The graduate program in ethnomusicology offers rigorous training
in the intellectual history of the field, theory, fieldwork,
ethnography, transcription/analysis, and area studies. Our
ethnomusicology students not only benefit from collaboration with
the faculty and students in musicology and composition, but they
build an important interdisciplinary underpinning to their
studies with required courses in performance studies,
anthropology, critical theory, and cultural studies.
We welcome any student interested in examining music in its
social context. Our program is particularly strong in
traditional and popular musics of the Americas, Indonesia, and
Africa, with theoretical emphases on race, gender,
performativity, religion, politics, and musical analysis. The
small size of our graduate program allows close relationships
between students and advisers.
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 (36 units)
12 units of advisor-approved graduate seminars from other
graduate programs
12 units from the following:
MUS 212. Ethics of Musical Ethnography (4)
MUS 213. Transcription and Notation (4)
MUS 214. Recent Issues in Ethnomusicology (4)
MUS 221. Topics in Music History (4)
MUS 222. Techniques of Analysis (4)
MUS 223. Topics in Ethnomusicology (4)
12 units of adviser-approved electives which may include MUS 299
units.
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
Ethnomusicology 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 all work for the master’s degree is done in residence
on the Davis campus. However, with the consent of the
graduate advisor 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 oral examination. 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 Graduate
Division. The final copies should conform to the requirements
described by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Length of study
While this can vary according to individual circumstances,
completion of the doctoral program typically takes five to six
years.
