RETENTION AND MINIMUM GRADES

Conservatory graduate students must maintain a 3.0 graduate grade-point average in order to remain in good standing. A maximum of two courses not exceeding three hours of credit in each course at the 5500 or 5600 level in which C's are received shall be acceptable for the planned program of any advanced degree. No grade lower than a 3.0 (B) is acceptable in the major field.

All graduate students in the master of music and doctor of musical arts performance degree programs must enroll in Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Conservatory Wind Symphony or Conservatory Orchestra for a minimum of two semesters if their major instrument is an orchestral instrument. Master of music students in vocal performance must participate in Bella Voce, Conservatory Concert Choir or Conservatory Singers for a minimum of two semesters.

All graduate students in the doctor of musical arts conducting degree program are required to participate in at least one major ensemble, as advised by the conducting faculty, during each term of enrollment as a full-time student.

Master's students in musicology and theory, as well as doctoral students in composition, conducting and performance must satisfy language requirements for the degree.

For all M.M. students in Musicology, a grade of B- (2.7) or better in a first-semester, sophomore-level foreign language course is required. Students must study French, German or Italian unless the substitution of another language is approved by the supervisory committee. A language proficiency test may be substituted for course requirements, provided it documents language capabilities equivalent to the completion of a first-semester, sophomore-level, course. This must be approved in advance by the supervisory committee. In such cases, a letter describing the process and results must be forwarded to the chair of the supervisory committee, the musicology area coordinator, and the Conservatory Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Curriculum.

For master's students in theory as well as doctoral students in conducting and performance who speak English as their first language, a grade of B- (2.7) or better in a first-semester, sophomore-level foreign language course or C (2.0) work or better in each of two junior-level courses or in one senior-level literature or civilization course is viewed as an adequate demonstration of foreign language skills. Students must study French, German or Italian unless the substitution of another language is approved by a minimum of two-thirds of the supervisory committee. A language proficiency test, if provided by language instructors or departments, may be substituted for course requirements provided it documents language capabilities equivalent to the previously described courses. In such cases, a letter from the university language professor, describing the process and results, must be forwarded to the Conservatory Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Curriculum. Doctoral students in conducting or performance who speak English as a second language must achieve a score of 600 on the TOEFL exam. If students have not completed a TOEFL exam with a score greater than 600 before arriving at UMKC, they must complete a language test in English provided by UMKC's Applied Language Institute. All courses recommended by ALI must be successfully completed and a score of 600 on the TOEFL, or the equivalent as determined by ALI must be achieved. This policy applies to all ESL students regardless of the number of years they have studied in the United States.

The DMA in Music Composition program does not have a foreign language requirement.