Music Certificate
Audition Dates for 2025-2026
Spring 2026 Admission: audition on or before December 5, 2025
- Saturday, January 24, 2026
In-Person Audition Day*
(reservation deadline January 9, 2026)
- Saturday, February 7, 2026
In-Person Audition Day
(reservation deadline January 9, 2026) - Friday, February 20, 2026
Virtual Interview Day (for non-performance majors and assistantships only)
(reservation deadline February 6, 2026) *virtual interviews will take place in Eastern Standard Time - Saturday, February 21, 2026
In-Person Audition Day (Final music scholarship deadline)
(reservation deadline February 6, 2026) - Saturday, April 11, 2026
In-Person Audition Day
(reservation deadline March 31, 2026)
More Information About Junior Audition Day
The Music Certificate Program requires 12 credit hours of music courses and may require an additional 6 credits of English-language courses for international students with a TOEFL score below 80. Please refer to current tuition rates. You may also wish to use the university's tuition calculator to help you determine cost.
Major programmatic emphasis is placed on the development of solo and ensemble skills. Minimum residency of two semesters (summers excluded) at Bowling Green State University is required with 12 hours of earned credit in music courses. Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and show satisfactory performance at semester examination juries. A solo recital or concerto performance with orchestra or major musical composition is required. A major operatic role may substitute for the recital at the discretion of the Program Coordinator.
Although the Music Certificate Program is open to all qualified students, the program attracts many international musicians. Past certificate candidates include musicians from all over the world, including China, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Germany, Italy, Romania, Poland, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Venezuela. International students may enroll in English courses in addition to the 12 credit-hour requirement. Although acceptance into the Certificate Program does not automatically constitute admission to the Graduate College, many certificate students have successfully continued their studies as graduate candidates at BGSU. A maximum of nine credits may be transferred upon petition to other graduate programs in the College of Musical Arts if the candidate is unconditionally admitted to a master’s degree program.
Materials concerning details about the Music Certificate Program at BGSU may be received upon request.
*Please check your spam/junk email folders for correspondence from BGSU. You will get several emails from the College of Musical Arts as well as the Graduate College in regards to auditions and your application and often our emails go directly into spam/junk folders.
Voice
Applied lessons and/or admission as a performance major
Students will be asked to sing one art song in English, French, German and Italian. In addition, an operatic aria or oratorio is required. It would be to the student’s advantage to have the repertoire memorized.
Choral
Application Deadline: January 30, 2026
Audition requirements for admission to the master’s degree program in choral conducting as well as for graduate assistantship consideration for those who wish to major in choral conducting or choral music education.
- Rehearse and conduct one of the choral ensembles at BGSU.
- Demonstrate musicianship by singing or by playing on any instrument a short piece of his/her own choosing.
- An interview with Dr. Richard Schnipke, director of choral activities, will be required. Depending upon degree program, candidates will also interview with either the chair of music education, Dr. Ken Thompson, or the chair of performance studies, Dr. Andrew Pelletier.
To schedule an audition, please call the graduate secretary at (419) 372-2182. After an audition is scheduled, contact Dr. Richard Schnipke at (419) 372-8288 or rschnip@bgsu.edu for details concerning repertoire.
Updated: 12/01/2017 11:22PM