Academic Policies, Goals, and Outcomes

Academic Policies

Mary Pappert School of Music Repeating Courses Policy

The Mary Pappert School of Music follows the Duquesne University Repeating Courses Policy for all programs.

Ensemble Credit Policy

Large Ensembles Code Type

Small Ensembles Code Type

*See voice tally sheet for specific ensemble requirements and restrictions.

Other Ensembles Code Type

Chamber Ensembles Code Type

Chamber Ensembles coded courses meet 50 minutes/week if enrollment is 5 or fewer students. If enrollment is 6 or more students, Chamber Ensembles coded courses meet 100 minutes/week.

Chamber Music Class Code Type

Note: Some of the ensembles listed above require an audition for entrance. Specific degree programs may also require additional ensembles. Please refer to the degree tally sheet for details.

Degree Recital Policies and Procedures

Students should refer to the syllabus for their specific recital to find the requirements related to repertoire, program length, and any other area-specific requirements. The recital scheduling process is found at duq.edu/recitals.

Applied Lesson Policy

Every music major will receive 14 weeks of lessons and perform a jury or recital each semester. The following formula is used for both Undergraduate and Graduate Applied Lessons:

Two Credits=14, 60-minute weekly lessons (840 total minutes), plus a jury or recital
One Credit=14, 30-minute weekly lessons (420 total minutes), plus a jury or recital

Graduate Requirements

• Performance Majors (Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Organ, Voice, Piano): four semesters on primary instrument, two credits per semester
• Performance Majors (Collaborative Piano): four semesters of applied piano, plus four semesters of collaborative piano (1 credit/semester)
• Performance Majors (Percussion): four semesters of 14, one-hour, weekly lessons for two credits plus 14, 30-minute, weekly lessons for one credit

Additional Applied Study Options (with the permission of the instructor, Area Coordinator, Department Chair, and Dean)

• Graduate Performance—Jazz Emphasis majors may take two credits of lessons, dividing those into two, 1-credit lessons each in classical and jazz.
• Graduate Performance majors may take two credits of lessons, dividing those into two, 1-credit lessons each in classical and jazz. (See procedure below regarding dividing lessons.)
• Graduate Organ and Sacred Music majors may take four semesters of 1-credit lessons in applied piano.
• Graduate Voice majors may take up to two additional credits of piano (one credit maximum/semester) upon successful completion of group piano classes.
• In exceptional cases, Piano and Voice majors may take an additional 1-credit of lessons in jazz in addition to their 2-credit lesson on their primary instrument. These requests must be approved in advance of registration by the individuals mentioned above.
• Requests not covered by the above situations must be submitted to the Associate Dean for formal approval, once the instructor, Area Coordinator, and Department Chair have given their approvals.

Students interested in dividing 2-credit lessons into two, 1-credit lessons each in classical and jazz, must first submit a Division of Applied Lessons Form to the Performance Department Chair. The chair will then discuss the request with the applied instructor, the faculty advisor, degree Program Director or appropriate chair, and the Jazz Area Coordinator. The student will be notified in writing whether the request is approved or not.

Incomplete (“I”) Grades

An incomplete grade ("I") is a temporary grade given when neither a passing nor failing grade can be determined because of incomplete coursework due to extreme and unforeseen extenuating circumstances. To be considered for an I grade, the student should have completed a majority of coursework and attended a majority of classes in the course. Upon assigning the I grade, the instructor should provide the student with a delimited set of coursework requirements to complete to be assigned a final grade. As such, it should be unnecessary for students to attend the same class in a subsequent semester in order to make up incomplete work.

For all music courses, students must request an I grade by completing the Incomplete Grade Request Form which can be found on the Student Success page on DORI (duq.edu/MusicStudents). Prior to completing this form, students should review the full Incomplete Grade Policy in the University Catalog. The student, with specific guidance from the course instructor, must fill out the entire form and then gain approvals from all individuals as listed in the table at the end of the form. These approvals should be obtained through an email that is sent from the student to all parties with the form attached, with each faculty member or administrator using the “reply all” feature. Students will not be granted an incomplete grade without prior approval from all individuals (instructor of the course, faculty advisor, Department Chair/Program Director, Associate Dean). Once email approvals from the instructor, faculty advisor, and Department Chair/Program Director are obtained, the Associate Dean may require a meeting with the student. The Associate Dean will “reply all” with a final decision regarding an Incomplete grade.

The timing of an Incomplete Grade request should ideally occur prior to the start of final exams, although unforeseen extenuating circumstances may prevent that. For any music course, instructors are not permitted to enter an I grade for any student unless the form is completed and submitted appropriately. The only exception to this is if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing the form. In that case, the instructor must communicate via email with the Associate Dean with a cc to the student regarding the need to enter an I grade and include the following:

• Student name
• Course name
• Reason for I grade, including any documentation supporting unforeseen extenuating circumstances
• Student’s current grade in the course
• List of assignments/work to be completed, including original due dates and new due dates
• Date the instructor will submit the final grade for the student whether or not all work is completed (date must be before deadline indicated on university calendar)
• For these exceptions, the Associate Dean will respond to the faculty member and student with a final decision regarding an Incomplete Grade for the course.

Restrictions on Time

Master of Music Degree Students

A full-time student normally takes fifteen credits per year, which is divided into one semester of seven credits and one semester of eight credits. A minimum of seven credits is needed for full-time status.

See the Duquesne University policy on Degree Completion (Statute of Limitations)

Master of Music in Music Therapy Students

Students have a 6-year window to obtain the degree. After 6 years, students have the option to appeal for a one-year extension; students can make two such appeals.

Artist Diploma Students

Artist Diploma students will be enrolled full time for four consecutive semesters, or two academic years of study.

Residency

Course requirements are met in residence. Certain programs include online/distance courses.

Transferred Graduate Credit

Master of Music Degree Students

With the approval of the Chair of Performance, a maximum of six graduate credits taken at an accredited institution may be accepted toward the master's degree. Official transcripts and catalog course descriptions from the institution must be submitted for evaluation. Note: Courses that were taken at the undergraduate level at Duquesne or another institution may not be used to satisfy graduate-level courses.

Artist Diploma Students

The program consists of 30 credits taken at Duquesne University. No credits may be transferred from any other institution.

Please see the Academic Policies section of the University Catalog for all other academic policies and procedures.

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Program Goals and Outcomes

The goal of the Mary Pappert School of Music is the development of a well-rounded professional musician who is well-equipped to contribute to the contemporary musical world.

To meet that goal, the Mary Pappert School of Music aims to develop in each student the highest caliber of individual performance informed by current music scholarship. See the Music School's Academic Policies for more information.

General Goals for all Graduate Degree Programs

The School of Music has a common body of knowledge and skills for all graduate degree areas. These fall broadly into the following categories: Professional Competence, Musicianship, Creativity and Scholarship, and Pedagogy and Communication. The chart below demonstrates how these school-level goals link to the Dimensions of a Duquesne University: