Program Overview

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Music (Musicology), MA

The Master of Arts program in music, with a concentration in musicology, provides students with an in-depth focus on the scholarly study of music, musical meaning in human experience, musical terminology, music's reception, historiography, biography, and transdisciplinary topics.

Program Description

Faculty in the program provide and participate in multisensory learning experiences concerning musical genres, styles, and forms, performance and listening practices, instruments, spaces, philosophies, musical infrastructures, and geographic locations. The faculty comprises leading scholars specializing in Western and non-Western music, particularly traditions in the Americas and music of the Middle East, Central Asia, Latin America, and Indonesia. Students can study a variety of topics such as medieval music cultures, the long nineteenth century, jazz, music in popular cultures, musical modernism and experimentalism, intellectual property law, cultural policy, improvisation, sound studies, ecomusicology, dance and embodiment, and music's role in well-being.

Students must submit a final project that demonstrates advanced competence and professional capability in research and writing in musicology or ethnomusicology. The culminating project may be a thesis, a series of special papers, or a written work of equivalent scope and depth.

At a Glance

• College/school: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
• Location: Tempe
• STEM-OPT extension eligible: No

Degree Requirements

The program requires 30 credit hours, a thesis, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, and a foreign language exam.

Required Core (14 credit hours)

• MHL 532 Music Bibliography (3)
• MHL 691 Seminars (6)
• Music theory (5)

Electives (8 credit hours)

• Music electives (5-8)
• Open electives (0-3)

Other Requirement (2 credit hours)

• Performance ensembles (2)

Culminating Experience (6 credit hours)

• MHL 599 Thesis (6)

Additional Curriculum Information

Completion of diagnostic exams in musicology and music theory is required of all new graduate music students prior to enrollment in courses for these programs through the ASU School of Music, Dance and Theatre. This is tracked internally within the academic unit.

At least 20 credit hours of this program must be in the field of music history and literature.

Appropriate elective coursework is reviewed and approved by the academic unit prior to inclusion on the student's plan of study.

A passing grade on the foreign language exam or a grade of "B" or better in a designated reading course through the School of International Letters and Cultures is required for graduation.

Admission Requirements

General University Admission Requirements

All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution or the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree from an institution in another country that is officially recognized by that country.

Applicants must have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 credit hours or 90 quarter hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

1. Graduate admission application and application fee
2. School of Music, Dance and Theatre application (including a resume, personal statement, and writing sample)
3. Official transcripts
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information

An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. The School of Music, Dance and Theatre does not offer conditional admission under any circumstances. In order to meet English proficiency requirements, students should have a TOEFL iBT score of at least 80, or an IELTS overall band score of at least 6.5, or a Pearson Test of English score of at least 60.

A bachelor's degree in music is not required for admission to a master's program. However, all applicants without a bachelor's degree in music should contact the School of Music, Dance and Theatre for information on potential remedial courses. Remedial courses may be taken at ASU, another accredited university, or a community college before or after admission to this program, but they must be completed prior to starting graduate-level course requirements in music history and music theory.

Tuition Information

When it comes to paying for higher education, everyone's situation is different. Students can learn about ASU tuition and financial aid options to find out which will work best for them.

Application Deadlines

Fall application deadlines vary.

Program Learning Outcomes

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program's learning outcomes include the following:

• Write research papers applying the conventions of scholarly discourse in music.
• Implement a large-scale independent research project that makes a unique contribution to the discipline of ethnomusicology.
• Apply a synthesis of knowledge of a chosen or designated field of inquiry within musicology to the articulation and defense of a particular scholarly viewpoint.

Career Opportunities

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre graduate programs inspire and empower students to become creative leaders who transform society through music.

Musicians with expertise in performing, composing, teaching, researching, arts advocacy, and serving as therapists are in high demand across many sectors and industries, including performing arts organizations, educational institutions, entertainment companies, health and wellness industries, and community arts organizations. Skills such as creativity, collaboration, innovation, entrepreneurship, and the focused discipline needed for success as musicians are all highly valued by a wide range of companies and professions.

Career examples include:

• Community arts advocate
• Musicologist
• Performing musician
• Public or community school teacher
• University professor

Program Details

The Master of Arts in Music (Musicology) program is designed to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in musicology, preparing them for careers in research, teaching, and performance. The program's curriculum includes coursework in music history, theory, and research methods, as well as a culminating project that demonstrates the student's expertise in musicology. The program is offered by the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and is available on the Tempe campus. The program is not eligible for the STEM-OPT extension.