Application Process

Read through the Admissions Information page.
The application deadline for Fall 2023 admissions for the MA or PhD in Music (Critical Music Studies) is January 5, 2023.
Complete the application on Slate, the Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions' application online service, found here:https://graduateadmissions.stonybrook.edu/apply/
Official transcripts must also be sent directly to the Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions by January 5, 2023.
If you send hard copies, the mailing address is:

Office of Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions
Health Sciences Tower, Stony Brook University
Level 2, Room 271
Stony Brook, NY 11794-8276

If you have an electronic transcript sent, have it sent to:

gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu

REQUIRED MATERIALS FOR APPLICATION

1) Application – submitted through the Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions application system (Slate) (link on this page, above).

2) Application Fee – paid through Slate.

3) Personal Statement - submitted through Slate. Please indicate what you hope to accomplish from your graduate studies, what your career goals are, and what music or musicians have influenced your path as a musician.

4) Resume/CV - submitted through Slate.

5) Three (3) Letters of Recommendation – recommenders submit through Slate.

6) Transcripts – required from each college/university you attended, and submitted through Slate. You MUST also send official transcripts to the Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions by the January 5, 2023 deadline.

7) 2-3 Academic Papers – Submitted through Slate. These should be original papers in music research, analysis or criticism. In addition to these, you may send papers on other subjects if you think that they support some aspect of your application for admission. Please limit your papers to those that exemplify your best work.

8) GRE Scores - GRE scores are NOT required.

9) TOEFL/IELTS Scores (if applicable):

Applicants whose native language is not English who have received/will receive a degree from an English-speaking institution will not have to supply a TOEFL score (or approved equivalent) for the purposes of admission.

Applicants who only have received/will receive an Artist’s Diploma or Advanced Graduate Certificate in an English-speaking institution will be required to provide a TOEFL score (or approved equivalent) for the purposes of admission.

Applicants whose native language is not English and have not received/will not have received a degree from an English-speaking institution will be required to provide a passing TOEFL (or approved equivalent- see below for acceptable tests) score in order to be admitted. For any test, the most recent scores are counted, and the test must not be more than two years old at the time of application (this means that tests taken prior to January 2021 cannot be considered for Fall 2023 admissions).

Tests Accepted: Stony Brook University accepts either TOEFL or IELTS scores. For Fall 2022, Stony Brook University is also accepting Duolingo, TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS Indicator. Currently, Stony Brook University does NOT accept TOEFL My Best Score.

Reporting of Scores:

For TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition, have ETS send scores to Stony Brook University using code 2548. Only electronic transmission of scores from ETS to Stony Brook University is considered official for TOEFL scores – copies of your results are not acceptable.
For IELTS, have the organization mail an official score report to the Music department.
For IELTS Indicator, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.
For Duolingo scores, email the score results you receive to the Graduate School at gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.

Minimum Scores

Minimum score requirements are as follows:

TOEFL or TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition: 80 for MA applicants
IELTS or IELTS Indicator: An overall score of 6.5 with no subsection below 6
Duolingo: 105 for MA applicants

Spoken English

All students with a TA/GA stipend whose native language is not English and who have not received/will not have received a degree from an English-speaking institution must demonstrate a sufficient level of English-speaking proficiency and may be required to take English courses based on these measures. Proficiency is determined by the speak subsection score. For TOEFL/TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition and IELTS/IELTS Indicator speak subsection scores, please see the chart below:

TOEFL iBT Speak	IELTS Speak	Course Requirement	Result
25-30	7.5 or higher	none	Eligible to TA
22-24	6.5-7	OAE 594	Eligible to TA
19-21	6	OAE 592	Eligible to run recitation and lab sessions and/or grade
15-18	5-5.5	OAE 590	Not eligible to TA

Duolingo scores will be assessed by Stony Brook University’s Linguistics department for placement into OAE courses for doctoral students and masters students who were given a TA or GA.

More information

Please see the Graduate Bulletin for further information:

https://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/graduatebulletin/current/admissions/requirements/english.php

1) Application – submitted through the Graduate and Health Sciences Admissions application system (Slate) (links on this page, above).

2) Application Fee – paid through Slate.

4) Resume/CV - submitted through Slate.

5) Three (3) Letters of Recommendation – recommenders submit through the Slate.

7) 2-3 Academic Papers – submitted through Slate. These should be original papers in music research, analysis or criticism. In addition to these, you may send papers on other subjects if you think that they support some aspect of your application for admission. Please limit your papers to those that exemplify your best work.