Over the past six decades, the music composition program at CSUN has achieved a solid reputation locally and at the national level. Our faculty composers have been featured in prestigious music festivals throughout the world and our alumni have developed successful careers in the academia or the music business. Every semester, the composition students at CSU Northridge have multiple opportunities to perform and record their music on campus, collaborate with professional ensembles and guest artists, and engage in research on contemporary music styles and techniques.
The Music Department at Cal State Northridge offers a full range of opportunities to study the art of music composition at the graduate level. The Master of Music degree in composition is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced studies in contemporary music styles and techniques, as well as composers interested in pursuing a teaching career in higher education. Scholarships ranging from $500 to $2000 per year are awarded at the end of the spring semester for many incoming and continuing students. Additionally, part-time employment opportunities involving supervising the computer lab or teaching basic music courses are available for highly qualified applicants.
The standard duration of our Master of Music degree program is four semesters. All graduate students receive private lessons in composition, while taking additional courses in advanced orchestration, analysis, electronic music, conducting, research, music history, and pedagogy. At the end of this intensive program of study, all students are required to present a recital of their works.
Alumni Links
Find out what recent graduates of the music composition program at CSUN are doing.
