Graduate Admission FAQs

School of Music
Ed Landreth Hall 120
TCU Box 297500
Fort Worth, TX 76129

School of Art
Moudy North 245
TCU Box 298000
Fort Worth, TX 76129

*Note that transcripts must be sent directly to the TCU Registrar’s Office:

Registrar’s Office – Transcript
TCU Box 297005
Fort Worth, TX 76129

Or electronically via email to: tcugradstudies@tcu.edu

Applications are available online.

 

In order to be considered official, transcripts must be mailed directly from the registrar’s office to the TCU Registrar’s Office, whether you are applying for the School of Music or the School of Art.

Registrar’s Office – Transcript
TCU Box 297005
Fort Worth, TX 76129

Or electronically via email to: tcugradstudies@tcu.edu

Two official transcripts from each university you have attended must be sent directly to the  TCU Registrar’s Office, whether you are applying for the School of Music or the School of Art. This includes any junior college or university where you may have taken a summer course.

If you are an international student, these will need to be translated by an official translator into English. They will need to be sent in sealed envelopes directly to the university.

Three. A form will be sent to the email you list for each person writing a letter of recommendation.

Or, you can have the person write an original letter in his/her own words and send the letter in a sealed envelope to the office of the program you are applying for:

School of Music
Ed Landreth Hall 120
TCU Box 297500
Fort Worth, TX 76129

School of Art
Moudy North 245
TCU Box 298000
Fort Worth, TX 76129

It is your choice who sends the letters of recommendation. (For example: you may have been out of school for an extended period of time. You may want employers or co-workers to send letters of recommendation.)

The General GRE is required for DMA applicants in composition. It is required for master’s degree applicants in art history, composition, musicology, music education and music theory.

A combined score of 300 on the verbal and quantitative portions of the test is required.  On the analytical writing portion of the test, a score of four is required.

  • Sign up for the GRE here
  • TCU’s school code for the GRE: R6820

If you want to be considered for an assistantship, apply early. For the fall semester, it is best to apply before Feb. 1. Apply before Nov. 1 for the spring semester. We do not have a separate application form for assistantships. Check the box on your admissions application that you wish to be considered for an assistantship.

Most assistantships require approximately 10 hours per week. Duties will be determined by your department chair or faculty advisor.

The assistantship is paid on a bi-weekly basis. Take the amount of the assistantship and divide it by half the number of weeks in the fall and spring semesters (usually around 17 to 18). That will give you the amount of your bi-weekly check. Checks start in mid-September.

Save and print your graduate bulletin for the year and semester you start your graduate studies program. This can be found connecting through the TCU registrar’s homepage. It is your graduation contract with TCU. Your graduate bulletin (catalog) contains information outlining rules, regulations, graduation and your degree plan.

Check apartment availability at the Residential Services website.
 You can learn more about off-campus living here.

In order to be considered for admission to the TCU graduate music program, all international students must complete the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS or Duoloingo and achieve one of the following scores:

  • 80 on the iBT, TOEFL
  • 6.5 on the IELTS
  • 105 on the Duolingo English test

This requirement applies to prospective international students coming from abroad as well as those coming to TCU from another college or university in the United States. Official scores must be sent to TCU from the testing agency.

Students who have earned a degree (in music) at an English-language university may be exempted from taking the TOEFL, at the discretion of the Graduate Standards Committee.

The on-campus interview and submitted writing samples will also be used to evaluate each applicant’s English language proficiency. International students may be asked to interview via teleconference to ascertain listening and speaking ability in English.

  • Sign up for the TOEFL exam here
  • TCU code: R6820

You will be responsible for student fees, student medical insurance, housing and living expenses as a graduate student. If you are given an assistantship, that will help cover the cost of student fees, housing and living expenses, but it may not cover everything. If you are awarded tuition only, it will only pay for your tuition.

For visa purposes, TCU estimates student expenses. Take the total estimate and subtract the amount of your tuition award and assistantship. The remainder is the amount that your sponsor will need to be responsible for on your financial statement.

(For example: If the estimated amount for a student to live and study on for a year is $49,300, and the TCU tuition and assistantship award is $37,000, then the student will need to prove that his family is able and willing to provide the additional $12,300. per year.) This is a necessary step in order to obtain an I-20 and ultimately a visa.