Doctor of Musical Arts in Church Music
The purpose of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Church Music is to provide intensive study in the student’s major field of performance augmented by integrative study of church music with theoretical and historical subjects. The D.M.A. degree emphasizes the advanced development of both musical artistry and scholarly achievement in an applied area of specialization.
Prerequisites
A prerequisite for the D.M.A. is a master’s degree from an accredited college, university, or seminary whose requirements approximate those of the Master of Music in Church Music degree at Southwestern Seminary, and a minimum grade point average of 3.30.
Students who have not completed their master's degree at Southwestern will need to take WORSP 4932 Theology of Pedagogy as a leveling class. Students in the piano concentration will take MUTHY 4501 Applied Theory at the Keyboard as a leveling class.
Concentrations
The student may pursue the D.M.A. in one of the following concentrations:
- Guitar Performance and Pedagogy
- Piano Performance and Pedagogy
- Voice Performance and Pedagogy
Application
Prospective doctoral students will submit a general seminary application to the Office of Admissions.
Auditions
Applicants for the D.M.A. degree will perform an audition before the faculty of the proposed department of concentration, either in person on the Fort Worth campus or by submitting a digital audition. Please consult the Prospective Music Students page of the School of Church Music and Worship website for details on scheduling or submitting an audition.
The applicant for the guitar concentration will be required to play a thirty- to forty-minute entrance audition. The repertoire should represent a contrast of styles and should reflect a level of achievement equivalent to a master’s degree recital. The selections should represent the major periods of music history from the Renaissance to the present.
The applicant for the piano concentration will be required to play a thirty- to forty-minute entrance audition. The repertoire should represent a contrast of styles and should reflect a level of achievement equivalent to a master’s degree recital.
The applicant for the voice concentration should arrive on campus in time to confer with an accompanist before the audition. The audition material will consist of six songs from memory: four art songs (one each in German, Italian, French, and English), one opera aria in its original language, and one oratorio aria in English. The selections should represent the major periods of music history, including the modern era. If approval is granted, a thirty-minute jury performance at the end of the first semester will qualify the student for continuation in the voice concentration on the D.M.A. degree.
English Requirements
International applicants must submit scores from either the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), Duolingo English Test (DET), or IELTS (International English Language Test System). For the TOEFL, a minimum score of 100 on the internet-based test or 250 on the computer-based test is required. For the DET, a minimum score of 120 on the internet-based test is required. For the IELTS, a minimum score of 7.0 on the internet-based test is required.
Interview
An applicant must be interviewed by the Advisor to Graduate Studies and a representative from the applied department of the applicant's concentration.
Research Language Requirements
All D.M.A. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the reading of German. Students who have not passed the German reading examination by the time they have completed eighteen hours of doctoral seminars may enroll only for Doctoral Continued Enrollment (MUDOC 8100) until the German language requirement has been satisfied.
Residence Requirements
Two consecutive semesters in which the student satisfactorily completes sixteen hours of graduate coursework will satisfy the residence requirements of the institution.
Grades
Doctoral students must maintain an overall grade point average of 3.30.
Continued Enrollment
Doctoral students must enroll in the fall and spring semesters each year and pay enrollment fees from the time they begin their program until they graduate or withdraw from the program. Doctoral students who are not enrolled in regular coursework or doctoral examinations must enroll in MUDOC 8100 Doctoral Continued Enrollment.
Time Limit
The D.M.A. degree must be completed within a period of seven years from the time of admission. Extensions may be granted to students who are serving in an international mission field.
Degree Requirements
All students in the School of Church Music and Worship are required to minister in the music program of a local church or organization during the time they are enrolled in their degree programs.
Guitar Performance and Pedagogy Concentration
| Course Title | Course Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Church Music and Worship | ||
| Survey of Christian Worship | WORSP 7493 | 3 |
| Research and Writing in Church Music and Worship Studies | WORSP 7503 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music History | ||
| The Music of J. S. Bach | MUHST 7173 | 3 |
| Special Topics in Music History | MUHST 7193 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music Theory | ||
| Seminar in Advanced Tonal Analysis | MUTHY 7423 | 3 |
| Seminar in Theory Pedagogy | MUTHY 7473 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Ensemble | ||
| Auditioned Ensemble (four semesters) | ENSEM 7xx8 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | |
| Guitar Performance and Pedagogy | ||
| Doctoral Guitar I | GTRPR 7912 | 2 |
| Doctoral Guitar II and Solo Recital | GRRPR 7922 | 2 |
| Doctoral Guitar III | GTRPR 7932 | 2 |
| Doctoral Guitar IV and Ensemble Recital | GTRPR 7942 | 2 |
| Doctoral Guitar Document | GTRCL 8862 | 2 |
| Doctoral Guitar Lecture-Recital | GTRPR 8892 | 2 |
| Doctoral Seminar in Guitar Pedagogy | GTRCL 7813 | 3 |
| Doctoral Seminar in Guitar Performance Practice | GTRCL 7823 | 3 |
| Seminar in Commercial Contemporary Music for Guitar | GTRCL 7833 | 3 |
| Teaching Guitar-Related Courses in Higher Education | GTRCL 7843 | 3 |
| Practice Teaching Guitar (two semesters) | GTRCL 7961 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | |
| Colloquium | ||
| Colloquium I | MUDOC 8012 | 2 |
| Colloquium II | MUDOC 8022 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | |
| Examinations | ||
| First Research Language Examination | MUDOC 8060 | 0 |
| Doctoral Qualifying Examinations | MUDOC 8080 | 0 |
| Total Degree Hours | 50 | |
Piano Performance and Pedagogy Concentration
| Course Title | Course Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Church Music and Worship | ||
| Survey of Christian Worship | WORSP 7493 | 3 |
| Research and Writing in Church Music and Worship Studies | WORSP 7503 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music History | ||
| The Music of J. S. Bach | MUHST 7173 | 3 |
| Special Topics in Music History | MUHST 7193 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music Theory | ||
| Seminar in Advanced Tonal Analysis | MUTHY 7423 | 3 |
| Seminar in Theory Pedagogy | MUTHY 7473 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Ensemble | ||
| Auditioned Ensemble (four semesters) | ENSEM 7xx8 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | |
| Piano Performance and Pedagogy | ||
| Doctoral Piano I | PIAPR 7912 | 2 |
| Doctoral Piano II and Solo Recital | PIAPR 7922 | 2 |
| Doctoral Piano III | PIAPR 7932 | 2 |
| Doctoral Piano IV and Ensemble Recital | PIAPR 7942 | 2 |
| Doctoral Piano Document | PIACL 8862 | 2 |
| Doctoral Piano Lecture-Recital | PIAPR 8892 | 2 |
| Advanced Seminar in Piano Pedagogy | PIACL 7813 | 3 |
| Advanced Seminar in Piano Literature | PIACL 7823 | 3 |
| Advanced Seminar in Collaborative Piano | PIACL 7833 | 3 |
| Teaching Piano-Related Courses in Higher Education | PIACL 7843 | 3 |
| Advanced Piano Pedagogy Development (two semesters) | PIACL 7961 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | |
| Colloquium | ||
| Colloquium I | MUDOC 8012 | 2 |
| Colloquium II | MUDOC 8022 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | |
| Examinations | ||
| First Research Language Examination | MUDOC 8060 | 0 |
| Doctoral Qualifying Examinations | MUDOC 8080 | 0 |
| Total Degree Hours | 50 | |
Voice Performance and Pedagogy Concentration
| Course Title | Course Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Church Music and Worship | ||
| Survey of Christian Worship | WORSP 7493 | 3 |
| Research and Writing in Church Music and Worship Studies | WORSP 7503 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music History | ||
| The Music of J. S. Bach | MUHST 7173 | 3 |
| Special Topics in Music History | MUHST 7193 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Music Theory | ||
| Seminar in Advanced Tonal Analysis | MUTHY 7423 | 3 |
| Seminar in Theory Pedagogy | MUTHY 7473 | 3 |
| Total | 6 | |
| Ensemble | ||
| Auditioned Ensemble (four semesters) | ENSEM 7xx8 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | |
| Voice Performance and Pedagogy | ||
| Doctoral Voice I | VOIPR 7812 | 2 |
| Doctoral Voice II and Solo Recital | VOIPR 7822 | 2 |
| Doctoral Voice III | VOIPR 7832 | 2 |
| Doctoral Voice IV and Chamber Recital | VOIPR 7842 | 2 |
| Doctoral Voice Document | VOICL 8962 | 2 |
| Doctoral Voice Lecture-Recital | VOIPR 7852 | 2 |
| Doctoral Seminar in Voice Pedagogy | VOICL 7953 | 3 |
| Doctoral Practice Teaching Voice (two semesters) | VOICL 7961 | 2 |
| Teaching Voice-Related Classes in Higher Education | VOICL 7973 | 3 |
| Developmental Repertoire for Singers I | VOICL 7983 | 3 |
| Developmental Repertoire for Singers II | VOICL 7993 | 3 |
| Total | 26 | |
| Colloquium | ||
| Colloquium I | MUDOC 8012 | 2 |
| Colloquium II | MUDOC 8022 | 2 |
| Total | 4 | |
| Examinations | ||
| First Research Language Examination | MUDOC 8060 | 0 |
| Doctoral Qualifying Examinations | MUDOC 8080 | 0 |
| Total Hours | 50 | |
Program Fees
Program fees can be viewed at the Tuition and Fees section of the catalog found here.