Music Department | UC Santa Cruz

Applicants are expected to have completed a bachelor's degree in music, or an MA or MM in instrumental or vocal performance, conducting, musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, or composition. Students seeking admission to the PhD program in music must demonstrate the potential for both original scholarship and excellence in classroom teaching. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of: success in undergraduate and/or master's level coursework in music history, ethnomusicology, and theory; skills in verbal communication that suggest promise of a successful publishing career in music, and strong work in the classroom; and the intersection of their subspecialty interest with the expertise of the UCSC faculty.

Applications are limited to programs of study beginning in fall quarter. The deadline for receipt of applications and other required materials is January 5. The application is accessible at this web site.

Admission to the program is based on assessment of the application and the following required materials:

• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts of undergraduate and graduate work
• Scores for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test
• Writing sample:

  a. Applicants who have completed a bachelor's degree are required to submit a writing sample (e.g., term paper, senior thesis, or other class paper).

  b. Applicants who have completed a master's degree are required to submit a writing sample of substantial length (e.g., an excerpt from a master's thesis or a set of class research papers).

Applicants may also submit optional materials demonstrating musical skills (e.g., compositions, a performance or lecture-recital on CD, DVD, VHS, etc.)

Applicants whose primary language is not English must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and attain a minimum score of 550 on the paper test, or 220 on the computer test, or 83 on the on-line test.

Recordings and other application materials are nonreturnable.

Material(s) should be submitted to the following address:

UC Santa Cruz
 Music Department
 Graduate Adviser

Music Center

1156 High St.

Santa Cruz CA 95064

Additional information is available from Laura McShane, Graduate Program Coordinator, at gradmusic@ucsc.edu or (831) 459-3199.