The department offers the doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) in musicology and the master of arts degree (MA) in musicology or ethnomusicology. A master’s degree (MA) in musicology will also normally be earned in progress toward the PhD. At present, the department admits around three to five graduate students each year, for a total population of about twenty students.
For basic information on the nature of the MA and PhD programs at Eastman, please visit the main degree programs page of the School. Additional information, specific to the musicology program, follows:
After completing the bulk of their coursework, PhD students spend two semesters defining their field of expertise and preparing a dissertation prospectus, which they defend in the Special Field Exam at the end of the third year. Recent dissertations include:
All graduate students are expected to teach in the music history curriculum for at least two years during their enrollment at Eastman. The department views graduate teaching as co-curricular preparation for a career in musicology and as a key arena for professional development and mentoring. Students normally begin assuming teaching responsibilities in their second year. At first, they work alongside faculty members by assisting with music history courses; in subsequent years, they often teach independent courses of their own design. As the musicology faculty offers courses at many levels—serving the BM, BA, MM, and DMA curricula—Eastman PhDs enter the marketplace with extensive and varied teaching experience. Graduate students also serve as teaching assistants at the University of Rochester for intensive surveys of music history offered by the College Music Department.
Many Eastman students graduating with advanced degrees in Musicology have stayed in academia and hold key teaching and research posts at universities around the world. Others have explored a wide variety of careers, as opportunities in Musicology—and in the Humanities more generally—continue to expand. Sorting through resources for job prospects and fellowships can be difficult, especially in the midst of existing work in residency as a student. The University’s Greene Center for Career Education and Connections offers a variety of resources and career counseling for humanities-centered PhD students. The Center further lists events that are open to all graduate students on various career topics. Additional resources:
- There is a group of Eastman graduate students and PhD students from the University of Rochester’s College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering who work together through the Humanities Center on a Working PhDs group
- Additional career content for PhD students lives on the university’s learning management system through the Greene Center. Please contact Alissa Clark to be added to the “course.”
- Eastman’s Institute for Music Leadership offers a number of opportunities for career direction and exploration.
- Free resources for all humanities PhDs include ImaginePhD and InterSect Job Simulations
Eastman Musicology PhDs are working in universities and colleges across North America, as well as for institutions such as the Toronto Oratory and AmeriCorps. Places of employment include the University of Chicago, the University of Miami, UCLA, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, University of Arkansas, University of Kansas, Brigham Young, University of New Hampshire, North Carolina School of the Arts, Oxford College of Emory University, Bowling Green State University, Western Michigan University, Nazareth College, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, Mount Allison University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
