Shenandoah University

What you'll study

Instruction centers on developing core composition skills and practical application in contemporary concert music. Key learning elements and opportunities described on the programme page include:

• Intensive study of 20th- and 21st-century art music and compositional technique.
• Weekly private lessons (one hour) and studio classes with professionally active faculty.
• Opportunities for readings and performances with the Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and Conservatory Choir.
• Participation in Shenandoah New Music events, including masterclasses, guest-artist clinics, and interactions with visiting composers and ensembles.
• Performance and production experience through student-coordinated rehearsals, concert production and readings of original work.
• In-house new-music ensemble (EDGE Ensemble) activities and the bi-annual Pulitzer Prize Composer Festival that bring notable contemporary composers and premieres to campus.
• Occasional special courses such as the credit-earning New Music in New York experience (offered during spring break every other year).

Entry requirements

The programme page does not list specific numeric entry criteria. Prospective applicants are advised by the school text to be aware of the field's rigorous competition and the expectation that many students continue into graduate study; auditions or faculty approval are typically involved for conservatory programs, though the page does not spell these out for this major.

Career prospects

The degree is aimed at students pursuing professional composing careers. The page emphasizes that the undergraduate curriculum establishes foundational skills most composers build on at the graduate level, and it cautions that the composition profession is highly competitive.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

The programme page does not provide specific scholarship listings. It does note institutional learning support available to all students, including free peer tutoring, a Writing Center, a Math Enrichment Center, and faculty/academic-advisor guidance—resources that can reduce indirect costs of study and support academic progress while students seek external scholarships or financial aid.