Skipping the Terminal Master's?

musicmajor2
Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:40:21 +0000

I have a really strong desire to go to grad school for music composition or musicology (possibly conducting, but not currently my top choice) after I finish my undergrad. However, I do not come from a well-off family, nor do I have good finances myself. I have seen a lot of stuff on the internet about skipping the master’s degree and going on to a Doctorate’s program after undergrad if you know you want the doctorate’s anyways. Apparently (and I’ve seen this on the school websites I’ve looked at) most Doctorate’s programs have a full tuition wavier and living/teaching stipend. This idea interests me, as I probably won’t have the funds for a master’s straight out of college (unless I get good scholarships). I was wondering if I can just apply to Doctorate’s programs at any school or only at schools which state that they allow students to do so? Also, how much harder will it be to get into a doctoral program vs a master’s program straight out of college?