School of Music Graduate Student Proficiency Exams

• You must have a BU email account and Kerberos password in order to register for, and to access, the exams. If you missed the e-mail invitation or are have trouble setting up your BU ID and/or password, please contact ithelp@bu.edu.
• You can take the exam(s) from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Please note that not all students need to take both exams, please see above for program requirements.
• You may not retake the proficiency exam. Please plan accordingly.
• It is extremely important that you complete your exam(s) entirely on your own, without consulting anyone else, any print materials or any other online resources. It is in your own best interest to be honest, as these tests will help us determine if you need to take theory and/or musicology review courses before proceeding to graduate coursework.
• If the results of your proficiency exam(s) determine that you must take a review course (see below), please note that these courses do not carry graduate credit and therefore they cannot be applied toward the degree.
• You will receive your exam results and discuss them with your faculty advisor prior to the start of school. The results will have a bearing on your course registration.
• Opt-Out Policy: You are permitted to opt out of taking the proficiency exams and to be automatically placed in remedial courses. Please see more information below.

You are permitted to opt out of taking the Music Theory and/or Music History proficiency exams, in accordance with procedures and guidelines stated here:

• To opt out of an exam, you may simply not register for that exam.
• If you elect to opt out of the Music Theory exam, you will need to register for MT 401, the remedial theory course. Please note that this course does not carry graduate credit and therefore cannot be applied toward the degree. In order to proceed to -600-level for-credit courses, you must complete MT 401 with a grade of B- or higher.
• If you elect to opt out of the Music History exam, you will need to register for MH 401, the remedial history course. Please note that this course does not carry graduate credit and therefore cannot be applied toward the degree. In order to proceed to -600-level for-credit courses, you must complete MH 401 with a grade of B- or higher.

All Boston University School of Music Graduate Students are required to have a working knowledge of Western music theory. The exam covers basic harmony, interval identification, tonal and post-tonal analysis, chord structures, counterpoint, part-writing and terminology. The exam is split into a 1-hour Part I for placement in MT401 (Graduate Music Theory Review); a 45-minute Part II for recommendation in MT601 (Analytical Techniques I), and a 30-minute Part III for recommendation in MT602 (Analytical Techniques II). You can take these parts separately, but you only have one chance at each, without the opportunity for a break.

Format

The exam is split into the following parts:

• Part I (1-hour) for placement in MT401 (Graduate Music Theory Review)
• Part II (45-minutes) for recommendation in MT601 (Analytical Techniques I)
• Part III (30-minutes) for recommendation in MT602 (Analytical Techniques II)
• You can take these parts separately, but you only have one chance at each, without the opportunity for a break.
  

Scoring

• In order to place out of MT401, Graduate Music Theory Review, you must achieve a minimum score of 80% on Part I of the exam. If you score less than 80%, you will be required to complete MT401 with a grade of B- or higher before moving on to any graduate (600-level or higher) music theory courses.
• Your score on Parts II and III of the exam will be used to recommend what graduate-level theory courses you may take (MT601, MT602, or higher-level courses). This will be clearly outlined on your exam results, which you will discuss with your advisor. But again, you cannot proceed to graduate theory courses until you have successfully completed MT401, if you are required to take this review class as per your proficiency exam results.
• You may not retake the proficiency exam. Please plan accordingly.

A basic working knowledge of Western music history is expected for Boston University School of Music students.

Format

• The exam is in two parts, corresponding to the range of a typical two-semester undergraduate survey of the period from the Middle Ages to the present. Both parts consist of a series of 20 multiple choice questions.

Results

• Depending on the strengths and weaknesses that are revealed by the exam, you may be advised to take either MH401, Graduate Music History Review I, or MH402, Graduate Music History Review II.

After you have received your BU Kerberos login information, you can register for your required exams.

1. Log onto the Blackboard site, where you will register for your required exams.
2. Click “Course Catalogue” in the upper right corner of the window.
3. To self-enroll for the Music Theory exam, search Theory 2025 in the catalogue.
   • Under the course code, hover over the small arrow and click “Enroll”.
4. To self-enroll for the Musicology exam, search Musicology 2025 in the catalogue.
   • Under the course code, hover over the small arrow and click “Enroll”.

After registration, you will click on the link(s) for your required test(s). Directions for taking the exam(s) will appear on the screen. You must “sign” the academic originality agreement to see the tests.