Doctor of Musical Arts

The Doctor of Musical Arts degree (D.M.A.) is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization (usually music performance, music composition, conducting, or music education) with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A. degree usually takes about three to four years of full-time study to complete (in addition to the masters and bachelor's degrees), preparing students to be professional performers, conductors, and composers. As a terminal degree, the D.M.A. qualifies its recipient to work in university, college, and conservatory teaching/research positions. Students seeking doctoral training in musicology or music theory typically enter a Ph.D. program, rather than a D.M.A. program.

The degree is also abbreviated as DMA (without periods), D.Mus.A. or A.Mus.D.. For the related degree Doctor of Music, the abbreviation is D.M. or D.Mus. For the related degree Doctor of Arts, the abbreviation D.A. is used.

The D.M.A. is widely available in the concentrations of performance (sometimes with a specialization in instrumental or voice pedagogy and/or music literature), composition, conducting, and music education. Some universities awarding doctoral degrees in these areas use the title Doctor of Music (D.M. or D.Mus.) or Doctor of Arts (D.A.) or Doctor in Musical Studies (Ph.D.) instead of D.M.A. The D.M.A. degree was pioneered by Howard Hanson and the National Association of Schools of Music, who approved the first D.M.A. programs in 1952. Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Eastman School of Music became the first to offer the D.M.A.Boston University offered its first D.M.A. program in 1955. In 2005, Boston University also expanded into online music education by launching the first online doctoral degree in music, a D.M.A. program (along with a Master of Music program) in music education.

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