Music Schools Worldwide
Compare0

Keyboard · 396 verified programs with a piano pathway

Piano: degrees, diplomas and programs

Piano is among the most widely offered principal-study instruments, with degree routes in solo performance, collaborative piano, jazz, pedagogy and more.

Also called: Pianoforte, Klavier, Piano-forte, Pianoforte (Italian), Fortepiano (historical).

What the listings below mean

A program is listed for piano 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.

215 Bachelor’s · 136 Master’s · 19 Practice doctorate · 17 Diploma · 9 Certificate · 205 named major, 82 formal principal-study pathway, 109 named in the program title

396 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 piano 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
    • If you have any questions about the graduate requirements, please email Dr. Chi-Chen Wu at ccw@illinois.edu . | All applicants are required to perform all audition repertoire, including prescreening materials, from memory. | Pre-Screening Requirements: | All graduate piano applicants are required to submit pre-screening recordings by December 1. Selections should include repertoire representing three contrasting stylistic periods , with each piece performed in a single, unedited take. Works consisting of multiple sections or movements (e.g., a Prelude and Fugue from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier or Brahms’s Klavierstücke , Op. 119) must be recorded in one take. A complete sonata is not required; however, if it is part of the program, an Allegro movement must be included. Follow the recording instructions listed at the bottom of this page. | Prescreening recordings should be uploaded directly to the Graduate College application. | Applicants who pass the prescreening will be invited to play an on-campus audition or submit a final audition recording. | Live/Recorded Audition Requirement
  • University of Iowa: Bachelor of Music (BM)
    • Prescreening | In order to be invited for a live audition, each applicant must submit a video recording. Pre-screening video links are due by Jan. 15, 2026. You will be directed to upload your pre-screening materials in your School of Music application. | Video must be unedited and recorded at an angle showing the entire profile of the applicant (the head, hands, and feet of the applicant must be visible) | Each piece or movement should be recorded in one take. | All Level F finalists at the Iowa Music Teachers Association annual State Auditions are exempt from having to do the prescreening round and are automatically admitted to the live on-campus audition. | Repertoire | Applicants must prepare three memorized works (or movement of a multi-movement piece) from different historical periods of music. The repertoire should reflect your best artistic and pianistic level of accomplishment. | One work can be non-traditional. Some examples of non-traditional repertoire are the candidate’s own composition or improvisation, a jazz transcription, a popular work, a musical theatre work, etc.
  • Lawrence University: Bachelor of Music (B.Mus.)
    • A Bach Prelude and Fugue or other Bach composition containing a fugue (such as a Toccata or Partita) | A Sonata-Allegro movement of a sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert (usually the first movement) | Two additional pieces showing stylistic diversity and evidence of considerable experience at the instrument. | For standard repertoire, memorization is preferred but not required. | An introductory video is required for recorded auditions | We welcome and encourage the inclusion in your audition program of a work written by a composer from an underrepresented group and/or written in the last fifty years.
  • DePaul University: Bachelor of Music
    • We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Prescreen Repertoire | A prescreen is required for all applicants who list piano as their primary instrument. Please review our Prescreen Information page carefully before submission. | Memorization is required for students applying for Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance. Memorization during the prescreen round is optional for all other majors. The complete program must include works from at least two stylistic periods and can be submitted as one video or separate files. Students must prepare approximately 20 minutes of repertoire, including: | The first movement of a Classical sonata (required) | Additional repertoire of the applicant's choice | Audition Repertoire (Performance Majors) | Candidates intending to major in Piano Performance must prepare one selection from each of the following categories. Memorization is required. | One Prelude and Fugue from J.S. Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier. Larger works by Bach (English Suites, Toccatas, etc.) are also accepted, but must be performed in their entirety. | A complete Classical sonata (e.g., Clementi, Haydn, Mozart, Be
  • University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Bachelor of Music
    • Candidates for the major in piano performance are required to play all audition repertoire and scales from memory. All other piano candidates are required to play one composition by memory. It is highly recommended that all undergraduate piano candidates attend an on-campus audition. | On-Campus Audition Repertoire: | 1. Prepare to play scales (one major and one harmonic minor, four octaves), selected by the audition committee. | 2. A work by J.S. Bach, such as a Prelude and Fugue. If selecting from a larger suite, (e.g., a Partita or Suite), two contrasting movements are acceptable. | 3. One movement of a sonata by a Classical-era composer. | 4. One composition from a composer of the 19th, 20th, or 21st century. Applicants are encouraged to select a work which best represents artistic interests. We also welcome works by women and underrepresented composers. | 5. A short sight-reading example will be given. | 6. Harmonization of a familiar melody to be selected by the audition committee. | Recorded Audition Steps (For candidates who opt to submit a recorded audition in lieu of an on-
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Bachelor of Music
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Master of Music
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Graduate Diploma
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Diploma
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Artist Certificate
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • Cleveland Institute of Music: Doctor of Musical Arts
    • Piano: Audition Requirements All applicants (Bachelor of Music, Artist Certificate, Master of Music, Graduate Diploma, Artist Diploma, Doctor of Music Arts) Must be played from memory. A J.S.Bach work featuring a fugue, such as Well-Tempered Clavier Preludes and Fugues, Toccatas, Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, etc. Complete classical sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert One substantial romantic work from the 19th century One work from the 20th or 21st century One Chopin etude of virtuosity
  • DePaul University: Master of Music
    • ​​ ​We encourage all applicants to audition in person if possible. Audition registration will be available after prescreen results are sent. Register for a live audition by January 15. | Prescreen Repertoire - Due Dec. 1 | A prescreen is required for all applicants who list piano as their primary instrument. Please review our Prescreen Information page carefully before submission. | Memorization is required. The complete program must include works from at least two stylistic periods. Students must prepare approximately 20 minutes of repertoire, including: | • The first movement of a Classical sonata (required) | • Additional repertoire of the applicant's choice | Audition Repertoire | Master's and Post-Master's Certificate candidates must present a 40–55 minute program that includes at least three complete solo works from different stylistic periods. A complete Classical sonata (including Schubert) is required. All repertoire must be performed from memory. | All sonatas, variations, suites, and other multi-movement works must be prepared in their entirety. | Sets of pieces intended to be performed as a unified work must be prepared in their entirety (e.g., Chopin Preludes Op. 28; S

About piano study

Piano study at degree level is organised around weekly one-to-one lessons with a studio teacher, supported by studio classes in which students play for one another and receive group feedback. Because the instrument is self-sufficient, a pianist's repertoire is unusually broad: solo works across several centuries, concertos with a second piano or orchestra, chamber music and song accompaniment. Practice demands are heavy, and most programs expect substantial daily work in dedicated practice rooms.

Beyond the studio, pianists often take on duties that other instrumentalists meet less often. Many programs assign students to accompany singers or instrumentalists, to play for ensembles, or to take part in chamber music with strings and winds. Some conservatories offer collaborative piano as a separate specialization with its own coursework in vocal diction, song literature and score reading, while others treat accompaniment as part of a general performance degree.

Typical degree contexts include the Bachelor of Music in piano performance, the Master of Music, and at the highest level the Doctor of Musical Arts or an equivalent practice doctorate. Piano also appears within jazz studies, within music education and pedagogy programs, and as a secondary or required keyboard skill for composers, conductors and singers. Which of these routes exist depends on the institution and the country.

What study typically involves

  • Principal-study lessons and studio classes in solo repertoire
  • Technique, touch and interpretation across stylistic periods
  • Chamber music and collaborative playing with other instruments or voices
  • Accompaniment and, in some programs, vocal coaching skills
  • Sight-reading, score reading and keyboard harmony
  • Music history, theory and aural training
  • Recitals, juries and, at graduate level, concerto or lecture-recital projects
  • Pedagogy and teaching practice in some programs

Award titles. Piano appears under many award routes, such as the Bachelor of Music or BMus, the Master of Music or MMus, and in some systems national first-cycle and second-cycle diplomas. Some conservatories offer an Artist Diploma or a graduate or postgraduate diploma for advanced performers; these are diploma-level awards and are not master's degrees. The Doctor of Musical Arts is a practice doctorate centred on performance and documented research rather than a PhD. Award names and standing vary by country, and this directory makes no claims of equivalence between them.

This directory lists a program under piano only when its official page names the instrument in the program title, as a major, or as a formal principal-study option. Private lessons offered outside the curriculum, or a faculty member who happens to teach piano, do not count. Not every school offers piano, or every related track such as collaborative piano, as a degree specialization.

Auditions and admissions guidance

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

Admission to a piano program almost always involves a live audition, though some schools first ask for a recording as a prescreening step and invite only selected applicants to play in person. Panels typically ask for several contrasting works so they can hear touch, control, musical understanding and stylistic range. Pianists generally play without an accompanist, which differs from most other instruments.

Alongside the performance component, many programs test music theory, aural skills and sight-reading, and some conduct a brief interview. Pianists applying for collaborative or accompaniment tracks may be asked to demonstrate sight-reading or accompaniment of a provided score in addition to solo playing.

Each program publishes its own repertoire requirements, audition format, prescreening rules and deadlines, and these change from year to year. Applicants should read the current-year audition page for every school they consider. Nothing here guarantees admission, and no single set of requirements applies everywhere.

See also preparing for auditions and prescreening vs final auditions.

Costs and funding

Some programs offer merit scholarships tied to audition results, and graduate pianists may be considered for assistantships. Typical roles can include accompanying studios or classes, teaching class piano or keyboard skills to non-majors, or assisting in ensembles. Availability depends heavily on the institution and the number of pianists enrolled.

Terms differ by school, country and year, and many students receive partial support or none. Check each program's official funding pages and ask the admissions office what is offered.

Costs beyond tuition. Pianists may pay for sheet music and scores, studio or practice-room access if not included, accompanist or page-turner fees for some events, and recording of recitals or audition videos. Students living off campus sometimes need to arrange practice access or purchase a digital or acoustic instrument for home use.