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.

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 the Graduate College 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 

 

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).

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
• Unofficial copies of all post-secondary transcripts. For documents not originally in English, please also provide an official English translated version.
• 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

While in-person auditions are preferred, you may submit unedited video recordings of performances completed within the past 12 months. Unlisted YouTube links are preferred for video submissions.

Below are the discipline-specific audition requirements for both live and video auditions:

Piano: Prepare at least 30 minutes of music, including a Prelude and Fugue by J.S. Bach, one movement of a Classical-era sonata and a major work of the Romantic period or the 20th/21st Century.

Collaborative Piano: Prepare at least 30 minutes of music. Audition should consist of a selection of 4 art songs from different periods, one major instrumental chamber work and one solo work from the advanced standard repertoire.

Voice: Prepare at least 30 minutes of music from varied periods, ranging from Baroque to Contemporary. The repertoire must include works in at least four different languages, including English, French, and German. Your selections should feature: at least one opera aria, one oratorio excerpt, and four varied art songs. You may also choose to include one musical theatre selection.

Brass: Prepare at least 30 of music. The audition should consist of three contrasting works of different styles.

Woodwinds: Prepare at least 30 minutes of music. The audition should consist of three contrasting works of different styles.

Strings: The audition should consist of three works of different periods that include: 2 contrasting movements of unaccompanied Bach, the 1^stmovement / or 2^nd and 3^rd movements of a standard concerto (with cadenza if applicable), and a 3^rd piece of the candidate’s choice (caprice, movement of sonata, character piece). For questions about repertoire or substitution requests, please contact Dr. Mathieu directly (mathieu@usask.ca).

Conducting: A video submission of 30 minutes in which you demonstrate your conducting of contrasting musical repertoire in both rehearsal and performance contexts withing the last three years. Applicants may be be requested to conduct a live audition with one of the School for the Arts – Music ensembles. Please provide a comprehensive list of works studied to date in the principal applied area (as an undergraduate student and post degree, as appropriate). Indicate with an asterix all works performed or conducted publicly. See https://artsandscience.usask.ca/music/documents/guidelines-mmus-conducting.pdf  for more details.

Please do not hesitate the School for the Arts – Music at music@usask.ca with any questions. We look forward to hearing your audition.

Students entering the MMus degree programs in Theory and Performance and the M.A. Musicology 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 classes. Students who earned a BMus degree from the University of Saskatchewan are exempt from writing these two Graduate Assessment Tests.