The Music History Placement Exam is a two-hour online exam that all entering graduate students in Music must take prior to their first semester of study. Instructions are sent before students enter.
What is the test like?
The Music History Placement Exam tests your general knowledge of all eras of music history. The exam consists of audio excerpts of European or American music, all drawn from the Norton Anthology of Western Music. For each one you are to identify the period (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Twentieth Century) and answer specific questions about the excerpt.
The questions may ask you such things as to suggest a composer, identify the genre, identify the geographical location where the music was written, or discuss and define a specific compositional technique or form present in the excerpt.
Those wishing to study for the exam are encouraged to review any standard textbook used in Music History surveys, such as the latest edition of the Burkholder/Palisca/Grout, A History of Western Music. In particular, you should ensure that you are familiar with the terms in boldface in the text, written in the margins, and/or listed in the Glossary. It is also strongly recommended that you review the works in the Norton Anthology of Western Music (or a similar textbook anthology), including the information provided at the end of each piece.
The Music History Placement Exam may be taken only once by new students, and it may not be repeated.
What are the possible placement results of the Music History Placement Exam?
Possible placements are:
- MUS 490, Graduate Music History Review (note: this is a remedial course that does not count towards degree progress)
- Permission to register for graduate-level music history courses
I did my undergraduate degree in Music at Catholic University. Do I need to take the Music History Placement Exam?
Yes. Only master's degree students continuing on to doctorates omit this exam.