The School of Music offers the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) with specialty areas in musicology, music education, or theory.
Admission Requirements
The School of Music offers courses and research opportunities leading to the Ph.D. Applicants must meet the entrance requirements of The Graduate School as well as those of the School of Music.
For Musicology and Music Theory: Applicants must submit a master’s thesis or a research paper of sufficient scope and quality to demonstrate competence in research and clarity of expression. For students in the Ph.D. program, entrance exams are a required component of the application process to assess competency in music history and music theory.
For Music Education:
- 3 years of music teaching experience
- Interview
- Writing sample of scholarly work or essay (a thesis and research paper are not necessary)
- “Purpose and Philosophy” statement
- Video of teaching and musical skills
- Master’s degree
- Entrance Exam in Music Education
- Diagnostic Exam in Music Theory and Music History
- Transfer of 9 hours - Subject to Graduate School Approval
- Decision for admission is based on approval by Music Education faculty
Degree Requirements
The basic core requirements beyond the master’s degree are as follows:
- Research Methods: MUS 618 (3), or for Music Education MUS 600 (if not taken at the master’s level), MUS 705 , MUS 706 , MUS 766 (Qualitative), and Appropriate Statistics Class (12-15)
- Music History and Literature beyond the master’s (9), or for Music Education, none
- Advanced Music Theory beyond the master’s* (6), or for Music Education, none
- Three seminars (minimum) beyond the master’s (9), or for Music Education, none
- For Music Education, Music In Higher Education: MUS 762 and MUS 648 . Electives may be taken from the Graduate School (6-9)
- For Music Education, Foundations: MUS 601 (if not taken at the master’s level), MUS 770 , 707 , and 731 . Electives can include MUS 730 , MUS 732 , and various topics of MUS 766 (9-12)
- For Music Education, Musical Arts: MUS 693 . Electives may include topics in Orff, popular music, and more (3-6)
- For Music Education, Professional Practice: MUS 664 . Electives may include advanced pedagogy courses or non-music electives as appropriate (6-9)
Total (27), for Music Education (36)
(24 hours if competency in Research Methods is accepted by the Musicology faculty.)
*MUS 578 cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
There is no specific requirement in a minor area, but such work may be required by a student’s Advisory Committee if it is essential to the major research or field of concentration.
Satisfaction of language requirements will conform to The Graduate School policy; however, specific languages required will vary with individual options. The foreign language requirement(s), if applicable, must be met by the end of the first full year of study in the Ph.D. program. The student’s Advisory Committee must be formed and appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School prior to advance registration for the student’s third semester. The dissertation topic and prospectus must be approved by the Advisory Committee; the dissertation itself must be the result of original research which adds to or modifies what has previously been known on the subject. Qualifying examinations should be taken no later than one semester after the completion of course work. A student is admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree only after meeting the language requirement(s) and passing the qualifying examinations.
The Ph.D. in music may be pursued in one of three areas: music education, music theory, or musicology. The program outline for each area beyond the core requirements is given below; the student’s Advisory Committee advises on and plans the actual program of study.
Music Theory
- Pedagogy of Theory (MUS 674 )
- Advanced Analytical Techniques (MUS 676 )
- History of Music Theory (MUS 678 )
Additional courses in music theory or adjunct subjects as recommended by the Advisory Committee.
A reading knowledge of French, German, or a language appropriate to the research interest.
Musicology
- Medieval and Renaissance Notation (MUS 700)
- Proseminar in Musicological Methods (MUS 703)
Additional courses in musicology or adjunct subjects as recommended by the Advisory Committee.
A reading knowledge of at least two foreign languages, normally German and either French or Italian.
Combined M.A./Ph.D. Program in Musicology & Ethnomusicology
The First Two Years
The first two years of study provide training in the practice and methodology of musicology and ethnomusicology. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit is required during the first two years of graduate study.
Second-Year Review; Examinations and Research Paper
During the second year of graduate study the student will be expected to:
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Take an examination designed to test the student’s knowledge of European and American music and of music theory. This will include a four-hour written examination in general music history, and a four-hour written examination in music theory.
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Write a paper on a topic of the student’s choice, and with approval of the student’s advisor. This third-term paper should explain and review a selected topic in musicology or ethnomusicology, survey and evaluate the available literature on the topic, and identify lines of inquiry which remain to be pursued. The recommended length for this paper is 25-30 pages of prose, in addition to the bibliography, with appendices and musical examples as needed. Three copies of the paper are to be submitted to the Division of Musicology, which may require revisions before final acceptance.
The departmental evaluation of all students in the second year is based on course work completed to date, the paper, the results of the preliminary exam, and the student’s prospects for continued success in the field. The department’s judgment is a collective one. If the evaluation is favorable, the student may continue in the Ph.D. program. A student who fails the common exams may receive a terminal M.A. through the following steps: a) completing 36 hours of course work, b) submitting an acceptable 2nd-year paper, in lieu of thesis, and c) establishing a Masters’ committee and passing an oral exam.
A student who successfully completes the 2nd-year review, which includes the common exams and the 2nd-year paper, but fails the special area Qualifying Examination, is eligible to receive a terminal M.A. without further academic work, as long as performance on the oral portion of the qualifying exam is considered to have been satisfactory as an M.A. final examination. The advisor and two other members of the doctoral committee will be named as the M.A. committee to complete the necessary paperwork.”
“A student who passes the qualifying exams but does not successfully complete the dissertation and/or defense will be eligible to receive the M.A. without further work of any kind, except for applying for the degree. The advisor and two other members of the doctoral committee will be named as the M.A. committee to complete the necessary paperwork, certifying the 2nd-year paper in lieu of the thesis and the doctoral qualifying examination in lieu of the M.A. final exam.
Students entering the program with M.A. degrees in Musicology from the University of Kentucky or other institutions may make a written petition to the departmental faculty to participate in the Second- Year Review during their first year of residency. Note: In order for the petition to be considered, the student must have been admitted without the requirement of any remedial work, and must have taken an appropriate research method class as part of the master’s program.
The Third Year
During the third year of study, the student will take additional courses in musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, and any appropriate cognate areas within or outside the music program; a limited number of these courses may be independent study in the area of specialization.
The student will take the qualifying examinations, which will consist of a special field examination in musicology or ethnomusicology, the general sense and limits of which have been discussed in advance with the prospective dissertation advisor and the student’s advisory committee. If necessary, the committee may also retest areas in which the second-year exams demonstrated deficiencies.
The Dissertation
As soon as possible after the successful completion of Qualifying Examinations, the student should submit a dissertation proposal to his/her Advisory Committee. The student will defend this proposal at a meeting of the committee, and is expected to submit any required revisions within two months. The dissertation itself will meet all the requirements of the University of Kentucky Graduate School, and will be defended following the usual Final Examination procedures.
Course Requirements
MUS 618 RESEARCH METHODS (3)
MUS 703 PROSEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGICAL METHODS (3)
MUS 700 MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE NOTATION (3)
MUS 702 SEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGY (variable topics) (12-18)
MUS 710 INTRODUCTION TO ETHNOMUSICOLOGY (3)
MUS 711 SEMINAR IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY (variable topics) (3-6)
Advanced Music Theory (not including MUS 578 ) (9)
Directed electives (including independent study) (9-18)
Total 54
Note: Students entering the program with a Master’s degree, whose petition to enter in the second year has been approved, will be required to take 36 hours, with specific courses to be determined by the Advisory Committee based on the evaluation of coursework taken in the previous degree.
Foreign Language
All students in the combined M.A./Ph.D. program must demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages. One of these is usually French or German, but they may also be other languages appropriate to the students’ research interests. The Graduate School offers reading knowledge courses in French, German, and Spanish.
Advising
Students in the M.A./Ph.D. program will work initially with an individual advisor, and then with an Advisory Committee. For further details on the program see the program webpage: https://finearts.uky.edu/music/musicology-ethnomusicology
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