Northwestern University offers full fellowships to all incoming DM students

Double bassist Ben Rothschild recently sent me some interesting bits of bass and music world news, and I will be doling these out over the next few days. For starters, Northwestern University recently announced that they will be offering full tuition to all incoming Doctor of Music students. Here is an excerpt from their recent press release:

The Northwestern University School of Music has announced that beginning fall 2007, it will provide full tuition for all entering doctor of music students (17 new students per year) and the same for 20 entering master of music students. Each award covers two years of study, the normal time frame needed to complete required coursework. All Ph.D. students in the School of Music already receive full tuition support.

Toni-Marie Montgomery, dean of the School of Music, said, “Our goal is to raise the competitive bar with peer institutions in attracting the most qualified and talented students. While we have in the past offered significant financial support to music students, the infusion of new funding will transform our graduate programs.”

Providing full tuition to these music students is a progressive step for Northwestern’s music school, enabling them to compete with other prestigious music schools in the country. Now, if only they could do something about that pesky $43,000 yearly tuition bill all of the other music students face.

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One dark side note on Northwestern

I have an undergraduate and graduate degree in double bass performance from Northwestern. If I were to have started school at that institution in 2007, my degrees would have cost me $258,000, not counting room and board. Adding on room and board would push it well over $300,000, and if you add in the cost of my instruments and bows, the cost for my higher education in music performance would have been inching up on a half million dollars.

And how about those job prospects? Boy, howdy! If you like poverty, crushing debt, and no prospects, then a half million dollar degree program may be just the thing for you.

At least my DM is free….