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College of Music
Giving & Alumni
College of Music
Admissions

Tuition and Funding Opportunities

The College of Music and the Graduate School offers a variety of funding opportunities for graduate students.  Other than those seeking an assistantship in the Piano Area, no additional application materials are required.  To maximize consideration for financial assistance, be sure to fully complete your application by the application deadline.  For assistantship consideration, make sure your resume/CV includes all teaching, previous duties as a graduate assistant, or other relevant experiences. 

Tuition and Cost of Attendance

At MSU, you pay per credit. Not every semester will be the same. But we can estimate tuition based on a typical courseload and degree.

There is more than tuition that is figured into the cost to attend.  Other expenses include living (rent, meals, household supplies, etc.), school supplies (reeds, instrument repair, music, books, etc.), health insurance, trips back home for the summer and/or during breaks, for example.  Although MSU is not charging you for these items (unless you purchase our health insurance policy or live on campus), they should be considered in your budget.  This is a highly personal and variable part of the costs, but we can help you with an estimate.  Graduate Students should budget: 

  • Food & Housing $18,536
  • Books & Supplies $1,940
  • Personal & Misc. $3,838
  • Travel $2,558 

Domestic applicants can figure the above plus tuition into their application for loans.  International applicants will see the above in the financial proof section of the I-20 application,  Select one option from below.

A typical master’s degree is 30-32 credits depending on entrance exam results.  The cost per credit is approximately $1,700 out-of-state, and $870 in-state.  The total degree over two years would be approximately $51,000 out-of-state or $26,100 in-state.  Dividing by two for the annual estimate is a good approximation of your annual budget.  Just keep in mind that you might not distribute your credits equally between semesters, which means your tuition also will not be equally distributed. 

A typical doctoral courseload is six credits per semester.  The total cost per year (twelve credits) would be approximately $11,000 in-state and $21,000 out-of-state.  If you wish to complete the degree in three years, you will need to take more than twelve credits per year.  If you take only twelve credits per year, some amount of a fourth year will be needed.   

Funding Opportunities

The College of Music employs approximately 100 graduate students in Music as Teaching and Research Assistants. Duties include teaching an elementary course or assisting in recitation sections of elementary courses with the concomitant lecture preparation, grading of assignments, and student consultation. Other duties may include applied lessons, supervision of student teachers, accompanying, ensemble performing responsibilities, and assisting faculty in research and administrative duties. 

Graduate assistants in the College of Music are typically appointed to quarter-time positions with an average of 10 hours per week of responsibilities over the course of the semester. GA’s receive an annual stipend, 9 free credits of tuition each fall and spring semester and a health insurance plan. 

Decisions regarding graduate assistant appointments are made by individual areas within the College in consultation with the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. 

  • Scholarship consideration is based on admission to MSU and a successful audition. 
  • Scholarship awards are based on demonstration of a high level of achievement and potential. 
  • Notification of scholarship awards is sent by e-mail. 
  • Scholarship awards are counted as part of any federally funded financial aid package and may affect the overall distribution of federal funds. 
  • Endowment scholarships have specific requirements and are confirmed by a nomination and review process for those students who qualify. 

Domestic applicants might consider applying for loans.  Funding your postgraduate career is a different journey from undergrad. That’s why we have advisors dedicated especially to our graduate and professional students. Whatever your goal, we’ll help you make it happen. 

Office of Financial Aid