Overview

Typically a three- to four-year program, the D.M.A. program in Composition is designed to prepare the student for a career either as a university-affiliated composer or as an independent professional.

Features

The D.M.A. in Composition at Catholic University of America requires 54 to 72 credit hours of non-remedial coursework beyond that completed for the M.M. degree.

There is normally a two-year residency requirement. As a D.M.A. Composition student, you will be advised into coursework based on the results of your entrance examinations: the Theory Placement Examination and the Music History Placement Examination, given to all entering graduate students, and the D.M.A. Entrance Exam in Composition.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Comprehensive Examinations

Research Document

Composition Recital

Dissertation Composition

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-25 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-31 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

105

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

54 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Washington, D. C., United States

Disciplines

Music Musicology View 170 other PhDs in Music in United States

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

105

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Acceptance into the School is a two-fold process. You must apply for acceptance into the University, as well as audition for your program of interest.

Auditions can be done before, after, or concurrently with the application to the University.

An application does not necessarily need to be submitted before auditioning, except in the case of Early Admission, but it is highly encouraged.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year
Out-of-State

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

52190 USD / year

≈ 52190 USD / year

Living costs

Washington, D. C.

United States

1705 - 2975 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Composition.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Features

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Washington, D. C.

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners