Certificate Requirements: 14 Credit Hours

Program

The graduate Music Performance Certificate program consists of 14 credits devoted to acquiring advanced performance skills through intensive work in applied lessons and solo/ensemble performance. It may serve as either a self-standing advanced capstone experience that builds on an undergraduate music performance degree or the certificate credit may transfer toward filling the requirements of Master of Music degree with a concentration in Music Performance provided that the student meets full admission requirements for the M.M.

Admission Requirements

Prospective students must be admitted by the College of Graduate Studies as a Non-Degree Certificate student, satisfying the following requirements:

1. Completion of a Bachelor’s degree in music or its equivalent with a minimum 2.7 cumulative GPA or its equivalent.
2. A satisfactory audition. Please see audition process and requirements for specific performance areas.
3. Submission of official copies of all undergraduate and, if appropriate, graduate transcripts.
4. Two letters of recommendation from professionals acquainted with the student’s performance abilities and experience.
5. A personal statement that includes a description of career goals and reasons for applying to the graduate Music Performance Certificate program. Prospective students should indicate in this statement whether they intend to proceed to the M.M. degree following the certificate or whether they intend to complete it as a self-standing program. Students who intend to proceed are required to formally apply for acceptance to the M.M. while completing the certificate, and they must meet the normal M.M. admission requirements in order to be considered for acceptance.
6. International students whose first language is not English and whose undergraduate degree was not completed at an institution where the primary language of instruction was English must have official TOEFL or IELTS scores submitted directly from the Testing Service to Georgia Southern University. For consideration to be admitted to the certificate program, a minimum TOEFL score of 70 or a minimum IELTS score of 6 is required. In order to continue to the M.M. degree at the completion of the certificate, a minimum TOEFL score of 80 with subscores of at least 20 in both speaking and writing is required, or an IELTS score of at least 6.5, with no single subscore below 6.0.International students who meet all other admission requirements for the certificate but are deficient in English will normally be conditionally admitted. Conditionally admitted students must successfully complete the highest level in the university’s English Language Program (ELP) and achieve a minimum score of 70 on the ELP’s standardized English proficiency exam prior to matriculating into the certificate program and taking any music classes and a minimum score of 80 prior to matriculating into the M.M. program.

Program of Study