Composition

Creative music-making and critical examination of assumptions about music constitute the core of graduate study in composition at Washington University. Graduate students committed to the study of musical traditions and the process of musical thinking that weaves within and leads beyond those traditions will find a welcome environment at the Department of Music, which offers the Master of Arts degree in Composition. By guiding each student in developing his or her own modes of musical thought and expression, the graduate program gives students an opportunity to find their compositional selves. Graduates of the program typically go into doctoral programs in composition or theory.

Washington University has a strong tradition of interdisciplinary study and cooperation. Because our department is small and the program is flexible, we are able to offer the serious student a program tailored to unusual interests or special needs.