Overview

Composition students, among the finest in the country, regularly win national awards and commissions, including ASCAP and BMI awards, New York Symphony Orchestra First Music commissions, Aspen and Tanglewood fellowships, American Composers Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra reading sessions, among many others.

Key Features

The Composition degree at University of Southern California strongly emphasizes performance opportunities for student-composers. Student works are premiered at Thornton Edge new music ensemble concerts, student department showcases and recitals, as well as at the annual New Music for Orchestra concert with the USC Thornton Symphony, an event which has premiered over 150 USC Thornton student orchestral works.

The USC Thornton choruses, Thornton Winds ensemble, Percussion ensemble and chamber music program provide composition students with significant reading and performance opportunities as well.

Students who complete the BM, MM or DMA in composition at USC Thornton are given priority consideration for admission to the MM Screen Scoring program, if they apply to the USC Thornton Screen Scoring program within one year of completing the degree in composition.

Those wishing to pursue this opportunity are required to meet with the director of the screen scoring program as early as possible in their composition studies at USC Thornton in order to determine which additional courses (typically 7 units or less) they must successfully complete and what other steps they must take, including but not limited to submission of an application.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Research Materials and Techniques

Advanced Composition

Graduate Composition

Advanced Orchestration

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-23 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00

Language

English

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

30 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Los Angeles, United States

Disciplines

Music Composition View 163 other Masters in Music Composition in United States

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Academic requirements

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

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

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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

Complete the Online Application

Application Fee: $90

In addition to transcripts and test scores, most USC graduate programs require supplemental materials for admission review. These materials may include (but are not limited to) a statement of intent, recommendations, writing samples, creative portfolio, etc. Supplemental materials are reviewed by the department only, not the Office of Graduate Admission.

Audition and/or Interview (as required)

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

73260 USD / year

≈ 73260 USD / year
Out-of-State

73260 USD / year

≈ 73260 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

73260 USD / year

≈ 73260 USD / year

Living costs

Los Angeles

United States

1520 - 2570 USD / month

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

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master'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.

On this page

About

Overview

Key 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

Los Angeles

Financing

Funding

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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