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Woodwinds · 161 verified programs with a oboe pathway

Oboe: degrees, diplomas and programs

Oboe study combines double-reed technique with reed making, orchestral and chamber playing, and a repertoire that runs from the baroque to the present.

Also called: Hautbois, Hoboe, Oboe (Italian), Oboe (Spanish), Hobo.

What the listings below mean

A program is listed for oboe only where its official page names the instrument in the title, as a major, or as a formal principal-study pathway. These are formal degree, diploma or certificate pathways; the page says which. An instrument taught in private lessons, or a teacher on the faculty, does not create a listing.

85 Bachelor’s · 59 Master’s · 9 Diploma · 5 Practice doctorate · 3 Certificate · 5 formal principal-study pathway, 131 named major, 25 named in the program title

161 programs

How results are ordered: alphabetically by institution, or by most recently checked when you choose that sort. There is no price ranking, because tuition in different currencies, fee categories and bases (per year, per credit, whole program) is not comparable. A program appears under a subject only through a verified link (dedicated degree, major, concentration or documented pathway). A value we could not verify is shown as “not published”, never as “no”. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change verification or order. Online programs are not counted as physically located in a state or city, and an institution’s location does not tell you whether it enrols students from your country.

Published oboe audition repertoire

Copied from each program’s own admissions page. Requirements are specific to the program and intake: follow the link and check the current year.

  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Master of Music
    • Prospective MM, AD, and DMA students should prepare thirty minutes of music demonstrating different styles, time periods, and forms (etudes, concerti, sonatas, and orchestral excerpts). In addition, applicants should prepare the following orchestral excerpts: | • Beethoven, Symphony Nr. 3 (Funeral March). | • Brahms, Violin Concerto (2nd mvmt. solo). | • Mendelssohn, Symphony Nr. 3 “Scottish” Vivace non troppo (at letter A and after letter B). | • Shostakovich Symphony Nr. 5 (3rd mvmt. solo, after 84). | • Stravinsky, Pulcinella, larghetto (at 8). | It is highly recommended that all graduate candidates attend an on-campus audition. If an applicant is unable to travel to campus for a live audition, the faculty will accept a recorded audition, and a virtual interview may occur. Graduate applicants who would like to submit a recorded audition should upload the audition directly to their Graduate College application. | Cookie Settings
  • Lawrence University: Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.)
    • Two contrasting works (or portions of works). One work may be an étude such as Barret or Ferling. Audition repertoire should not exceed fifteen minutes in length. | Two major and two minor scales of your choice, two octaves preferred. | Sight-reading may be requested during live auditions | An introductory video is required for recorded auditions
  • DePaul University: Bachelor of Music
    • We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Audition Repertoire | A work written by an underrepresented or otherwise unjustifiably forgotten or marginalized composer of the candidate's choice. This work may have been written by a female, afro-descendant, LGBT+, Latinx, First Nation or aboriginal, or disabled composer, or anyone whom the candidate considers a person deserving of equal treatment.​ | Two contrasting etudes showing the applicant's level of technical and musical ability (i.e. Barret, Ferling, etc.) | At least one movement from a major tonal solo work of standard repertoire (Handel, Marcello, Saint-Saëns, Mozart, Haydn, Vaughan-Williams Concertos, Sonatas, etc.) | At least three standard orchestral excerpts (Brahms Violin Concerto II. mvt.; Rossini La Scala di Seta Overture; Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin I& III mvts.; Brahms, Symphony No. 2, III mvt.; etc.)
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Bachelor of Music
    • Prospective students will be evaluated on skills of tonal production, intonation, musicality, lyrical phrasing, rhythmic accuracy, technical proficiency, and overall musical experience. The student will be asked to perform: | • Major and minor scales. | • Two contrasting etudes demonstrating lyrical phrasing and technical proficiency. | • Two or more contrasting movements from the standard solo repertoire. | • Two or more oboe solo excerpts from the standard orchestral repertoire. | On-campus audition dates can be found here . It is highly recommended that all undergraduate candidates attend an on-campus audition. If you are unable to audition on-campus, please select the “recorded” audition format preference on your supplemental music form. Undergraduate applicants who would like to submit a recorded audition should follow the steps outlined here .
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Bachelor of Music
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Master of Music
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Graduate Diploma
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Diploma
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Certificate
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Doctor of Musical Arts
    • Oboe: Audition Requirements Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Doctor of Musical Arts Etude by Barret or Ferling Baroque or Classical work A piece of your choice that represents who you are and your musical identity. Artist Diploma A varied, recital length program that spans the repertoire for oboe and showcases your abilities
  • DePaul University: Master of Music
    • We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Audition Repertoire | A work written by an underrepresented or otherwise unjustifiably forgotten or marginalized composer of the candidate's choice. This work may have been written by a female, afro-descendant, LGBT+, Latinx, First Nation or aboriginal, or disabled composer, or anyone whom the candidate considers a person deserving of equal treatment. | Two contrasting etudes showing the applicant's level of technical and musical ability (i.e. Barret, Ferling, etc.). | A complete work of considerable artistic and technical challenge from the standard tonal solo repertoire (Strauss, Mozart Concertos, etc.) | At least six standard orchestral excerpts (Brahms Violin Concerto II. mvt.; Rossini La Scala di Seta Overture; Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin; Rimsky-Korsakoff, Scheherazade, II mvt.; Debussy, La Mer II mvt.; Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, II mvt.; etc.)​
  • Northwestern University: Bachelor of Music
    • Audition dates: | Early Decision: November 21 | Regular Decision: February 6 & 13 | For Final Audition: | Two études with contrasting tempos by Barret or Ferling | Two or three contrasting standard orchestral excerpts of the applicant’s choice | Two solo selections of the applicant's choice (if the applicant selects a work that has multiple movements, it is not necessary to prepare the entire piece) | Suggested Solo Selections: | Concerto by Cimarosa, Marcello, Handel, Mozart, or Vivaldi | Sonata by Telemann, Handel, Saint-Saëns, or Hindemith | Schumann, Three Romances | Britten, Six Metamorphoses after Ovid

About oboe study

The oboe is a double-reed instrument, and its study is inseparable from the making and adjusting of reeds. Many oboists make their own reeds from cane, scraping and shaping them to suit their embouchure, the instrument and the repertoire. Degree-level training therefore includes reed-making classes or private guidance, alongside lessons on tone, breath support, intonation and articulation.

The oboe has a prominent role in the orchestra, where it gives the tuning note, and in chamber music, particularly in wind quintets, wind octets and trios. Solo repertoire includes concertos and sonatas from the baroque onward, and contemporary composers have contributed extensively. Oboists commonly also learn the English horn, and some programs teach the oboe d'amore or baroque oboe as part of historical performance.

Typical degrees include the Bachelor of Music in oboe performance, the Master of Music, and practice doctorates such as the Doctor of Musical Arts. Because orchestral oboe positions are few, programs often prepare students for combined careers in orchestral, chamber and teaching work. Oboe study may sit within a woodwind department, but students normally have a dedicated oboe teacher.

What study typically involves

  • Oboe tone production, breath support and articulation
  • Reed making and reed adjustment
  • Solo repertoire, sonatas and concertos
  • Orchestral excerpts and ensemble playing
  • Chamber music, particularly wind quintet
  • English horn and sometimes baroque oboe or oboe d'amore
  • Sight-reading, ear training and theory
  • Pedagogy and performance practice in some programs

Award titles. Oboe study can lead to a Bachelor of Music or BMus and a Master of Music or MMus. Some conservatories award an Artist Diploma or a graduate or postgraduate diploma at advanced level, which are diploma-level awards and not master's degrees. The Doctor of Musical Arts is a practice doctorate. Names differ by country, and no equivalence between systems is claimed.

This directory lists a program under oboe only when its official page names the instrument in the title, as a major, or as a formal principal-study option. A private teacher or a faculty oboist does not count. Not every school offers oboe as a degree specialization, and small woodwind departments may admit oboists only occasionally.

Auditions and admissions guidance

General orientation only. Each program publishes its own repertoire, format and deadlines; this directory cannot guarantee acceptance.

Oboe auditions are typically live, sometimes after a recorded prescreening. Panels commonly ask for contrasting works, scales and an etude, and at graduate level orchestral excerpts. Because tone and response depend on the applicant's reed, candidates are often judged on how well they have prepared their own reeds.

An accompanist is often needed, with practice varying by school. Sight-reading, theory and aural tests and brief interviews are common. Applicants who play English horn may be given an opportunity to show it, depending on the program.

Each program publishes its own repertoire and format, which can change by year, so read the current-year audition requirements for every school. Nothing here guarantees admission.

See also preparing for auditions and prescreening vs final auditions.

Costs and funding

Oboists are in steady demand for orchestras and wind ensembles, and programs may offer scholarships connected to those needs. Graduate students might be considered for assistantships such as coaching younger oboists, or reed-making instruction in some settings.

Funding varies by school, country and year, and many students receive partial support or none. Ask each department what is available.

Costs beyond tuition. Oboists should expect recurring costs for reeds, cane, reed-making tools and supplies, as well as the instrument purchase or rental, pads, cork grease and regular maintenance. English horn may be an additional cost. Accompanist fees and audition travel are other possibilities.