2024-2025 Academic Catalog & Handbooks

Oct 31, 2025

2024-2025 Academic Catalog & Handbooks [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Doctor of Musical Arts, Performance - Vocal (Distance Learning)

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Statement of Purpose

The Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance (Distance Learning) degree is an academic degree in music that has been designed to provide professional training for the vocalist who wishes to focus on performance through courses in voice, pedagogy and performance styles. The course of study is intended for students planning to work at the most advanced academic and professional levels of music endeavor. Vocal performance students study to develop and maintain an efficient vocal technique and compelling artistry.

Private voice lessons, vocal coaching, music theory, music history and literature, opera literature, art song repertoire, and vocal pedagogy are vital components of the degree program. Students have the opportunity to gain essential stage skills and experience through participation in University of Mobile stage productions (opera, musical theater, and theater), and other events, which complement and build on work in the voice studio.

This program is uniquely designed to prepare students for performance and teaching across multiple styles, including contemporary, musical theatre, opera, and others.

Criteria for Admission to the DMA Program

Admissions Requirements

Proficiencies required for entrance to the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance (Distance Learning) program will be determined by placement exams. Students who do not pass these exams will be required to take remedial coursework.

If the students do not have previous collegiate study in Italian, French, and German, one semester each of French (FR 101), German for Musicians (GER 101), and/or Italian for Musicians (IT 101) will be required to achieve competency. Credit toward their degree will not be given for remedial coursework required to meet these proficiencies.

Students must have attained a master’s degree from an accredited university in order to apply for the DMA. A grade point average of 3.5 in previous graduate work will be required for entrance to the program (A = 4).

Minimum Number of Credit Hours Required

90 semester hours of accredited collegiate work are required beyond the baccalaureate for the Doctor of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance (Distance Learning) degree plan.

DMA in Vocal Performance (Distance Learning) Curriculum

The Doctorate of Musical Arts in Vocal Performance Curriculum consists of forty-nine to fifty-four graduate semester hours

MU 701 Analysis of Tonal Music

MU 702 Advanced Analysis

MU 706 Seminar in Literature and Style in Performance I

MU 707 Seminar in Literature and Style in Performance II

MU 710 Music History Seminar I

MU 711 Music History Seminar II

MU 744 Advanced Vocal Pedagogy

MU 790 Research Methods

MU 896 Comprehensive Examination

MU 899 Document Research

MU 897 Dissertation Defense

Graduate Applied Voice

MUA 731 Graduate Applied Voice (4 consecutive semesters)

Graduate Applied Vocal Coaching

MUA 757 Graduate Applied Vocal Coaching (4 consecutive semesters)

MUA 705 Doctoral Recital I

MUA 805 Doctoral Recital II

Cognate Courses (In addition to the required courses listed above, the DMA student will choose a cognate area from the two areas listed below.)

1) Vocal Pedagogy Cognate Courses:

MU 744 Advanced Vocal Pedagogy (Since this course is included in the DMA required courses listed above, students who choose this cognate will need to take another 3-hour elective course in order for the student to earn the required hours for graduation.)

MU 845 Comparative Vocal Pedagogy

MU 846 Historical Vocal Pedagogy

MU 847 Musical Theatre Vocal Pedagogy

2) Worship Leadership Cognate Courses:

WL 715 Practical Technologies for Today’s Worship Leader

WL 752 Relational Issues in Worship

WL 754 History and Philosophy of Music and Worship

WL 755 Practical Skills in Worship

Remedial coursework if needed:

MU 545 Advanced Italian Diction

MU 546 Advanced French Diction

MU 547 Advanced German Diction

FR 101 Elementary French I

GR 101 German for Musicians

IT 101 Italian for Musicians

*Students who have completed the Master of Music requirements from the University of Mobile, including all required music history courses (MU 510 Music History Seminar I & MU 511 Music History Seminar II), may enroll in MU 750 Music of the World. This will avoid duplication of previously-taken graduate music history courses. All other doctoral students may enroll in this course for credit, as an elective, but it may not be substituted for a required graduate music history course in their degree plan without committee approval.

Hours to Degree

49-54 hours are needed to graduate with a Doctor of Music Arts in Vocal Performance (Distance Learning) degree.