UCSC performance at the recital hall.

Graduate

Graduate Program Overview

There are three graduate programs in music: the Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in music and the Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree in music composition. The MA degree in music has emphases in composition, musicology/ethnomusicology, or performance practice, and integrates studies in performance, composition/analysis, and research. The Ph.D. degree in music has an emphasis in cross-cultural studies, and aims to provide doctoral students with an integrative framework for music scholarship, emphasizing the ways in which musicology and ethnomusicology interact and complement one another. The DMA degree in music composition allows doctoral students to pursue various and intersecting areas of emphasis such as algorithmic/computer-assisted composition, cross-cultural compositional practices, improvisation, collaborative composition, and other contemporary practices, to provide a broad awareness of the diverse styles, cultural influences, media, venues, and technical means available to them in the 21st century.

Graduate Degrees

UCSC performance by music students at the recital hall.

Doctorate of Musical Arts | Graduate program

Music: DMA in Composition

The DMA program seeks to develop accomplished, active, and articulate composers who have a broad awareness of the diverse practices, cultural influences, media, venues, and technical means available to them in the 21st century…

Performance of wind ensemble being lead by conductor Bruce Kiesling. All performers dressed in black attire.

Doctorate | Graduate program

Music: Ph.D.

The Ph.D. in Music degree program provides students with an integrative framework for music scholarship, emphasizing the ways in which musicology and ethnomusicology interact and complement one another…

Performance of UCSC students.

Master | Graduate program

Music: MA

The Master of Arts (MA) degree program in music has emphases in composition, musicology/ethnomusicology, or performance practice, and integrates studies in performance, composition/analysis, and research…


Cover of UCSC Music Department Graduate student handbook.

This (2024 – 2025) is the most up-to-date version of this handbook.

Changes in this version:

  • Removed the following portion from this sentence about retaking the QE: “If the student fails the written or oral portions of the test, they have one more opportunity to take the exam early in the following quarter.” (pages 5 and 16)
  • Added the following portion to this sentence about the DMA Qualifying Recital: “By the end of their second year of study (or during the Fall quarter of their third year with consultation with faculty advisor)…” (page 12)
  • Added Recital Information and Resources document (page 28)
  • Added section on CA Residency Requirements (page 23)
  • Added section on Importance of Email Correspondence (page 22)
  • Added new Music course MUSC 206C under DMA Course Requirements – (pages 11-12)
  • Added Non-terminal MA en route to DMA now approved to be offered by the Music Department.

Music Graduate Student Handbook

The Handbook contains departmental policies for the Ph.D, DMA, and MA graduate programs. If there are any questions about the Music Graduate Student Handbook, please contact the Music Department’s Graduate Program Coordinator via email at mga.mus@ucsc.edu.

Please note: Students have full Catalog rights; i.e. no graduate student will be expected to satisfy a degree requirement that is not explicitly presented in the General Catalog in effect upon their entrance to the program.

Previous versions of this handbook are listed below:

Music Graduate Student Handbook 2022-2023
Changes in this version:

  • added a “Dissertation Process and Defense Checklist”
  • more clearly mapped out pre-QE DMA requirements

Music Graduate Student Handbook 2021-2022 v1
Changes in this version:

  • Updated language for the DMA Qualifying Exams.

Music Graduate Student Handbook 2021-2022 v1
Changes in this version:

  • A year equivalent of a summer intensive language course at an accredited university can qualify for the foreign language requirement.
  • Foreign language courses may be taken S/U.
  • Programming language courses no longer qualify for the foreign language requirement.
  • The Fourth-Quarter Research Paper has been modified to become the Second-Year Research Paper (PhD only).
  • A bound copy of the dissertation or thesis is no longer required to be submitted to the department; instead, a digital copy is required.
  • Added language about faculty advising roles, curricular variance, incomplete grades, academic integrity.

Advising

Contact the Music Department graduate advisor Weslynn Cedeño
Office: Music Center 244

Email: mga.mus@ucsc.edu


Last modified: Sep 09, 2024