Master of Music in Music Theory

The Department of Music at UT Arlington offers M.M. students in music theory an environment to refine the scholarly, pedagogical, and presentational skills that are vital to a successful career in the academic field.  The degree includes a variety of seminars that cover topics ranging from Formal-Function Theory to Post-Tonal Analysis, as well as room to complement secondary interests in areas such as composition, performance, and history.

The UTA Department of Music has over 300 undergraduate and 40 graduate students.  UTA students not only benefit from the extraordinary facilities existing in the Music Department but also by its location. UTA is situated only at a short driving distance from the two large urban areas of Dallas and Fort Worth. Both of these cities, as well as Arlington itself, are known for cultural events, concerts, art museums, professional sports and entertainment activities. The benefits our students receive from this rich cultural environment extend beyond the opportunities to attend concerts.

Admission Requirements

To apply for admission, please visit the Music Department Graduate Admissions page, and submit both a prospective music student application and a University application (through “ApplyUTA”).  Applicants also submit:

  • 3 letters of recommendation (e-mailed to Dr. Clifton Evans (cevans@uta.edu) and/or Dr. Hunt (gghunt@uta.edu)
  • Writing samples, preferably with analytical content of some kind

Incoming students must have completed a Bachelor’s degree at the time of enrollment.  We also perform transcript reviews to assess students’ proficiency in analysis and history; remedial coursework may be required based on this review. 

Applicants wishing to be considered for assistantships (when available) must also submit:

  • Letter of Application for the Assistantship
  • CV / Resume

Applicants for the assistantship will complete a sample teaching demonstration to assess their potential teaching abilities.

Curriculum

The degree allows students an opportunity to explore secondary interests such as composition, performance, and technology along with the required coursework.

Music Theory Area Coordinator

Dr. Graham Hunt, Ph.D. Duke University

Department of Music

Associate Chair, Professor, Music Theory and Composition Area Coordinator

Area: Music Theory and Composition

Graham Hunt

Email: gghunt@uta.edu

Phone #: 817-272-2446

Office: FA 304

Bio: Graham Hunt is Professor of Musicology and Music Theory at the University of Texas at Arlington. He received his Ph.D. in Musicology from Duke University. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in music theory journals, including 2 articles in the most pre-eminent journal in the field of Music Theory, Music Theory Spectrum. He has also presented 5 times at the national meeting of the Society of Music Theory. He served as President of the Texas Society Music Theory from 2011-2014. He has given the keynote speech for the Oklahoma City University Theory Conference and has been a guest speaker at the Music Theory Lecture Series at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the University of Texas at Austin. He has published on subjects such as Wagner, Neo-Riemannian analysis, the Three-Key Exposition in Sonata forms, and, most recently, problematic rondo forms in Classical and 19th-Century finales, in journals such as Journal for Schenkerian Studies, Integral, Theory and Practice, 19th-Century Music Review, and Music Theory Spectrum. He was also selected to be the Grace and Joseph Valentine Visiting Professor at Amherst College (Massachusetts) in 2009. His latest research applies the groundbreaking theories of William Caplin, "Formal-Function Analysis," which was derived from the theories of Arnold Schoenberg to examine formal ambiguities that have previous defied traditional analytical interpretations, such as three-key expositions, truncated rondo forms, and opera arias, duets, and ensembles. Most recently, he was been invited to contribute a chapter to "Mozart Operas", a volume published by Leuven press, on Sonata forms in Mozart's operas, published an article in Music Analysis (published in the UK) on "Diverging Subordinate Themes" in sonata forms ranging from Scarlatti to Bruckner, and contributed a chapter to “Wagner studies” on formal functions of leitmotivs in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin. This November, he will present a paper on “Lesser, Redundant and Inconvenient Rondo Forms” at the national Society for Music Theory, which will be held virtually.