Prerequisites
Auditions
Application
Application Deadlines
Examinations
TOEFL

Prerequisites: Admission to the Teacher's Education Program (TEP) in music requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college. In addition to the general requirements for admission to graduate programs in Arts & Sciences of Hunter College, applicants must have completed an undergraduate concentration in music (with a minimum of 29 credits) or the equivalent; these 29 credits must include: (1) three semesters of music history, (2) four semesters of music theory, and (3) four semesters of musicianship (sight singing, ear training, and keyboard studies).

Applicants must have at least elementary facility at the keyboard and a reasonable mastery of an instrument (which may be a keyboard instrument) or voice. They must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in music and 2.8 cumulative. In reviewing each application, the entire transcript (including particular subjects which display any special strength or weakness) is considered.

The application of each student is reviewed not only by the Music Department, but also by the Admissions Department and the School of Education. All candidates for Music TEP must be accepted by the Music Department, Admissions Department, and School of Education in order to gain admission.

Students who have completed Bachelor's degrees with majors in other subjects may register as non-matriculants or second-degree undergraduates at Hunter College in order to take the prerequisite undergraduate courses. It is not necessary for these students to complete a second Bachelor's degree, but only to take 29 official credits of music, which should include the classes listed in the first paragraph.

Auditions: Applicants to the Hunter College Music TEP must audition on their primary instrument or voice. Auditions are usually held on two or three different dates each semester; click here for audition dates. To register for an audition, prospective students must (1) send in an official application to the Admissions Office (see below), and (2) then fill out the online audition registration form. Each applicant will be contacted to confirm the audition time and date; please note that an audition time and date can be confirmed only after the official application has been received by the Admissions Office.

Applicants are expected to perform, on their primary instrument or voice, two or three representative works from different styles that demonstrate their proficiency and musicality (pieces in jazz idioms or vernacular idioms are allowable for prospective TEP students). Memorization is recommended, but not required.

All applicants will also be asked to demonstrate their keyboard ability by playing the Star Spangled Banner on the piano; applicants can either use their own arrangement or they can download an arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner. In addition, the audition jury might ask a prospective student to sight read, sight sing, play scales and chords at the piano and on their main instrument, play a simple piece by ear, and perform similar tasks in order to demonstrate musical knowledge and ability.

Each audition/interview is about 15 minutes long and held in front of a panel consisting of two or three members of the Music Department faculty. Students should present each of the jurors with a list of the pieces (not copies of the music) prepared for the audition, as well as the name and affiliation (if any) of their current private teachers. The panel will ask to hear portions of these pieces and will interview each candidate briefly.

Students are required to provide their own accompanists. Upon request, Geoffrey Burleson, the Director of Performance Studies, will provide names of students available to accompany auditions. Students are expected to dress formally (men: coat and tie; women: dress, skirt and blouse, or formal pants outfit.

Application: Students applying to Hunter must complete and send in the official application provided by the Admissions Office. Prospective students can download an application at the Graduate Admissions Office. The Admissions Office will require prospective students to forward transcripts from their previous school(s), provide a statement of purpose (that is, a brief essay—about one page in length—describing the reasons for pursuing graduate studies), and provide two letters of recommendation.

Application Deadlines: It is important to complete the application process in a timely fashion: Hunter College does not consider late applications. Admission deadlines are  April 1 for Fall admission and November 1 for Spring admission; deadlines for international students and students who have earned any college credits at non-U.S. institutions are approximately two months earlier than these dates; see the Admissions Department for details.

Examinations: No GRE or LAST exams are required for admission for Music TEP students.

TOEFL: Students whose native language is not English and/or whose post-secondary education was in a country where English in not the native language must take a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and receive a grade of 550. Applicants to the Teacher Education Program might also be required to take a Test of Written English (TWE) and a Test of Spoken English (TSE); contact the Admissions Department and the School of Education for details.