The graduate program in musicology offers rigorous and broad training in the intellectual history of the field. Students benefit from collaboration with faculty and students in ethnomusicology and composition, and from opportunities to take occasional seminars at other UC campuses. The small size of our graduate program allows close relationships between students and advisers. Ratings a few years ago by the National Research Council identified us as one of the strongest departments in the country.
Recent seminars have included such diverse topics as cover songs, improvisational practices, opera and national identity, and the music of Debussy. Completed dissertations have included studies of music and culture in the 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Many students have gone on to good jobs, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, and recent hires at the University of New Mexico, University of Alaska, California State University Sacramento, and Florida State University.
Graduate Coursework, Musicology
Core Course Work (12 units)
- MUS 210A. Proseminar in Music (Theory and Analysis) (4)
- MUS 210B. Proseminar in Music (Musicology and Criticism) (4)
- MUS 210C. Proseminar in Music (Ethnomusicology) (4)
Emphasis Course Work (24 units)
- MUS 221. Topics in Music History (4)
- MUS 222. Techniques of Analysis (4)
- MUS 223: Ethnomusicology (Pacific Cultures) (4)
12 units of adviser-approved electives which may include MUS 299 units
Graduate Program Requirements, Musicology
Admission
Consideration for program admission requires:
- A bachelor’s degree comparable to a degree from the University of California in both distribution of academic subject matter and scholarly achievement
- Three letters of recommendation
- GRE scores are not required
- TOEFL or IELTS score (if applicable)
- A CV and a substantial paper or papers
- A minimum GPA of 3.0
- An Office of Graduate Studies online application with fee by the stated admission deadline.
- Transcripts (UC Davis requires academic records from each college-level institution you have attended. You will be instructed to upload scanned copies of your transcripts when you submit your online application. For more details visit https://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/prospective-students/admissions-application/submitting-your-transcripts.)
Residency
UC Davis CA residency requirements for graduate students are HERE. First year graduate students who are US citizens but not CA residents must complete the CA residency process before the end of their first quarter.
Language
Musicology students must successfully pass an exam in two foreign languages, one of which must be a language relevant to the student’s fieldwork / research.
Examinations
After the second quarter of the second year, students take comprehensive examinations, and then draft their dissertation proposal. At the end of the third year, they take a qualifying examination. Upon successful completion, students advance to candidacy.
Transfer Credits
Ordinarily, the master’s degree is completed as part of the Ph.D. program. However, with the consent of the graduate adviser and the dean of Graduate Studies, some work taken elsewhere may be credited toward the degree. The limit for such transfer credit is six units from another institution or up to one-half of the unit requirement if earned from another campus of the University of California, provided the units were not used in satisfaction of the requirements for another degree. Students may transfer up to 12 units of work from the Concurrent Courses program offered by University Extension.
Dissertation
Candidates are required to present and successfully defend a dissertation in a final public exit seminar. The doctoral dissertation is to be an original and significant contribution to the field of musical scholarship. The dissertation is supervised by the faculty and approved by a committee named by the Office of Graduate Studies. The final submission conforms to the requirements described by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Length of study
Typical time to complete the Doctor of Philosophy degree is five years. Candidates must be in residence for at least six quarters.