Application Deadline:

We are accepting applications to our MMus programs in Performance, Conducting, and Music Education (thesis- or course-based), and our MA in Musicology. The deadline for applying for a September 2026 start date is February 1st, 2026.  

Admission Requirements:

Applicants to our Master's programs should hold or be in the process of completing a Bachelor of Music (or equivalent) with a cumulative average of 70% in the final 60 credit units (last 2 years). 

Application Details for Specific Master Programs:

Master of Music in Performance (project-based)
Master of Music in Music Education
Master of Music in Theory (with thesis)
Master of Arts in Musicology

For all MMus and MA Programs:

Please upload the following supporting materials to your online application:

• 1-2 page statement of intent which describes your prior academic background, readiness to undertake the desired program, and the purpose/rationale for wanting to enroll in the program.
• A Curriculum Vitae
• All post-secondary official transcripts sent directly from the institution. If applicable, please also provide an official translated version.  Copies or scanned versions can be emailed to asg.gradapplications@usask.ca while we wait for official versions
• Language Proficiency Requirements: Proof of English proficiency may be required for international applicants and for applicants whose first language is not English. For details, click here.
• Arrange for three referees to upload letters of reference

Students entering the MMus degree programs Theory and Performance and the M.A. Musicology in the Department of Music at the University of Saskatchewan are required to write two Graduate Assessment Tests, the one in Music History, and the other in Music Theory. These tests are held prior to the commencement of classes in advance of the initial semester of study in their MMus program. Students who earned a BMus degree from the University of Saskatchewan are exempt from writing these two Graduate Assessment Tests. Specific details on each of these examinations can be found below.

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We recommend that you review the current Music faculty members to determine if a faculty member is doing research in an area that interests you before beginning a formal application. For other application inquiries, please contact Anna McKenzie at asg.gradapplications@usask.ca.

Complete the on-line application which includes listing three referees and paying the application fee. Read through the application steps and then click “Apply Now” at the bottom of the web page. 

https://grad.usask.ca/admissions/how-to-apply.php#Beforeyouapply 

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Music History Assessment:

The Graduate Assessment Test in Music History assesses students’ knowledge of the history of Western music from the medieval period to the present, including intersections (in the twentieth century and later) with popular music, film music, and jazz.  

Multiple-choice and short answer questions:

• Topics for these questions include musical terminology (including styles, genres, forms, and instruments), the periods of Western music history, and composers

Written Responses:

• Students will be asked to write two responses (1-2 pages each) from a choice of five writing prompts
• Topics may be drawn from all periods of Western music history
• Topics may include important styles and genres, musical cultures, and the works and style of particular composers

 Score Identification:

• Students will be given three one-page score excerpts and will attempt to identify the composer, genre, and century of the work. Emphasis will be placed on students' explanation of their reasoning for their choices.
• Scores may be drawn from all periods of Western music history

Students who have used any number of College or University-level textbooks, and have successfully completed a two to four-semester music history sequence should be well prepared for the GAT in Music History. For students who wish to review or prepare for the test, any of the following textbooks (as well as a number of other possibilities) would be suitable:

• J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music (New York: W.W. Norton, 2019)
• Barbara Russano Hanning, Concise History of Western Music (New York: W.W. Norton, 2014)
• Christopher H. Gibbs and Richard Taruskin, The Oxford History of Western Music (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018)

Material on the Graduate Assessment Test (Music History) is taught in MUS 150, MUS 151, and MUS 250.

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Music Theory Assessment:

The Graduate Assessment Test in Music Theory assesses students’ knowledge of Western music theory with a primary focus on common-practice traditions and a secondary focus on post common-practice traditions.

Part Writing:

• ability to complete four-part chorale style exercises (SATB) where either a soprano, or a bass line is provided
• common-practice and post common-practice vocabulary
• level of difficulty: aligns with student learning objectives covered through a three- or a four-semester music theory sequence

Analysis:

• ability to provide a Roman-numeral, figured-bass analysis of a Bach-style chorale, while also identifying all non-chord tones, and all cadences
• the chorale features chromaticism

Form:

• a movement of a sonata is given. Students are to provide an overview of the movement, identifying its formal type, and are also required to identify crucial aspects of the formal design, the location of significant tonal centres, and how those tonal centres align with the principal key of the movement. Should the movement prove not to be in a conventional key, other markers of its pitch design must need to identified.

Students who have used any number of College- or University-level textbooks, and have successfully completed either a three- or a four-semester sequence of Music Theory (usually covering the first two years of a BMus degree program) should be well prepared for the GAT in Music Theory.

In preparing for the Graduate Assessment Test (Music Theory) students are directed to the following website: http://ocw.usask.ca/AR/MUS/, where they are encouraged to read the descriptions associated with MUS 133, MUS 134, MUS 233, and MUS 234.

Material on the Graduate Assessment Test (Music Theory) is taught in MUS 133, MUS 134, MUS 233, and MUS 234.