Graduate Study
Frequently Asked Questions
On this Page:
What graduate degrees does the Department award?
Can I apply for a Master of Arts or Doctor of Musical Arts degree?
Who are your faculty and what are their areas of expertise?
Can I take courses in other departments?
How integrated are the Ph.D. programs?
How intense is the workload?
How long is the Ph.D. program?
What is a typical course load?
How do I set up a visit and make appointments to talk to faculty?
When will I take Comprehensive Exams, and what exams are required?
What are the language exam requirements?
What Practicum exams will I have to take, and when?
What if I already have an M.A. degree?
Research and Work Opportunities
What kind of resources does the library offer?
What kinds of resources are available for research in the city?
What kinds of research grants are available for travel or for summer projects?
Are there work opportunities or assistantships available for Graduate students?
When can I teach a course?
Are there opportunities to perform?
What opportunities are there to hear great music?
Is the neighborhood safe?
Where can I find housing?
What resources do you have available for international students?
General
What graduate degrees does the Department award?
The Department offers Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Music History and Theory, Ethnomusicology, and Composition. Master of Arts degrees are awarded as part of the doctoral program. The Department does not award degrees in the performance of music.
Can I apply for a Master of Arts or Doctor of Musical Arts degree?
Students apply for acceptance in the doctoral program, but can be awarded a Master of Arts degree “along the way.” The University of Chicago does not award a D.M.A. degree. If you are interested in a one-year Master of Arts degree without committing to a Ph.D. track, the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities may be appropriate.
Who are your faculty and what are their areas of expertise?
Faculty represent the highest level of current scholarship, including: opera, aesthetics, criticism, tonal and atonal theory, jazz, blues, film and pop music; internationally recognized composers with interest in the performance and analysis of contemporary music, including computer music; and world leaders in ethnomusicology, including musical cultures of Europe, America, and the Middle East. Visiting faculty members, including post-doctoral fellows, occasionally offer special classes. For a comprehensive search of faculty across the University by field, see the University’s Experts pages.
Can I take courses in other departments?
Yes. The University of Chicago has a long history of encouraging interdisciplinary study at all levels. You will work with the Director of Graduate Studies, Prof. Lawrence Zbikowski, to determine a course schedule that will meet the requirements of the program and your academic interests.
How integrated are the Ph.D. programs?
Very. Due to the nature of interdisciplinary study at the University of Chicago, many of the course requirements in the program do overlap between the three Ph.D. tracks. Composers and historians will study Music Theory, theorists might take a seminar in Ethnomusicology, and so on.
How intense is the workload?
Due to the academic rigor of our programs and the pace of the quarter, you may find the workload to be intense. Chicago runs on the quarter system instead of the semester system. Students enroll in classes for three terms, or quarters, each consisting of 10 weeks with an 11th for reading and exams—autumn, winter, and spring.
How long is the Ph.D. program?
The program can be completed in five to six years, though some students may choose to spend more time researching and writing their dissertation. All full-time students begin their studies with four years of Scholastic Residence (SR) during which they normally complete their course work and most of their degree requirements. Following Scholastic Residence, all full-time students progress to Advanced Residence (AR), the stage in which students complete their degree requirements, including writing the dissertation. For a full description of the program requirements, please click here.
What is a typical course load?
Students complete fifteen courses over the first two years, usually taking three courses per quarter in the first year and one or two per quarter during the second. After the Comprehensive Examinations all students take three seminars (History/Theory and Ethnomusicology programs) or four courses in the Minor Field (Composition program) during the third and fourth years.
How do I set up a visit and make appointments to talk to faculty?
After thoroughly reviewing the information on this website, send an email to musicadmissions@uchicago.edu with a summary of your academic interests and dates you are available to visit, and our Secretary for Student Affairs will assist you. For more detailed information on visiting the Department, see the Admissions FAQ.
Exams
When will I take Comprehensive Exams, and what exams are required?
Comprehensive exams are taken at the beginning of the third year of Scholastic Residence. Details of required exams can be found on the Ph.D. Requirements pages for each program track: Composition, Ethnomusicology, and History and Theory of Music.
What are the language exam requirements?
Students in the History or Ethnomusicology programs must pass three languages; students in Theory, two; and students in Composition, one. Written examinations in French, German, Italian, and Latin are offered each quarter, and examinations in other languages are provided by petition. Language examinations require the student to translate about 400 words of a passage of medium difficulty from source materials or musicological literature. More information can be found in the Ph.D. Requirements.
What Practicum exams will I have to take, and when?
Practicum examinations in basic musicianship skills and advanced musicianship skills are required for all Ph.D. tracks. Composers and theorists must complete six musicianship examinations, including three basic skills and three advanced skills; ethnomusicologists and musicologists must complete four, including two basic skills and two advanced skills. Details of the exams can be found here, and copies of exams from previous years are available for students to reference in the Main Office. Practicum exams must be completed before admission to candidacy. See the Ph.D. Requirements for more information.
What if I already have an M.A. degree?
Students entering the program with a Master of Arts degree in Music, or equivalent, complete nine courses over the first year of Scholastic Residence, and, in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, may take their Comprehensive Exams prior to their second year of study. These students may earn a second M.A. only if they go through the standard first two years of Scholastic Residence.
Research and Work Opportunities
What kind of resources does the library offer?
The Music Collection, housed in the Joseph Regenstein Memorial Library, is comprised of over 110,000 books and scores and 32,000 audio and video recordings. Its traditional strength has been in books about music history and scholarly editions of music. In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on collecting materials for the study of non-western music and music theory, as well as scores of recent music. The founding of the Chicago Jazz Archive as part of the Library in 1976 prompted the development of a strong collection of books on jazz and the sociology of popular music. Most of the collection, including the Recordings Collection and most of the library's listening and viewing equipment, can be found on the third floor of Regenstein Library. Music reference staff are available weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the third-floor office cluster. More information on both library and online music resources available to University of Chicago students can be found on the Music Collection page.
What kinds of resources are available for research in the city?
The famed Newberry Library, housing a superb collection of manuscripts and early printed books is located on Chicago's north side. This world-renowned research collection holds 1.5 million published volumes and 5 million manuscripts in the humanities (chiefly in history, literature, music, and philosophy, with special strengths in European, American, and Latin American history and culture). The collection is one of the finest in North America for Medieval and Renaissance music history and theory. There are also many locally affiliated resources that students at Chicago can take advantage of through the University Library, including Northwestern University and many local seminaries. Additionally, Chicago students enjoy privileges at peer institutions around the country through the RLG Shares program.
What kinds of research grants are available for travel or for summer projects?
The Department’s Alumni Fund and the Division of Humanities provide resources for conference travel. These funds must be requested in advance from the Chair of the Department and the Dean of Humanities, respectively. In addition, applications are invited each Spring for the Department’s Wadmond Fund, grants from which are awarded to support research projects related to the student’s dissertation.
Are there work opportunities or assistantships available for Graduate students?
In addition to work-study opportunities with the Performance Program and the Library, the Department also hires students for specialized positions such as Program Annotator, Technology Coordinator for classroom equipment, and Early Music Coordinator. Some faculty members also hire research assistants, and there are course assistantships and lectureships available as well. These positions are announced by the Chair, and are usually available to graduate students in the second part of Scholastic Residency and Advanced Residency.
When can I teach a course?
Students in the second part of Scholastic Residency and those in Advanced Residency are encouraged to apply for course lectureships in the Department. Applications are invited by the Chair each Spring. In addition, students whose dissertations are well under way may propose to teach an undergraduate course related to their research under the auspices of the Stuart Tave fellowship, announced in the Winter quarter. There are also opportunities in the Chicago area for students to develop teaching experience through the Music Theory Mentoring Partnership, and through applying for adjunct positions at more than thirty nearby institutions.
Life at Chicago
Are there opportunities to perform?
Absolutely. The Music Department's twelve extra-curricular performance ensembles and programs cover the gamut of historical periods and ensemble types, including instrumental, vocal, and world music. For specific information on these offerings, please explore the Performance Program pages. There are also opportunities for soloists within the various ensembles, on the Noontime Concert Series, and through the Concerto Competition held every other year.
What opportunities are there to hear great music?
The Department of Music sponsors more than 100 concerts per year in all styles and genres of music, and most of these concerts are free or request minimal cash donations at the door. The University of Chicago Presents offers several different professional series in Mandel Hall, for which student-priced tickets are available. The current events calendar is available here, and you can also sign up to receive a weekly events email. Other departments sponsor concerts and events as well, which you can find on the University calendar. Off campus, the city of Chicago is brimming with performances of all kinds, with many opportunities for free or reduced-price tickets. Check the Resources pages for more information.
Is the neighborhood safe?
The University of Chicago is located in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood, which has been cited nationally as among the most successful racially and economically integrated urban communities in the United States. Safety is a primary concern for residents and students in Chicago, as it should be in any large city. The University of Chicago does its best to keep its students safe and teach them what they need to know to take advantage of what Chicago has to offer, safely. The campus police force is professionally trained, and officers have full police powers. Specific information about resources for safe urban living can be found in the University’s Common Sense publication.
Where can I find housing?
The University’s Graduate Student Housing program is a valuable resource for apartment hunting, with a large pool of affordable and conveniently located housing. Other housing resources can be found through Student Government’s Apartment Guide. International students can also apply for accommodations at the International House.
What resources do you have available for international students?
The University of Chicago welcomes international students in all fields across the University. There are many organizations on campus designed to assist international students, including the International House, offering accommodations and many events and programs for international students; the Office of International Affairs, which can assist students with immigration-related issues, and is a good resource for questions about settling into Chicago and the University as an international scholar; and the International Students Association, a student-run group that holds events and offers support.
