Applicable only to students admitted during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Musicology

Herb Alpert School of Music

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Musicology offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Musicology.

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

Advising

The Director of Graduate Studies serves as the administrative graduate adviser for all incoming students. The Director signs necessary petitions and other documents. Once a year, each student’s progress is reviewed. Students are required to submit a progress report in the seventh week of spring quarter, which is reviewed by the whole faculty. The faculty meeting on student progress is followed up by a discussion between the student, the department chair, and the Director of Graduate Studies. Students are responsible for checking the accuracy of their official study list through MyUCLA.

For additional information on advising, students should consult the Guide for Graduate Students on the departmental website.

Areas of Study

The department offers the M.A. degree in the field of historical musicology. Degrees in composition, performance, and ethnomusicology are offered through other departments.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

The M.A. course requirements consist of ten courses (44 units) at the 200 level. These courses are Musicology 200A, 200B, 200C, M201, and six different offerings from Musicology 248. Students may substitute 252, up to one seminar in Ethnomusicology, and up to two approved courses from other departments at UCLA for Musicology 248, with permission. All ten courses applied to the degree, except M201, must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, students are required to enroll I 1 unit of 202ABC per quarter until they complete their Comprehensive Exams.

Teaching Experience

Although not required, it is expected that each student will serve as a teaching assistant for at least one year.

Field Experience

Not required.

Capstone Plan

Students take the comprehensive examination as they complete their course requirements, normally by the end of their sixth quarter. The examination is scheduled by the faculty for near the end of spring quarter and all second-year students take it together. Students who enter with an M.A. in Musicology may, with permission of the faculty, choose to take the exam at the end of their first year.

The examination is intended to test students’ skill at historical analysis, knowledge of a body of critical theory, interpretive and music analytical abilities, and the capacity for critical and reflective thinking, as evidenced in their writing and in discussion.

In anticipation of the examination, students will be given a set of 9 topics, each with a short “starter” bibliography (to be expanded by the student), by the end of fall preceding the exams.

In April prior to the exam, students who have not yet earned an M.A. in Musicology (or the equivalent) at another institution will submit a portfolio consisting of two revised final papers (or one final paper and a final project) from UCLA Musicology seminars, to be read by the faculty Examination Committee. Students who enter with an M.A. in Musicology or the equivalent from another institution are not required to submit the portfolio.

The Examination Committee will devise a specific essay prompt for five of the nine topics distributed in the previous fall for a four-day “take home” exam to be.

Finally, if the Examination Committee deems that all submitted materials (portfolio and exam essays) are acceptable, there will be an oral exam of up to two hours with the Examination Committee, in which the student’s revised seminar papers (if required) and take-home essays will be discussed, including possibilities and strategies for publication of seminar papers where warranted.

The oral exam will culminate in one of four outcomes: Pass (to the Ph.D.), Pass with Revision, Terminal Pass (M.A. only), or Fail. In the case of a Fail, the student may retake the exam only once, under conditions determined by the Examination Committee. In the case of a Terminal Pass (M.A. only), students are not permitted to retake the exam. administered in the spring quarter, from which each student will choose three prompts to respond to in an essay of 2500-3500 words, inclusive of short-form citations but exclusive of bibliography.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

The course requirements for the degree could be finished within three quarters (three courses per quarter) and are expected to be finished within five, with an additional quarter devoted to preparing for and taking the comprehensive examination. The examination must be taken by the sixth quarter.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.A.	6	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The Director of Graduate Studies serves as the administrative graduate adviser for all incoming students. The Director signs necessary petitions and other documents. Once a year, each student’s progress is reviewed. Students are required to submit a progress report in the seventh week of spring quarter, which is reviewed by the whole faculty. Students are responsible for checking the accuracy of their official study list through MyUCLA.

For additional information on advising, students should consult the Guide for Graduate Students on the departmental website.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

The department offers the Ph.D. degree in the field of historical musicology. Degrees in composition, performance, and ethnomusicology and systematic musicology are offered through other departments.

Foreign Language Requirement

Students are normally required to master a language other than English as part of their doctoral studies. Students are informed of the language requirement upon admission to the program, and should designate their language as soon as they know their areas of specialization. If the student is working on a topic that does not evidently require foreign language skills, the student should consult the Director of Graduate Studies about the language most suitable to their program of study.

The methods for fulfilling the requirement may include, but are not limited to: (1) completion of an appropriate level of language instruction; (2) passing a departmental language examination; or (3) demonstration of previously acquired language skills through documentation or an examination.

Language proficiency must be demonstrated at the time of the scheduling of the University Oral Qualifying Examination for the doctoral degree, which in this department consists of a defense of the dissertation prospectus, as outlined below.

Course Requirements

Full track: Students who are on the full M.A./Ph.D. track must complete 17 courses (70 units). Students must first complete the M.A. course requirements, which consist of ten courses (44 units) at the 200 level. These courses are Musicology 200A, 200B, 200C, M201, and six different offerings of Musicology 248. At the Ph.D. level, students must complete seven additional courses (26 units): an additional M201, and six different offerings of Musicology 248. At both the M.A. and the Ph.D. levels, students may substitute 252, up to one seminar in Ethnomusicology, and up to two approved courses from other departments at UCLA for the graduate level elective seminars. All 17 courses applied toward the degree, except for M201, must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, students are required to enroll in 1 unit of 202ABC per quarter until they complete their Special Fields Exams.

*Students on the M.A./Ph.D. track must complete Musicology 245, 250, and 255 twice, with different special topics.

Advanced track: Students who begin the program with a previously earned master’s degree in Musicology (or the equivalent) will be evaluated at the time of their admission to the program by the Chair and Director of Graduate Studies for their eligibility to complete the advanced track. The advanced track consists of 13 courses (54 units) at the 200 level. These courses are Musicology 200A, 200B, 200C, M201, and eight different offerings of Musicology 248. Students may substitute 252, up to one seminar in Ethnomusicology, and up to two approved courses from other departments at UCLA for the graduate level elective seminars. All 13 courses applied toward the degree, except M201, must be taken for a letter grade. In addition, students are required to enroll in 1 unit of 202ABC per quarter until they complete their Special Fields Exams.

Teaching Experience

Although not required, it is expected that each student will serve as a teaching assistant for at least one year.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Soon after completion of the doctoral course work, normally at the end of the third year, students take the Special Field Examination, which includes both written and oral components. By this time, the student must have decided upon an area of specialization and secured the agreement of a qualified faculty member to serve as the dissertation adviser. Taking into account the field designated and the suggestions of the student and the adviser, the chair approves the appointment of three faculty members to serve as the examining committee. Three months before the examination, the student submits to the committee members a reading and repertoire list related to the area of specialization. Typically, this consists of a bibliography in the general area of the dissertation research and a list of relevant musical works, together totaling no more than 50 items. The members of the examining committee (in consultation with one another to avoid duplication) each formulate one or more questions relating to the topic, repertoire, and methods thus staked out by the student. The student is allowed one week to address these topics in an essay of 3000-4000 words, inclusive of short-form citations but exclusive of bibliography, using any desired research materials. After the completed written examination has been distributed to the examiners, a two-hour oral examination is scheduled. At this time, the committee may discuss the results of the written examination with the student and ask further questions related to the area of the dissertation research. If a majority of the committee determines that the written and oral examinations have been passed, the student begins preparation for the second stage, the University Oral Qualifying Examination. If the committee determines that the written and oral examinations have not been passed, the student may retake the Special Field Examination after six months of further preparation. More than one such attempt may be granted at the discretion of the full faculty.

The University Oral Qualifying Examination is a defense of the dissertation prospectus. All other requirements, including language proficiency, must be satisfied before this examination can be scheduled. At least two weeks before the examination, the student must submit the prospectus to the members of the examination committee, who may be, but are not required to be, the same as those on the first committee. The prospectus must be a substantially researched overview of the proposed dissertation that demonstrates that the student is fully prepared to undertake the dissertation project. Students are encouraged to consult with the members of their committee before the examination, which concentrates on the feasibility and significance of the project and the student’s preparation for it. If the defense is unsatisfactory, the candidate may repeat the examination once, at the discretion of the full faculty. After passing this examination, the student is advanced to candidacy and begins to write the dissertation. Candidates are encouraged to enroll in or audit seminars in their field whenever they are offered.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy and awarded the Candidate in Philosophy (C.Phil.) degree upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of Dissertation)

Required for all students in the program.

Time-to-Degree

For students with no deficiencies upon admission to graduate status, the normal progress, after M.A. examinations, toward the Ph.D. degree is as follows:

From admission to the program to completion of course work: nine quarters.
From admission to defense of the dissertation proposal and advancement to candidacy: 12 quarters.
From advancement to candidacy to final oral examination: six quarters.
Total time to award of the degree: 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	11	17	30

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

In addition to the standard reasons outlined above, a student may specifically be recommended for academic disqualification because of (1) a terminal master’s degree recommendation from the student’s master’s committee, or (2) consistent and prolonged failure to progress toward the degree as documented in the student’s file in at least two yearly departmental evaluations. Any recommendation for academic disqualification is forwarded to the department chair for review and decision. The chair may consult with the student’s dissertation chair, if appropriate, and with the Executive Committee of the department. The student is notified of a recommendation for academic disqualification in writing.

A student may appeal a recommendation for academic disqualification by stating the reasons in writing to the departmental chair.