General Information: Collegiate Courses & Graduate Studies

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Faculty
Summer courses are taught by Eastman faculty and by invited guests from around the world. Some courses and institutes may be taught by advanced graduate students with a special expertise in a particular area of study.

Scheduling of Summer Courses
Summer collegiate courses are offered in a variety of formats; some are three weeks in length (ex. Summers-Only Music Education program), but most are six weeks in length. Consult the Summer@Eastman website or contact the Summer@Eastman office to determine the combination of classes that will be possible. In general, a full load in the summer session should not exceed seven credits; however, the specific schedule of class times may allow more than this.

Summer academic advisers are available to assist with the organization of your summer program, and students should consult them about choices whenever possible.

Students who are currently in Eastman degree programs should confer with their regular advisers during the spring semester to determine the most appropriate courses to fulfill degree requirements. For special students, contact Pillar Boucher, Summer Session Program Manager, at (585) 274-1074 or summer@esm.rochester.edu.

Transfer of credits
All regular Eastman courses carry the same number of graduate credits in summer session as they do during the academic year. Graduate credits earned in summer session classes may be applied to degree programs at Eastman, or may be transferred to graduate degree programs at other institutions. In all cases, students should consult with their own academic advisers on this before enrolling in the course. To transfer credits to another institution, students must complete a Transcript Request Form, available in the Registrar’s Office.

Summers-Only Status in Music Education
The Master of Music in Music Education and Master of Arts in Music Education are graduate degrees that may be undertaken through summer study. Most graduate students enrolled in these programs have full-time jobs during the academic year. They are fine musicians and serious scholars who are working to become leaders in our profession, and they appreciate the flexibility of summer study.

Complete information on these programs of study may be found at:
http://www.esm.rochester.edu/registrar/policy/07-00/#07.02.05
http://www.esm.rochester.edu/registrar/policy/06-00/#06.02.09
https://www.esm.rochester.edu/mtl/summers-only/

Summers-Only Enrollment

If you are a returning Summers-Only Master’s student, you may enroll in summer courses beginning April 1, 2024.

If you are a newly admitted Summers-Only Master’s student, Dr. Snell will contact you on or about April 15, 2024 to give you information about your program of study, including studio assignments, Music Theory and Music History placement test information, and suggestions for courses in which to enroll. When your enrollment deposit has been received at Eastman, you will be eligible to enroll for 2024 summer courses.

If you are thinking about applying for or enrolling in a Summer Master’s degree program, please contact Dr. Alden Snell at asnell@esm.rochester.edu (585-274-1545).

Summers-Only Advising

All students matriculated in the Summers-Only Master’s degree programs will be advised by Dr. Alden Snell, asnell@esm.rochester.edu (585-274-1545). Please be sure to communicate with him before enrolling in summer courses.

Summers-Only Status Is Not Available in Other Majors

Students in other majors are not permitted to complete a graduate degree program through summer session enrollment only. Once admitted, students may not change to Summers-Only status for the purpose of avoiding continuous enrollment.

Placement Examinations in Music Theory and Music History

All entering graduate students are required to take placement examinations in music theory and music history at the beginning of their graduate enrollment. Students must sit for these exams upon entry to all MA/MM and DMA/Ph.D degree programs. Students may take these exams only once.

Scheduling Placement Examinations

Information for 2024 coming soon! We will update this page when details are confirmed.

Remedial courses

Students whose background in music theory is found to be deficient will be required to take one or both of the remedial music theory courses: TH 117 and TH 118, Theory, Analysis and Musicianship Review (1.5 credits each). Students whose music history background is found to be deficient will be required to make up for this in a manner that may vary from individual to individual. Some may be required to take MHS 119, Music History in Review (1.5 credits), a review course that does not count toward the total required credits for any degree, and cannot be used as elective credit.

If the results of the exam indicate that the student must enroll for remedial course(s), then the student must enroll for at least one remedial course immediately. If both TH 117 and TH 118 are required, TH 117 must be completed successfully before the student can enroll in TH 118. For summer session only, if an insufficient number of students register for a remedial class, the class will be converted into a “private or semi-private tutorial” that will guide students through the required course material.

Applied Study – How to Register

Private instruction is available in voice, organ, piano, harpsichord, guitar, and band and orchestral instruments. Online registration for applied study is now available to matriculated students. The Summer@Eastman Director will contact you to confirm your applied teacher. Students register by instrument as undergraduate or graduate students using the listed course numbers. AMU refers to applied music; be sure to indicate the instrument or voice when registering.

Special students (those not enrolled in degree programs) may request applied study as a part of their summer registration. All requests for applied study must be made by June 1 in order to determine the availability of a teacher for the summer. Auditions will be required for special students. Scheduling for this instruction is on a “to be arranged” basis; once you are notified by the Summer@Eastman Director that you have been assigned a teacher, you must personally contact that teacher to set up a lesson time for the six weeks of Summer@Eastman.

All requests for applied lessons, from both degree students and special students, will be processed by Pilar Boucher, Summer Session Program Manager. You may contact her at pboucher@esm.rochester.edu or (585) 274-1074.

Doctor of Musical Arts Degree Program/Lecture Recital Procedures

Students who wish to present a lecture recital during the summer session should consult the Graduate Studies website for complete information: www.esm.rochester.edu/grad

A lecture recital information sheet is also available in the Graduate Office, ESM103, GradStudies@esm.rochester.edu.

Students must register with the Eastman Registrar (not the Summer@Eastman Office) in person for “ESM 503 Lecture Recital.”

Thesis and Dissertation Enrollment

Candidates for Eastman School graduate degrees who plan to register for thesis or dissertation credits during the Summer@Eastman are required to notify the appropriate department chair by May 15 in order to ensure the availability of a faculty adviser during the summer. Other questions about graduate requirements and deadlines should be addressed to the Graduate Office (ESM 103) or GradStudies@esm.rochester.edu.

Auditing a Course (not applicable to Institutes)

Eastman students who are matriculated in a degree program have the option of auditing collegiate-level coursework in the summer. Fee information is available here. Summer institutes and workshops do not have an audit option.

Permission to audit must be received from the instructor, and any change of registration from credit to audit (or vice versa) must be accomplished before the completion of half of the class. Before student audit status is approved, the prospective auditor must reach agreement with the professor of the course to be audited concerning attendance or other expectations to be met by the student. Registration on an audit basis is subject to capacity constraints.

Absence Policy

Regular and prompt class attendance is considered to be a crucial part of the learning process at the Eastman School of Music. For this reason, attendance policies for courses and ensembles are determined and managed by the faculty and the departments. In all cases, it is a student’s responsibility to notify faculty in advance of any planned class absence and to discuss the impact on successful completion of the course of study. Students are expected to do this well in advance and to make up all missed work in a timely manner.

The Eastman School of Music expects that its students will be presented with opportunities for professional growth and development. These may include job interviews, auditions for professional positions or graduate schools, and exceptional performance opportunities. Students are responsible for notifying each of their instructors well in advance.

All students who are absent from class for an extended period of time, or for a personal or medical emergency, should contact the Office of Academic Affairs so that their teachers may be notified. These notifications do not signify approval but are sent to instructors as a courtesy.

In some cases, the Dean of the School may authorize absences from classes due to special events or performing opportunities. The names of students involved in such organized activities must be reported to the Office of Academic Affairs in advance of each event. This report must describe all necessary information, including dates of absences and the specific purpose of the activity. The Office of Academic Affairs will notify faculty of the impending absence.

Eastman Student Discount

We want to encourage current collegiate Eastman matriculated students from any degree program to participate in our Summer@Eastman institutes. We are pleased to offer you a $100 discount on any noncredit institute registration (except two-day or three-day institutes) for which you yourself register.

Alumni Discount

We want alumni to return to Eastman and enrich their musical lives with us! If you are a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and are not currently matriculated as an ESM student, we are pleased to offer you a $100 discount on any institute (except two-day or three-day institutes) or collegiate course for which you yourself register. This discount is not applicable to other family members.

Financial Support for Summer Study

Eastman’s Financial Aid Office is located in the Student Services Suite at Miller Center, 25 Gibbs Street, (financialaid@esm.rochester.edu; 585-274-1070). A Federal Direct Loan may be available to assist summer students who are matriculated in a degree program and enrolled for six or more credit hours. The amount of loan obtained for summer study will be included in the student’s maximum federal loan eligibility for the 2023–2024 academic year. To apply, a student must complete:

  • 2023-2024 Free Application for Federal Student Aid
  • Eastman Summer 2024 Aid Application

Matriculated students registered for less than 6 credit hours may be able to secure a private summer loan through a participating bank of lender. Students should exhaust all other options prior to applying for a private loan.

All summer loans are distributed to student accounts no earlier than the first week of summer classes. For students borrowing additional funds to cover living expenses, a credit balance will not be available until a refund is requested (https://www.rochester.edu/adminfinance/bursar/refund.html) from the Bursar’s Office. Checks typically take 7–10 days to process.

For more information, contact the Financial Aid Office at 585-274-1070 or email financialaid@esm.rochester.edu

Refunds and Cancellations

Students dropping any course but not replacing that course with another of equal or higher credit value will receive a 100% refund prior to the first class session or lesson. After the first class/lesson there is no automatic tuition refund, but when circumstances necessitating the course withdrawal are beyond the student’s control (serious illness, or death in the student’s family, for example), exceptions to the above policy may be granted.

All courses listed in this summer catalog will be offered. However, if there is insufficient enrollment as of June 1, courses may be cancelled.

Health Coverage Requirements for Summer Collegiate Students

We strongly urge all students to carry private health insurance. If you were registered as a full-time Eastman student during the past year, the student health fee you previously paid will cover you for the summer session for similar health benefits.

If you are attending summer session and will be entering Eastman in the fall as a new full-time student, you are required to immediately apply for health coverage through the University Health Service. Please see http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/studentinsurance/index.html for the enrollment form.

If you are a Summers-Only degree student, you will not have coverage under the UHS plan.

Available Health Services

A health RA is available at specific times in the Eastman Student Living Center during summer session at no charge. If you need to see a doctor, the University Health Service charges standard community rates if you are not covered by UHS policy. It is highly recommended that you check your current private policy for existing coverage.