The Bachelor of Arts in Musicology welcomes students from diverse musical backgrounds and allows them to shape programs of study that reflect their individual interests and goals. In groundbreaking, unique courses that cover virtually every period, style, and genre, students learn to research, analyze, and understand many different musics: ancient and recent, classical and popular, Western and global, within culture and through a critical lens.

The major culminates in a year-long capstone project in which each student conceives and executes individual research on a specialized topic, ultimately presented as a substantial written essay or in an alternate format, such as a lecture-recital or video/audio presentation. Graduating seniors organize a public conference presenting their capstone work each spring. The major also includes a performance requirement, which can be fulfilled in a number of ways and does not require formal musical training.

A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-Winner Michael Abels
The compositions of Michael Abels are marked by eclectic themes and sounds, creating rich soundscapes that explore connections between global musical traditions. In 2023 he won the Pulitzer Prize for
Musicology Postdoctoral Scholar Named Area Editor for Grove Dictionary
Bernard Gordillo, chancellor’s postdoctoral scholar in history, musicology, and the Chicano Studies Research Center, has been named the Central America Area Editor for the Grove Music Online: Latin American and Iberian Music.
Assistant Professor of Musicology Wins Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award
Catherine Provenzano, assistant professor of musicology at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, has just been named one of ten winners of the Mellon Foundation's Emerging Faculty Leaders Award.

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