Overview

About the program

Students in this DMA Composition program at Stanford University may work in traditional and/or electronic forms. Breadth is achieved through studies in other branches of music and in relevant fields outside of music, as desirable.

In addition to formal coursework and independent study, candidates are required to write a number of works in various forms and to present a public lecture-demonstration based on their final project, a large-scale composition.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Analysis and Repertoire: Late-Romantic to Contemporary
Analysis from a Compositional Perspective
Doctoral Seminar in Composition
Computer-Generated Sound
Interaction - Intermedia - Immersion
Psychophysics and Music Cognition
Intermedia Workshop
Music, Computing, Design: The Art of Design

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-09-22 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-08 00:00:00

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

Credits

135 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Stanford, United States

Disciplines

Music Composition View 42 other PhDs in Music Composition in United States

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

Academic requirements

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

Other requirements

General requirements

To pursue doctoral level graduate study in Music, applicants are required to have earned a Bachelor’s degree, and it is expected that applicants to the doctoral programs will have the equivalent of a Bachelor’s degree in Music.

Include the following as uploaded documents within the online application:

Statement of purpose;
Three letters of recommendation;
Scanned (i.e., unofficial) transcripts from each school attended for at least one year; and

DMA composition applicants must also include:

A complete list of your compositions, AND
One or more links to representative scores, audio and video recordings (3–6 recommended) provided online. Please use a streaming service for audio and video content; one or more download links may be provided for PDF files only. (Please make sure that links remain active for at least two months after the application deadline.)

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

27540 USD / year

≈ 27540 USD / year
Out-of-State

27540 USD / year

≈ 27540 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

27540 USD / year

≈ 27540 USD / year

Additional Details

quarterly tuition

Living costs

Stanford

United States

1100 - 1600 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