Music DA
- Doctoral
- DA
- In-Person
- Greeley
- Collaborative Piano
- Conducting
- Jazz Studies
- Music Composition
- Music Education
- Music History & Literature
- Music Performance
Program Overview
Whether you want to take your performing career to soaring heights or plan to teach at the college level, our highly flexible Doctor of Arts in Music will help you excel creatively and professionally.
You’ll study with a diverse group of internationally accomplished faculty and musicians and collaborate with talented classmates across disciplines. Throughout your program, you’ll develop deep expertise in your chosen area and find many chances to perform, present, conduct and compose.
With a Doctor of Arts in Music, you’ll be prepared to:
- Perform and conduct professionally
- Pursue original scholarship, research and academic publishing
- Lead a community arts organization or nonprofit
- Teach music at the college level
Concentrations
This is where you define yourself as an artist-scholar. UNC’s Doctorate in Music gives you the freedom to design a program as unique as your vision—choosing from seven primary concentrations while deepening your expertise in a secondary area that enriches your artistry. Your doctoral journey is yours to shape.
Whether you’re advancing as a performer, researcher, educator or innovator, you’ll work closely with distinguished faculty to craft a plan of study that reflects your artistic voice and career aspirations. This isn’t about fitting into a predetermined mold—it’s about discovering and expressing the full power of your musicianship.
With a DA focused on Collaborative Piano, you’ll get comprehensive preparation to excel as an educator, performer and music scholar.
Sample courses:
- Techniques in Vocal Coaching for Pianists
- Vocal Literature Courses
- Chamber Music Literature for Keyboard
- Individual Instruction in Collaborative Piano
Concentration Highlights: Doctoral students in Collaborative Piano gain real-world experience coaching singers and working with instrumental chamber groups.
As a conductor, you will choose a focus area: choral, wind, or orchestral. All doctoral conducting students get hands-on experience conducting our award-winning ensembles.
Sample courses:
- Individual Instruction in Conducting
- Wind Literature and Techniques
- Vocal Literature and Styles
- Instrumental Literature and Styles
- Score Reading and Analysis
Learn from and collaborate with nationally recognized jazz musicians as you acquire professional skills that complement and support your artistic development. As a doctoral student focused on Jazz, you’ll perform alongside more than 75 extremely talented young jazz artists and have opportunities to connect with top bandleaders, agents and record producers.
Concentration Highlights:
The renowned UNC-Greeley Jazz Festival is an annual gathering that brings together more than 4,000 internationally recognized artists, jazz lovers, award-winning clinicians, as well as hundreds of college, high school and middle school big bands, combos and jazz vocal groups from across the country.
You’ll learn:
- Advanced musical theory
- Jazz history and literature
- Pedagogy for college jazz musicians
- Composing, arranging and improvisation
Sample courses:
- Advanced Arranging
- Seminar in Jazz Composition
- Jazz Program Administration, Planning and Development
- Supervised Practicum in College Teaching
Your experience as a Music Composition doctoral student culminates with a written dissertation and a recital of your original compositions. You’ll also gain hands-on experience in college-level teaching via a supervised practicum.
You’ll learn:
- Advanced music theory
- Structure and analysis
- Music pedagogy
- Research methods
- History of music
Sample courses:
- Music History Seminar
- Music Theory
- Individual Performance
- Studies in Effective Teaching
Get noticed by hiring committees at top universities and colleges with a Doctor of Arts in Music Education from UNC. You’ll get to choose an academic focus such as educational leadership, psychology, community education or a related area to tailor your degree.
You’ll learn:
- Classroom techniques for college-level teaching
- Advanced theoretical understanding of music pedagogy
- Deep content expertise in music theory, history and literature
Sample courses:
- Foundations of Music Education
- Curriculum Trends in Music
- Research in Music Education
- Psychology of Music Teaching and Learning
UNC has earned a reputation as a highly regarded training ground for music teachers and scholars. Our doctoral students have an excellent record of academic publishing, with articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Early Music, Pendragon Review, Journal of Musicological Research, Choral Journal, and ITA Journal.
They also frequently present at meetings, conferences and meetings, including the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Musicological Society.
Sample courses:
- Music History Pedagogy
- History of Instruments and Instrumental Practices
- Seminars for all periods of Music History
- Music Theory Pedagogy
The DA in Performance is designed to produce well-rounded performer-educators. With its dual emphasis on performance and pedagogy, our graduates are well-positioned for teaching at the college level.
Sample courses:
- Individual Lessons
- Individual Studies in Effective Teaching
- Supervised Practicum in College Teaching
- Instrument-specific literature courses
Learn more about Brass Performance
Learn more about Percussion Performance
Learn more about Piano Performance
Learn more about String Performance
Learn more about Vocal Performance
Why Choose UNC for Music?
Performances Annually
UNC's music scene is powerful and thriving. You'll perform alongside accomplished faculty, internationally recognized guest artists and talented students at every level—all in state-of-the-art venues right on campus.
All-Steinway School
You'll play on more than 90 Steinway & Sons pianos throughout our classrooms, practice rooms and performance spaces. UNC was the first publicly funded Colorado university and one of only a few schools in the region to earn this prestigious All-Steinway School designation—and we maintain that standard of excellence because you deserve the best instruments for your education.
Graduate Assistantship Positions
Your graduate education shouldn't come with overwhelming debt. UNC offers competitive funding opportunities — including assistantships, fellowships, and scholarships — to help you pursue your doctorate without sacrificing your financial future.
Program Requirements
Ready to take the next step? Explore admissions requirements, application deadlines and the curriculum that will shape your journey in the Music DA program.
The DA in Music requires a primary and secondary concentration. Your specific degree requirements will vary based on your chosen path, but here’s a typical breakdown:
- Primary Concentration – 18 credits
- Secondary Concentration – 8-10 credits
- Research Core – 15-16 credits
- Research Proposal/Dissertation – 16 credits
- Electives – 4-7 credits
There are some concentrations that require an advisory exam.
Music D.A. candidates must take the following Placement Exams:
- Music theory
- Aural skills
Students who do not pass these exams must complete additional prerequisite courses.
To apply to the Music DA program,
- Complete your UNC online application
- Complete the College of Performing Arts form
- Submit required supplemental materials, which may include:
- Resume
- Statement of goals
- Writing/research samples
- Score composition samples
- Submit a pre-screening audition video, if applicable (view audition requirements)
- Complete your interview or audition, if applicable (live or by video)
Your Music DA application requires either an audition or an interview, depending on your concentration.
Our Students + Alumni
Student
“Conducting is like doing magic for me. We all start in different places, like a puzzle, and with leadership, during the rehearsals we all put together that puzzle where everyone has an important role to play."
Jolie González Masmela
Music D.A. - Conducting
PhD student from Colombia
Student
"The most challenging aspect of my research has been analyzing African American music within the framework of European theory and determining the appropriate level of disclosure and tone to convey my perspective on the music’s impact on the human condition."
Edward Hardy
Music D.A. - Music Performance
PhD student
Alumni
""Music history turned out to be the perfect choice because I love teaching at the collegiate level and analyzing music to discover how it creates meaning and functions in society and culture. No other doctoral program offered the mentorship or opportunities that UNC did."
Jessica Castleberry '25
DA in Music - Music History & Literature
PVA Academic Advisor at UNC
Student
“I was ready to make a life change. So I went from being a school principal and executive director in Denver to teaching and taking classes remotely."
Angie Keedy
DA in Music - Music Education
Instrumental Music Teacher at Jefferson Academy in Broomfield, CO and Professional Development Specialist at the National Association for Music Education
Create. Perform. Engage.
UNC offers more than two dozen ensembles, from choirs to opera theatre.
Learn, practice, produce and perform in state-of-the-art facilities, including our newest space, Campus Commons Performance Hall.
Research Opportunities
Pursue independent research alongside faculty experts. You’ll also be surrounded by curious, ambitious peers from across academic disciplines.
Locally grown festivals. Nationally touring acts. Ever-changing exhibits. Across the university and throughout Northern Colorado and beyond, you can immerse yourself in the arts.
Have Questions? We’re Here to Help!
- PVA@unco.edu
- (970) 351-2993
- Frasier Hall