Carnegie Mellon University

School of Music

Where artistry and innovation share center stage

Music & Technology Portfolio Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Music and Technology (M&T) is a tri-college degree designed for students who would like to combine and blend their interests in music with electrical and computer engineering or with computer science rather than to pursue conventional majors and degrees in both. To be considered for the M&T program, you must apply and be admitted to the School of Music and show academic credentials that would be admissible to either the College of Engineering for Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) or the School of Computer Science (SCS).

Current students at CMU may apply for internal transfer into the Music and Technology program. Deadlines for transfer are October 1 for the following spring semester, and March 1 for the following fall semester. For more information about transferring into the program, contact Sharon Johnston, School of Music's Director of Student Services.

 

Choosing a Specific Track within the School of Music:

The Music and Technology curriculum is split into three concentrations or tracks: the music concentration, composition concentration, and the technical concentration. Candidates must know which track they wish to pursue prior to applying. Students who are qualified for the music or composition concentration have a significant level of training and talent either on a specific instrument or in classical voice, or have exceptional skill for original music composition. This level of talent or skill must be equal to that of the other music majors in the School of Music, as students in the music concentration perform alongside traditional music majors in ensembles, continue private lessons with master faculty, and/or write original musical works that will be performed and recorded. Students who do not play an instrument, sing or compose music at a high level, but who have significant experience with computer music, electronic devices, digital systems and other engineering aspects of music are more appropriately suited for the technical concentration. When completing the School of Music Application, M&T candidates will apply for their desired track by choosing an area of concentration in the program section of the online application.

All Music &Technology or BXA applicants must upload a portfolio containing samples of their creative work to the School of Music. The music application and portfolio are due December 1.

Portfolio contents may include:

  • Audio recordings of performances or compositions that you engineered
  • Video recordings of performances or compositions that you produced or edited
  • Software listings for programs that you have written
  • Screenshots of your software or other creative work
  • Web pages you have created

The members of the Music & Technology faculty panel will review your portfolio electronically.  You may be contacted by a member of the panel should they have additional questions.  

Additionally, applicants interested in specializing in the music or composition concentrations must also complete the required admission or audition assessment for that particular area:

Instrumental Performance:

Select your instrument from the drop down menu in the online School of Music application, answer the additional questions about your training, and pay the audition fee. M&T candidates who want to specialize in instrumental performance must complete and pass a major level audition. Please read the audition requirements and instructions for your specific studio very carefully.

Vocal Performance:

Select your voice type from the drop down menu in the online School of Music application, answer the additional questions about your training, and pay the audition fee. M&T candidates who want to specialize in classical voice must complete and pass a major level audition.  Please read the audition requirements and instructions very carefully.

Music Composition:

Select composition from the drop down menu in the online School of Music application, answer the additional questions, and pay the portfolio review fee. M&T candidates who want to specialize in music composition must complete and pass a major level review. Please read the requirements and instructions very carefully, as composers must submit a portfolio containing original works that meet specific criteria.

Technology Concentration:

Select technology in the drop down menu in the online School of Music application, then submit the application and portfolio materials.


The Music & Technology panel will submit the results of the portfolio review to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. If your audition or portfolio review is critiqued favorably, you will be recommended for admission to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, and the Office of Undergraduate Admission will respond by reviewing your academic credentials. 

All music & technology candidates are required to complete a portfolio.

Students applying to the Master of Science in Music and Technology must submit application and portfolio materials by December 1st.. After reviewing application and portfolio materials, faculty will select and contact applicants for portfolio review interviews. Decisions are released March 15th, and admitted students will have until April 15th to consider the offer of admission and express intent to enroll.

 

Application (December 1st)
Graduate Music and Technology applicants must first complete the School of Music’s application, along with the application fee.

Application Materials

  • Application
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Official Undergraduate Transcripts (desired GPA 3.0)
  • Official GRE Score Report (if available; test-optional for Fall 2024 applicants)
  • Official language scores (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo) 
  • Personal Statement
  • Short Summary that includes:
    • list of undergraduate courses in engineering, computer science, math, physics, science

    • list of undergraduate courses in music
    • list of computer languages studied
    • list of instruments played and performance credits (if any)
    • intended focus for Masters: engineering; computer science; or music/performance
    • intended focus for thesis topic (if available)

In addition to the application, Music and Technology faculty reviews applicant portfolios containing the applicant(s) original work, which may include:

  • Audio recordings of performances or compositions or that you engineered
  • Video recordings of performances or compositions or that you produced or edited
  • Software listings for programs that you have written
  • Screenshots of your software or other creative work
  • Web pages you have created.

It is critical that work be submitted in formats that can be heard on a variety of computers and operating systems. Media choices are limited to:
-Standard audio formats: Wave (.wav), AIFF (.aiff), MP3 (.mp3);
-Common video formats: Quicktime (.mov), MPEG-4 (.mp4);
-Portable document formats: Adobe Acrobat (.pdf), HTML (.htm);
-Common image formats: JPEG (.jpg), TIFF (.tif), Portable Network Graphics (.png).
-Collections of Files (e.g. a computer program or a stand-alone set of web pages) may be submitted as a ZIP format archive

Throughout the month of January, the Music and Technology faculty will review and critique portfolio submissions and select students for interviews. The faculty will forward the results of their review to candidates in mid January. If you are invited to an interview, your appointment confirmation must be emailed no less than two weeks before the chosen date. After confirming an interview with applicants, faculty will send final confirmations one week before the scheduled portfolio review.

During the portfolio review interview, applicants will meet with a faculty panel to discuss creative process, background, and future goals. Candidates are not required to prepare or to bring materials or additional items to the appointment.

All materials must be received by December 1st.