Overview

Doctoral students in this program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City learn to fully articulate their musical voices, master technical skills, and leave prepared to pursue successful careers as academics and composers.

Students in this doctoral music composition program will work with award-winning faculty to refine technical and artistic skills, and they will leave ready to take on a career as a professional composer or in academia.

Careers

Jobs requiring an advanced degree in Music Composition could include writing songs for symphony orchestras or teaching at a university.

Potential careers:

Teacher
Music composer
Music director

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Advanced Composition
Advanced Electronic Music Composition
Career Paths in Composition
Music History
Music Theory
Research and Bibliography in Music

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

115

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

Credits

51 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Kansas City, 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

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

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

115

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

Other requirements

General requirements

The application for Conservatory degree programs in Music includes several specific requirements.

Artistic resume or CV: list all relevant music experience such as ensembles, schools, teachers, performances and awards.
Two references: list the names and contact information of your references, and the application system will send an email to them requesting that they submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
Other materials as they apply to your desired program. If your program requires a special submission such as composition portfolio, prescreening recording or writing sample, you will upload this directly to the application.
Audition date selection: If an audition is required by your program, select one of the three scheduled audition dates on your application.

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

68850 USD / year

≈ 68850 USD / year
Out-of-State

68850 USD / year

≈ 68850 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

27438 USD / year

≈ 27438 USD / year

Living costs

Kansas City

United States

980 - 1596 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 Music Composition.

Available Scholarships

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

About