Doctor of Sacred Music (D.S.M.)

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Description

This degree is a 30 credit program that may be completed in no less than eighteen months and no more than four years.

The Doctor of Sacred Music is a second level professional degree for persons engaged in parish music ministries as a cantor, director or minister of music, pastoral musician, pastor of worship, organist, etc., or in other contexts in which the individual serves in a sacred music capacity, such as a music missionary. Persons who possess a master’s degree in church, liturgical or sacred music, or who have earned a master’s degree in another area of music within which sacred music study was undertaken, are welcome to apply. The D.S.M. is designed to enable the candidate to develop a sequence of four units which will focus on an area of sacred music previously lacking in the candidate’s training, or focus on taking an area of musical expertise to a higher level. Students may specialize in a performance area, musical composition, research, parish music administration, or other in-ministry concerns. Study for the units may be acquired by attending a traditional graduate level course, by directed study, or through a combination of short-term courses, seminars, workshops, master classes, or private instruction at the institutions of the candidate’s choice. Depending on the nature of the plan of studies, the D.S.M. Project may take the form of a recital or a lecture-recital, a choral/instrumental performance, the writing of a traditional thesis, the composition and performance of an original work or set of works, or the development of an in-ministry activity based on the student’s particular area of interest and context need.
 
Admission Requirements
  1. Baccalaureate degree or equivalent in some area of music validated by a transcript.
  2. Master's degree in sacred music or other area of music, validated by a transcript.
  3. Five years of accumulated experience in music ministry.
  4. Completion of the Application Procedure.

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Program Requirements
  1. Students are expected to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the Student Handbook of the year of their acceptance with particular focus on their particular degree program.  Students are bound by the academic and financial requirements of the Handbook in use at the time of their acceptance.  The current Student Handbook as well as past years’ Handbooks can be viewed here. 
  2. Completion of six Units of Study:  two required from the Graduate Theological Foundation (see below), and four completed through the Foundation, through other approved educational institutions, or through the use of transfer credit.  Students may also choose to take advantage of the Foundation’s D.S.M. online curriculum.
  3. 3. Completion of the Doctoral Project and submission of one electronic copy including the Project Consultant’s evaluation forms. All academic requirements must be met by February 1 prior to graduation.
  4. Attendance at the Convocation/Graduation (Non-US residents are exempt from this requirement).

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Study Options 

This program requires the completion of six Units of Study. A Unit of Study is defined as 40 contact hours of instruction, and is equivalent to a 3-credit graduate-level course, one Unit of Clinical Pastoral Education, or 4 Continuing Education Units.

Units of Study may be completed through the Foundation, from other approved venues, or by using transfer credit.

The Study Options button on the Foundation’s website under the heading Academics lists the course offerings of the Foundation and provides information about the various methods of earning Units of Study for your degree.

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Online Curriculum

For further information on the Foundation’s optional online curriculum for the D.S.M., please click here. 

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Two Required Courses

All students are required to take two courses directly from the Foundation. These two courses are a Research Methodology course, and a second course of the student’s choice from any of the Foundation’s online, distance, or residential offerings. 

Research Methodology is a required course for all students completing an exit project. The Research Methodology course requirement is explained here.

The Study Options button on the Foundation’s website under the heading Academics lists the course offerings of the Foundation and provides information about the various methods of earning Units of Study for your degree.

 
Transfer Credit
Any student wishing to have previously completed academic work evaluated for possible transfer credit or wishing to complete coursework through a venue other than the Graduate Theological Foundation for use as transfer credit toward a degree, must contact the Office of the Registrar for approval. Accepted transfer credit has the potential to decrease the total tuition paid by the student. Requests for acceptance of transfer credit are reviewed on a case by case basis.
 
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Tuition
 
Total Program Cost amounts include all required courses if taken through the Foundation.   The acceptance of transfer credit will decrease total program cost.
               
Total Program Cost:  $12,300
Degree candidates are bound by the regulations of the Student Handbook of the year in which they are accepted into their program of study. Tuition fees will not change during a student’s course of study, providing the student submits payments and papers on schedule and completes the degree program within the prescribed time. If the student does not conform to scheduled payment and/or paper submission deadlines, the student’s file will be deactivated. Upon reactivation, the student will be responsible for the tuition and degree requirements which are current at the time of reactivation.
 
Transfer Credit
Any student wishing to have previously completed academic work evaluated for possible transfer credit or wishing to complete coursework through a venue other than the Graduate Theological Foundation for use as transfer credit toward a degree, must contact the Office of the Registrar for approval. Accepted transfer credit has the potential to decrease the total tuition paid by the student. Requests for acceptance of transfer credit are reviewed on a case by case basis.
 
Tuition payment schedule for Professional Doctorates
1/3 of total fees paid within 30 days of acceptance
1/3 of total fees paid within one year of the date of acceptance
1/3 of total fees paid by March 1 of the year of graduation
 
Payment Plan Option
Students who are unable to make tuition payments in three installments may request to be placed on a payment plan.  The payment plan option allows the student to make small monthly or quarterly tuition payments for the duration of the degree program.  There is no interest charged on payment plans.  If a student requests a mailed invoice as a reminder to make payment, there is a ten dollar fee per invoice.

To make tuition and fee payments online click here. 

If you have a question for the Bursar please click here or contact our office 9am-3pm est.
 

Selection of Faculty Consultant and Nomination Procedure

Students select a faculty member of the Foundation to serve as Project Consultant. This enables the student to receive helpful and pragmatic evaluative feedback from a member of the faculty in the developmental process of producing the Exit Project. The role of the faculty Project Consultant is responsive and suggestive rather than “supervisory” as is the case with academic thesis writing. The faculty person is encouraged to limit feedback to pragmatically helpful hints and suggestions and not to attempt any censorship of the project. The exercise of discretion with respect to time demands is very important for both the student and faculty member. The faculty Project Consultant must give final approval of the student’s work by submitting the Project Consultant’s Report Form. The assessment from the Project Consultant is due by February 1 of the intended year of graduation.

  • The student peruses the Faculty Details page and makes a selection.
  • The student completes the Faculty Project Consultant Nomination Form 107 (Forms).
  • Academic Affairs provides the nominated faculty member with Form 107.
  • The selected faculty member notifies Academic Affairs of acceptance of student nomination.
  • Academic Affairs informs the student and faculty member of relationship approval and contact information is provided. 
Doctoral Project

The D.S.M. project may take the form of a recital or lecture-recital, a choral/instrumental performance, the writing of a traditional thesis, the composition and performance of an original work or set of works, or the development of an in-ministry activity based on the student’s particular area of interest and context need. The concept and format of the project can adhere to one of three distinct project formats as delineated below.

Academic Track: The D.S.M. project in its final form, if written in a thesis style, must be 35,000-40,000 words (140-160 pages), double-spaced, footnoted, with a table of contents as well as a bibliography of a minimum of 35 sources. It is also recommended that the project have annotations for the 10-12 most important sources for the project.

Performance Track: Recording or video of recital, lecture-recital, the composition of an original work or set of works, or conducting performance. The project must include a written component of a minimum 8,750 words (35 pages) and may include recordings or video if applicable.

Administrative/Ministerial Track: The project should reflect the student’s particular interests and/or context needs, such as the teaching of a series of classes on hymnody, the development and execution of a series of workshops, etc. The project must include a written component of 35,000-40,000 words (140-160 pages and may include recordings or video if applicable. 

Professional Associations in Sacred Music

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