The Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology
The Ph.D. in Historical Musicology is granted in recognition of superior scholarly ability and attainment. Award of the degree is based not only on computation of time or enumeration of courses, but also upon distinguished work. Highly qualified applicants may enter this program directly upon completion of a bachelor's degree.
All programs are formulated to suit the individual needs of the student and require the consent of the advisor. The Ph.D. in Historical Musicology requires 36 credit hours of coursework and an additional 18 hours of dissertation research credit hours. Required coursework includes three doctoral seminars, MUHI 610 (Bibliography), and MUTH 424 (Schenkerian Analysis). In the first two years students will be expected to take three seminars (or 9 credits) per semester, for a total of 36 hours.
Students admitted to the program will take diagnostic examinations prior to the start of classes in the first year of the program, Based on these examinations, students may be required to enroll in specific courses to address deficiencies; these course credits may be applied toward the requirement. At the end of the first year of study, the musicology faculty will conduct a formal review with each student. This process will include an evaluation of progress to date and advisement regarding the remainder of the program.
A written summary of this review, along with coursework grades and materials, will constitute the beginnings of the portfolio maintained by the Director of Graduate Studies that will be the basis for consideration of a student's advancement into the Ph.D. program. At the end of the second year of coursework, students will be asked to submit a qualifying paper, which will be added to the portfolio. At the beginning of the fall in the third year of study, students will take comprehensive examinations, which will also function as qualifying exams for advancement to the Ph.D. program. These examinations will consist of written and oral sections, and will be conducted and evaluated by the Musicology Faculty. Following the examinations, the Faculty will review each student's portfolio and based on work contained therein will make a decision regarding advancement to candidacy in the Ph.D. program. Students who do not advance but who have done satisfactory work will be eligible to receive the M.A. in Music History at this juncture.
Students who advance to candidacy will register for dissertation research credits and begin research work for the dissertation. Working with a faculty advisor, the student will develop a proposal for the dissertation, which will be presented in writing to the faculty no later than the end of the third year of study. It is expected that the fourth and possibly fifth years of study will be devoted to work on the dissertation. Upon completion of the thesis, each student will present a formal defense to the musicology faculty.
Under the rules of the School of Graduate Studies, a student must complete the thesis no later than five years after registering for the first dissertation research (701) credits.