An undergraduate music degree with a posted cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 is required. Any previous graduate study that might be accepted for transfer credit must also have at least a 3.0 GPA. Audition for vocal and instrumental applicants, and faculty interview required. Prior to submitting a formal application, persons interested in the Master of Arts in Teaching degree must communicate with the director of the program. All entering graduate students in the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T) degree program must take the Music Theory Placement Examination and the Music History Placement Examination before their first semester of classes. All entering graduate students must pass a Piano Proficiency Exam before student teaching. All entering graduate students must also pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills Test (Test Code 5752) with scores in all three areas (reading, writing, and math) sufficient to meet D.C. public school licensure requirements. All Instrumental Emphasis students will prove themselves proficient in all areas of instrumental technique areas, as established by the Catholic University Music Education Division Instrumental Proficiency standards, or in course, i.e., by completing music education techniques courses as a prerequisite to degree completion.

Minimally accepted TOEFL scores, when applying for graduate programs, are 550-paper, 213-computer, and 80 Internet. Students taking the TOEFL should have at least 20 out of 30 in each of the TOEFL subcategories. The minimally accepted graduate IELTS score is 6.5. Individual IELTS test module scores are also reviewed in addition to the overall IELTS score.