Welcome

We are pleased to know of your interest in the College of Music at the University of North Texas, one of the nation’s finest comprehensive music schools. North Texas graduates are exceptionally accomplished, and are consistently competitive at the highest levels of their chosen professions.

Students in the College of Music have the opportunity to study with a highly acclaimed faculty of performers, composers, scholars and researchers, all of whom are dedicated to teaching a highly diverse student body that chooses to attend UNT, whether that teaching occurs in private lessons, large or small ensemble settings, or in the classroom. The University community and College of Music students also have access to internationally recognized guest artists including conductors, composers, singers, jazz artists and scholars through residencies, master classes and lectures.

To help you know more about us and to decide whether our College of Music will be the best choice in meeting your educational and professional needs, we are providing some general information about the College. Please take a few minutes to read this material.

Programs

Internationally recognized for artistic and academic excellence, the College of Music at the University of North Texas offers a full complement of both undergraduate degree and graduate degree and certificate programs:

  • Bachelor of Music in Performance
  • Bachelor of Music in General, Choral and Instrumental Music (teacher certification)
  • Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies
  • Bachelor of Music in Composition
  • Bachelor of Music in Music Theory
  • Bachelor of Arts in Music (General or Music History Track)
  • Master of Music in Performance
  • Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance (Orchestral Instruments, Voice, Piano, Organ, Conducting, Jazz, Woodwinds)
  • Master of Arts in Music, concentration in Composition, Ethnomusicology, Musicology and Music Theory
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Music, concentration in Composition, Musicology, and Music Theory
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education
  • Master of Music in Music Education
  • Master of Music in Jazz Studies (Jazz Performance, Jazz Composition, or Jazz Pedagogy Track)
  • Graduate Artist Certificate in Music Performance

We also offer specialized study in opera, early music performance, music and medicine, ethnomusicology and world music.

Please note that we do not offer degree programs in music therapy, music business or recording technology.

Performing Opportunities

At UNT, there are more than 40 musical ensembles in which students may participate. Many represent traditional areas and include orchestras, bands, choirs, opera, and jazz. We also are proud of the large number of specialized ensembles not often possible in smaller programs.   These include both vocal and instrumental early music, new music ensembles working in both acoustic and electronic media, and such ethnic ensembles as mariachi, Balinese gamelan, African drumming and dancing, and other world music percussion groups.

Among the national and international appearances by University of North Texas ensembles are performances at New York’s Lincoln Center, and the Morton H. Meyerson Center in Dallas, along with tours of Japan, Scandinavia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Thailand. Ensembles have produced numerous recordings, six of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards.

Our concert and recital schedule consists of nearly 1000 events each year, including ensemble, chamber music, solo recitals, guest artists, master classes and lectures.

Facilities

Our facilities include more than 300 practice rooms, seven performance halls, numerous classrooms and rehearsal spaces, computer labs, a distributed learning center, and one of the most extensive music libraries in the United States.

Students

Although we are a Texas state-supported institution, and embrace the mission of serving our own state, we celebrate the richness that makes us a school of truly international scope. Beyond the diversity represented within the State of Texas, 27% of our students come from other states and 13% from one of about 30 foreign countries. Sixty-nine percent are undergraduates and 31% are graduate students.

North Texas students have placed as national winners or finalists in a wide variety of competitions, such as the Fischoff Competition, Naumburg Competition, North American Saxophone Alliance Competition, International Tuba and Euphonium Competition, Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival, BMI Composers Awards, International Clarinet Competitions, International Trombone Society Competitions, National Flute Association Competitions, North Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam),  the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition, Percussive Arts Society Composition Contest, and National Organ Playing Competition.

Alumni

Perhaps the best measure of the success of a school is the success of its graduates. To learn more about the accomplishments of our distinguished alumni, please read our fact sheet.

Guest Artists

The University community and College of Music students have access to internationally recognized conductors, composers, singers, jazz artists and scholars through residencies, master classes and lectures. Recent residencies include such world-renowned musicians as Karen Tuttle, Marie-Claire Alain, Allen Forte, Charles Burkhardt, Brian Ferneyhough, Bill Holman, Frederick Fennell, Colin Lawson, The DaPonte Quartet, and Patricia Racette.  Our students also have had the opportunity to work with members of the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the United States Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force bands.

Our Mission

The mission statement is the essence of who we are and what we would like to help you become. Please read it as you consider whether the College of Music at the University of North Texas is right for you.

James C. Scott, Dean