Graduate Handbook: Musicology

Musicology

MA in Music (Concentration in Musicology)

Course Requirements

  Common Core (15 hours)
 
MUMH 5010 - Introduction to Research in Music
MUGC 5950 - Master's Thesis (6 hours)
MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology
3 hours
selected from:
MUTH 5355 - Analytical Techniques I (Ars Antiqua–1700)
MUTH 5360 - Analytical Techniques II (1700–1900)
MUTH 5370 - Analytical Techniques III (Post 1900)
  Concentration in Musicology (15 hours)
 
MUMH 5020 - Introduction to Musicology
6 hours
selected from:
MUMH 5110 - History of Opera
MUMH 5331 - Western Music History, 750–1400
MUMH 5332 - Western Music History, 1400–1600
MUMH 5333 - Western Music History, 1600–1700
MUMH 5341 - Western Music History, 1700–1800
MUMH 5342 - Western Music History, 1800–1900
MUMH 5343 - Western Music History, 1900 to the Present
MUMH 5430 - Music in Latin America
MUMH 5440 - Music in the United States
MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology
and others with the permission of the area coordinator
  6 hours of electives in music (non-MUMH)

 

Language Requirement

Before applying for graduation in this degree, the student must pass an examination testing reading knowledge of one major Western European language other than English. Language exams will be prepared and graded by two faculty members, and will be administered once every semester as the need arises. The exams in any language will consist of two parts, both of which will require students to work with excerpts from texts that have to do with music.  Students must write their answers by hand and may use whatever dictionaries they find appropriate. Part 1 will require students to translate a short excerpt from an older document, possibly from a musical treatise, dictionary, or encyclopedia, and almost certainly printed using archaic fonts. Part 2 will require students to read and understand a longer excerpt from a recent document, most likely a scholarly article; rather than translating the excerpt, students will have to answer questions that test their comprehensive of it.  Students will receive the documents one at a time and will be allowed one and a half hours to complete each part.  Parts 1 and 2 will be graded separately on a pass/fail basis; it is therefore possible to pass one part but fail the other. Students may retake language examinations as many times as desired without penalty. If a student passes one part of the examination in a given language but fails the other part, he or she need only retake the failed part.

Thesis Phase

The length and scope of the thesis will vary depending on the chosen topic and the professional goals of the student. The thesis must comprise a minimum of 7,500 words (excluding front matter, bibliography, footnotes, and appendices).

By the final semester of coursework, the student will officially request a member from the area to serve as major professor, register for thesis hours with that professor, and put together an advisory committee. The student must submit the Committee Designation Form with the appropriate signatures to the Graduate Studies Office. This committee will oversee the writing of the student’s thesis. This committee comprises a minimum of three faculty members including the major professor. The composition of the committee can be revised at any time by means of the same form.

Before the degree is granted, the candidate must pass an oral defense of the thesis conducted by the advisory committee. The oral defense may be scheduled in the fall or spring semesters no sooner than three weeks after a complete draft of the thesis has been approved by the major professor and submitted to the advisory committee. Requests for summer or winter term defenses must be approved by the full advisory committee.

PhD (Concentration in Music History)

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree with a Major in Music and Concentration in Musicology features two tracks. Students with a previous master's degree may earn the doctorate by completing a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit including the Common Core. Students without a previous master's degree may earn the doctorate by completing a minimum of 72 hours of graduate credit including the Common Core.

The minimum residence requirement for the doctoral program consists of two consecutive long semesters (fall and the following spring, or spring and the following fall) with a minimum load of nine hours during each term. Students who enter with a previous master's degree are expected (1) to achieve candidacy (i.e. complete all requirements besides the dissertation proposal and dissertation) by the end of their sixth long semester and (2) to graduate by the end of their tenth long semester. Those that enter without a previous master's degree are expected (1) to achieve candidacy by the end of their eighth long semester and (2) to graduate by the end of their twelfth long semester.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree cannot be earned by routine work alone, regardless of accuracy or amount. The degree will be conferred on the basis of mastery of the field of music as a whole and of proven ability to plan and carry out an original investigation with distinction.

Course Requirements

  Common Core (36 hours)
 
3 hours of MUMH 6XXX
3 hours of MUET 6XXX
MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology
MUGC 6950 - Doctoral Dissertation (12 hours)
Related/Minor Field (12 hours)
Electives (3 hours)
Must also have completed Master’s core requirement (15 hours)
  Concentration in Musicology (24 hours) (w/ previous master's)
 
MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology
MUMH 6020 - Music History Pedagogy (1.5 hours)
MUMH 6030 - Professional Development in Musicology (1.5 hours)
18 hours
selected from:
MUMH 6000 - Seminar in Musicology
MUMH 6720 - Seminar in Historical Performance
MUTH 6660 - History of Music Theory I
MUTH 6670 - History of Music Theory II
MUTH 6700 - Analytical Systems I (1700–1900)
MUTH 6710 - Analytical Systems II (Post 1900)
  Concentration in Musicology (36 hours) (w/o previous master's)
  MUMH 5010 - Introduction to Research
  MUMH 5020 - Introduction to Musicology
  MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology (6 hours)
6 hours
selected from:
MUMH 5110 - History of Opera
MUMH 5331 - Western Music History, 750-1400
MUMH 5332 - Western Music History, 1400-1600
MUMH 5333 - Western Music History, 1600-1700
MUMH 5441 - Western Music History, 1700-1800
MUMH 5442 - Western Music History, 1800-1900
MUMH 5343 - Western Music History, 1900 to the Present
MUMH 5430 - Music in Latin America
MUMH 5440 - Music in the United States
3 hours
selected from:
MUTH 5355 - Analytical Techniques I (Ars Antiqua-1700)
MUTH 5360 - Analytical Techniques I (1700-1900)
MUTH 5370 - Analytical Techniques I (Post 1900)
MUTH 5375 - Analytical Techniques for Popular Music
 
15 hours
selected from:
MUMH 6000 - Seminar in Musicology
MUMH 6720 - Seminar in Historical Performance
MUTH 6660 - History of Music Theory I
MUTH 6670 - History of Music Theory II
MUTH 6700 - Analytical Systems I (1700–1900)
MUTH 6710 - Analytical Systems II (Post 1900)

Qualifying Exams

Timing
Exams will be administered once a year during the week that precedes the beginning of classes in the fall; the area coordinator will announce the exact dates by no later than August 1. Students will take Phase 1 after the first year of study and Phase 2 after the second year of study. They must fulfill all leveling- and review-course assignments before attempting Phase 1.
 
Phase 1 — Score Identification
Students will be asked: 1) to discuss in detail features of style, form, and genre in six out of ten musical examples; 2) to identify the likely time of composition as precisely as possible; and 3) to identify a plausible composer. Five of the ten examples will be from before 1750 and the other five from after 1750. Students must choose three from before 1750 and three from after 1750. They will have two hours to complete the exam. The area faculty will grade the exam on a pass/fail basis. Students who fail the exam must re-take and pass it by the end of the second year of study. The re-take will consist of a new set of examples. Students who fail Phase 1 of the exams three times will be subject to dismissal from the program.
 
Phase 2 — Essays
Format
The written component will consist of three two-hour essays. A ninety-minute oral exam administered by the full area faculty will follow several days later.
 
Essay Questions
In the spring before they are to take the exams, students, in consultation with area faculty members, will select three topics to study over the summer and will compile a bibliography for each. Each topic must concern a body of musical works from a different period of music history: pre-1600, 1600–1800, and 1800–present. After consulting with musicology faculty members, students are to submit their topics to the area by no later than 1 April. Each of the proposed topics must consist of a title, a repertory list, and a bibliography. Topics must be approved by the end of the spring semester.
 
One purpose of this structure is to focus students’ preparation for the exams; another is to allow them to continue the kind of work that they should already have begun in their seminars and thus to further their development as professionals. Preparing for these exams models the way that musicologists work: this is how we develop projects that turn into articles and books. Of the three questions on the exam, one is likely to require working with one or more scores; another is likely to be a question concerning methodology raised by one of the topics. All three questions will require close engagement with ideas expressed in items on the bibliographies. The musicology faculty as a whole must approve all exam questions. Do not assume that a particular faculty member will write a question because of the courses that they teach.
 
Oral Examination
The oral exam centers on the student’s essays. Students should consider the oral exam an opportunity not only to expand upon, clarify, or revise their written responses but also to demonstrate their intellectual flexibility, familiarity with the topics and bibliographies, and potential as a teacher and participant in scholarly conversation. Like the written exams, the oral exam should continue a process that has already begun in the seminars.
 
Grading
Area faculty will grade each of the three components on a pass/fail basis. The written and oral portions of each essay question will be graded together; thus a student cannot pass the written essay question but fail the oral defense of that question, or vice-versa. Students who fail one of the three components of Phase 2 of the qualifying exams must re-take and pass it by the end of the fall semester. The re-take consists of another two-hour exam on a new essay question regarding the same topic—approved by the area faculty—and a half-hour oral exam administered by at least three musicology professors. A student who fails two or more components must retake those parts of the exam the following August. Students who fail any part of Phase 2 of the exams three times will be subject to dismissal from the program.

Proficiencies

The following proficiencies must be demonstrated before submitting a dissertation proposal: knowledge of two foreign languages, research and writing skills, and adequate mastery of a minor or related field. These proficiencies will not be tested when students are taking the qualifying exams. They should be demonstrated by the end of the sixth semester of study and must be demonstrated before the student submits a dissertation proposal. The student is responsible for documenting the demonstration of the proficiencies on the Final Milestones Form.

Language Proficiency

German and a second language subject to the approval of the musicology area is required. Language exams will be prepared and graded by two faculty members, and will be administered once every semester as the need arises. The examinations in any language will consist of two parts, both of which will require students to work with excerpts from texts that have to do with music. Students must write their answers by hand and may use whatever dictionaries they find appropriate. Part 1 will require students to translate a short excerpt from an older document, possibly from a musical treatise, dictionary, or encyclopedia, and almost certainly printed using archaic fonts. Part 2 will require students to read and understand a longer excerpt from a recent document, most likely a scholarly article; rather than translating the excerpt, students will have to answer questions that test their comprehension of it. Students will receive the documents one at a time and will be allowed one and a half hours to complete each part. Parts 1 and 2 will be graded separately on a pass/fail basis; it is therefore possible to pass one part but fail the other. Students may retake language examinations as many times as desired without penalty. If a student passes one part of the examination in a given language but fails the other part, he or she need only retake the failed part.

Proficiency in Research

The student must submit a revised seminar paper to be read and approved by the area. Students will undertake these revisions in consultation with at least one member of the area faculty. The revised paper should be of a scope, length, and quality suitable for submission for publication as an article.

Proficiency in a Related or Minor Field

To complete a doctorate in musicology, students must demonstrate proficiency in a related or minor fieldRequirements for demonstrating proficiency and the administering of any examination will fall under the auspices of the related or minor field area.

The related field (within the College of Music) or minor field (a course of study outside the College of Music) must comprise at least twelve credit hours of study. The course of study and method of evaluation for the related or minor field will be determined by the faculty in that area. Some related fields require a formal application or audition. Students should contact the related-field faculty to determine whether that is the case for their intended related field.

If degree credit is to be given for applied music, the student must pass the master's-level entrance audition in performance prior to enrollment for these credit hours. The student who does not pass or take the audition may study applied music, but this credit will not count toward the sixty hours required for the degree.

Dissertation Phase

The culmination of the doctoral work is a dissertation of appropriate scope, quality and originality. After completing their coursework, passing the qualifying exams, and demonstrating the required proficiencies, students will start working on their dissertation proposals while finishing course work. Once they have finished course work, students will be admitted to candidacy.

The student will officially request a tenure-track or tenured member of the music history faculty to serve as major professor, register for one semester of dissertation hours with that professor, and put together a dissertation committee. The student must fill in the Committee Designation Form, seek the appropriate signatures, and file it with the Office of Graduate Studies. This committee will oversee the writing of the student’s dissertation. This committee is comprised of three to five faculty members, including the major professor, a representative of the student’s minor/related field, and at least one additional member (usually a second music historian). The composition of the committee can be revised at any time by means of the same form.

In communication with the major professor and the committee, the student will select a dissertation topic, write a dissertation proposal and submit it to the Graduate Academic Degrees Committee (GADCom) for approval. Consult the Thesis and Dissertation Guidelines for more information.

If it is deemed necessary, the student may be required to define a broader area of study that sufficiently contextualizes the topic. In this case, the student will compile a bibliography on the broader area and schedule a one-hour oral exam. The student’s committee will oversee the exam, during which the student will answer questions on the literature in his/her area as represented by the bibliography. Upon admission to candidacy, the student must maintain continuous dissertation enrollment (MUGC 6950) each long semester until the dissertation has been completed and accepted by the Dean of the Graduate School. Registration in at least one summer session is required if the student is using university facilities and/or faculty time during that summer session.

Before the degree is granted, the candidate must pass an oral defense of the dissertation. The oral defense may be scheduled in the fall or spring semesters no sooner than one month after a complete draft of the thesis has been approved by the major professor and submitted to the advisory committee. Requests for summer or winter term defenses must be approved by the full advisory committee.

Related Field in Musicology (MM)

The related field in musicology requires nine credit hours. Courses used to fulfill major-field requirements may not be used to fulfill the related-field requirements.

9 hours
selected from:
MUMH 5020 - Introduction to Musicology
MUMH 5110 - History of Opera
MUMH 5331 - Western Music History, 750–1400
MUMH 5332 - Western Music History, 1400–1600
MUMH 5333 - Western Music History, 1600–1700
MUMH 5341 - Western Music History, 1700–1800
MUMH 5342 - Western Music History, 1800–1900
MUMH 5343 - Western Music History, 1900 to the Present
MUMH 5430 - Music in Latin America
MUMH 5440 - Music in the United States
MUMH 5711 - Proseminar in Musicology
MUET 5210 - Seminar in Ethnomusicology
or additional courses with approval of the area coordinator

Related Field in Musicology (DMA or PhD)

Application

Doctoral students wishing to select musicology as related field must submit a formal application. Applications will be reviewed during long semesters only and will consist of three items:

  • a cover letter including contact information
  • a paper that the student wrote for a past music history class (not necessarily at UNT)
  • a personal statement (300-500 words) addressing the student’s musicological interests and goals

These materials must be sent to the area coordinator. Area faculty will then evaluate the application and issue a formal decision of acceptance or rejection. Only once a formal acceptance is officially communicated to the student will he or she be admitted to the related field in musicology.

Course Requirements

The related field in musicology requires twelve credit hours. Courses used to fulfill major-field requirements may not be used to fulfill the related-field requirements.

  MUMH 5020 - Introduction to Musicology
3-6 hours
selected from:
MUMH 5331 - Western Music History, 750–1400
MUMH 5332 - Western Music History, 1400–1600
MUMH 5333 - Western Music History, 1600–1700
MUMH 6000 - Seminar in Musicology (focus before 1750)
3-6 hours
selected from:
MUMH 5110 - History of Opera
MUMH 5341 - Western Music History, 1700-1800
MUMH 5342 - Western Music History, 1800–1900
MUMH 5343 - Western Music History, 1900 to the Present
MUMH 5430 - Music in Latin America
MUMH 5440 - Music in the United States
MUMH 6000 - Seminar in Musicology (focus after 1750)

With the permission of the area coordinator, the final three hours of the related field may also be fulfilled by Teaching Music History, a Special Problems course (MUMH 6900) taught by the instructors of MUMH 3500 or MUMH 3510 during certain semesters. Students interested in this class must contact the area coordinator at registration time.

Related-Field Exam

Well in advance of the exam the student must ask one musicology professor to serve as the related-field professor and another to serve as a second faculty adviser. One will focus on pre-1750 music, another on the post-1750 music. 

The exam will require the student to write three essays. He or she will have one hour to complete each essay. The related-field professor and second faculty advisor will write the questions, grade the written exam, and conduct the oral portion of the exam.

Approximately six weeks before the exam the student will receive two possible topics for each essay. Two days before the exam the related-field professor will communicate to the student which of each pair of possibilities will appear on the exam and provide the student with specific prompts for each essay. The student may bring scores to the exam. The exam is to be handwritten, but the student does not have to write in blue books.

  1. The first essay will be on a topic that concerns methodology. The topic will most likely be taken from MUMH 5020, which is required for the related field. It may also be taken from another course, subject to area approval.
  2. The second part of the exam will require the student to write two essays that focus on central repertory. The student's advisers will assign two pieces from before 1750 and two from after 1750, but, as stated above, the student will write on only one of each pair. Questions for this part of the exam will not necessarily be related to the classes that the student took for related-field credit.

Students will prepare for this part of the exam by acquiring a thorough knowledge of the assigned pieces and the English-language literature on them. The related-field professor and second faculty adviser will be careful to assign pieces on which there is a significant amount of published English-language research.

This written test will be graded on a pass or fail basis by the related-field professor and second faculty adviser. After passing this test, the student must take an oral exam in which he or she will have the opportunity to defend or clarify answers. If the student's degree program does not include an oral stage as part of the qualifying examinations, an oral follow-up dealing solely with the musicology part of the test will be scheduled.

These examinations may be taken no more than three times. All components of the qualifying examinations must be completed within fourteen months.

Updated January 22, 2019