Degrees

The UNT Jazz program offers the following degrees:

Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies

 

Master of Music in Jazz Studies

 

DMA in Performance - Jazz Concentration

 

Graduate Artist Certificate in Music Performance

The Graduate Artist Certificate in Music Performance is a non-degree program providing an intensive, two-year period of post-baccalaureate study in music performance. It is intended for exceptionally gifted and accomplished performers seeking professional performing careers, but not wishing to engage in academic studies required for a graduate degree program.


Jazz studies courses can be taken to fulfill elective or related field requirements in other UNT degrees. Admission to the related field in jazz studies is by audition. For more information, see the UNT Graduate Catalog. Many jazz studies courses are available for proficiency credit. At the start of each long semester, exams are given to enable those who can show that they have equivalent skills or knowledge to receive proficiency credit.

Note to current graduate students

The most authoritative information comes from the catalog and directly from the Jazz Studies Chair or from the College of Music Office of Graduate Studies, not from your fellow students and not from a website (even this one--there are hundreds of pages on this site and at certain times they may not be 100% accurate). You can help yourself avoid expensive surprises by seeing your advisor now to do a draft degree plan if you have earned fewer than 12 graduate hours, and a degree plan that you will file formally if you have earned more than 12 hours.

About our program

In 1947, The University of North Texas became first university in the nation to offer a degree program in jazz. Today, the North Texas jazz program, housed within the largest music school in the nation, retains its role as leader in jazz education. It has earned an international reputation for excellence in both the music education field and the professional jazz industry. The UNT One O'Clock Lab Band is the centerpiece of the program, which offers bachelor and master of music degrees in jazz studies. Ten faculty, each renowned and respected in the field, instruct nearly 400 majors in areas of applied instrumental performance, vocal jazz and composition/arranging. Roughly 75 majors are recipients of endowed jazz scholarships. America's Best Graduate Schools has been published annually by U.S. News & World Report since 1987. They began ranking graduate jazz programs in 1994 and the UNT Jazz Studies program was ranked number one in 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. After 1997, the publication stopped ranking graduate programs in music.

Revisions in the M.M. in Jazz Studies were approved by the UNT Graduate Council on Sept. 21, 2006.