enrollment Policies for Master's Degree Students
- Minimum course load for master's degree students
- Full-time Enrollment Confirmation
- Ensemble enrollment policy
Minimum semester course loads
Students enrolled in the master's program must usually register in a minimum of 8 credit hours in fall or spring semesters. Up to 2 credit hours of major ensemble will count toward this minimum. (See the ensemble enrollment policy below.) There is no minimum enrollment for the summer term.
With permission from the director of graduate studies, master's students who have not reached their final semester of coursework may be permitted to enroll part-time for a maximum of two semesters. This policy is intended to allow students to continue making some degree progress who, for reasons of financial hardship, would otherwise need to take a year off. Students enrolling part-time under this provision may not enroll in individual study with a faculty member (e.g., lessons or chamber music). Note that in this scenario ensemble participation is NOT required of part-time students.
Important note: Certain categories of students may not be able to enroll part-time under this policy. These include students whose financial aid requires full-time enrollment, and international students who must enroll full-time to retain their visa status. Enrolling part-time may also affect a student's eligibility to participate in their parents' insurance plans and to defer student loans. Students are encouraged to consult with appropriate campus offices.
Master's students who are in their final semester of coursework and have less than 8 credits of required coursework remaining can register for just those credit hours, and 2 credits of ensemble, if required for the degree, in that final semester.
This option is available for only one semester (the final semester of coursework), and is not possible if the final requirement is major field lessons. If a master's student registers in major field lessons, he or she must enroll in a minimum of 8 credits in that semester.
Important note: Certain categories of students may not be able to enroll part-time under this policy. These include students whose financial aid requires full-time enrollment. Enrolling part-time may also affect a student's eligibility to participate in their parents' insurance plans and to defer student loans. Students are encouraged to consult with appropriate campus offices.
International students in the final semester of master's coursework can potentially be enrolled in less than 8 credits, but will need to fill out a "reduced courseload authorization request" form on iStart.
Full-time enrollment confirmation
If you need confirmation that you are enrolled as a full-time student (for insurance, housing, loan deferment, etc), then you should use the Student Central on Union Enrollment Verification service. This service is free.
Ensemble enrollment policy
See here for general ensemble enrollment information.
Some degrees require enrollment in 2 credits of a major ensemble every semester of registration until graduation, and some degrees require enrollment in 2 credits of a major ensemble every semester until four fall-spring enrollments in ensemble are reached or the student graduates. For the second category, students are not required to continue to enroll in ensemble after their fourth semester in the master’s program (but are required to register for the first four semesters). Please note that participation in summer ensemble does not in any way affect the four semesters required, summer ensemble is optional and extra.
The following departments require ensemble registration every semester until graduation:
- Brass
- Choral conducting
- Collaborative Piano
- Harp
- Historical Performance
- Orchestral conducting
- Organ
- Organ and Sacred Music
- Strings
- Wind Conducting
- Woodwinds
The following departments require ensemble registration every semester until four fall-spring enrollments in ensemble are reached or the student graduates.
- Composition
- Computer Music Composition
- Guitar
- Jazz Studies
- Music Education
- Music Scoring for Visual Media
- Music Theory
- Musicology
- Percussion
- Piano
- Voice