Graduate Admissions and Assistantships

The University of Nevada, Reno Department of Music is proud to announce the acceptance of applications to its doctor of musical arts degree program. In addition to doctoral degrees in instrumental, vocal performance and conducting, the department of music offers ample opportunities to pursue master's degrees in all areas from conducting to musicology and composition to performance.

The University of Nevada, Reno offers a wide range of graduate teaching assistantships and other financial incentives to its graduate students, including insurance eligibility and in-state tuition rates. Graduate teaching assistantships range from 10-20 hour workloads per week and include a tuition reduction covering the non-resident portion of tuition for out of state students. Although each year rates vary, during the present academic year, total stipends equal anywhere from $8,000 to $16,000 and are distributed in monthly paychecks throughout the course of each semester. Since the number of positions are limited and the offers are competitive, applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early. The deadline for University applications is March 1st, but a limited amount of late applications are accepted into late March. For priority consideration for scholarships and assistantships, applicants must apply by February 1st.

Follow these admission process steps in order to be considered for the graduate program in music.

• Step One: Contact the lead faculty in your area

  Admission and audition preparation

  Find out the particular admission and audition requirements for your program from faculty in your area. For questions, please contact Louis Niebur.
• Step Two: Apply to the Graduate School

  Get your NSHE ID

  Apply to the Graduate School and fill out the application for University scholarships which is a part of the admission application. You will be assigned a Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) ID. This is a system-wide ID issued to students applying to schools within NSHE. Once you apply, the ID is emailed to you.
• Step Three: Apply for a department of music scholarship

  Scholarship application form

  The 2020-21 scholarship application form is no longer available. Check back on November 1, 2020 for the 2021-2022 scholarship application form.

  Mail to:

  University of Nevada, Reno
  Department of Music Scholarships / 0226
  Reno, NV 89557-0226

  Important notice

  To be considered for any institutional scholarship, including department of music scholarships, all students must complete the graduate and undergraduate scholarship application in MyNEVADA. The deadline for this is February 1st annually.

  To be eligible for consideration for scholarships which require or prefer financial need, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and include federal school code 002568-00. This must be done between October 1 and February 1 annually. Students not eligible to complete the FAFSA (such as international students or students with DACA status), may complete the Institutional Methodology for Non-FAFSA Eligible Students Form and submit it between October 1 and February 1 annually.

  The department of music accepts music scholarship applications from incoming freshman, transfer students, continuing students and graduate students. To be eligible for consideration, students must apply for admission to the University (including submission of official transcripts and for new first-year students, official ACT or SAT test scores) prior to application for any departmental scholarship.