Musicology

Master of Arts / PhD

Innovative
Music Scholars

UCLA’s Department of Musicology is one of the most successful graduate programs in American musicology. Recent alumni of the department teach at the University of Michigan, UT Austin, UC Irvine, Michigan State, Dalhousie University, Bates College, and other schools across the nation and the world. Our intellectual community is strikingly diverse, with U.S. graduate students from all regions of the country, international students from Canada, Mexico, Holland, Bermuda, Guatemala and Korea, and visiting scholars from as far away as China and the Ukraine.

As a training-ground for the next generation of adventurous, inventive music scholars, our Ph.D. program develops students’ creative and critical voices in a wide variety of chosen subfields; provides them with rich opportunities for establishing intellectual and professional networks; and gives them pedagogical training and experience second to none. Our graduate seminars explore topics and theories from musical Nationalism to the history of improvisation, musical camp to Dufay, opéra-comique to hands-on explorations of “public musicology.” Current graduate research interests include (but are by no means limited to!) David Bowie, Soviet music theory pedagogy, early modern anglophone devotional poetry and song, proto-punk musical experimentalism, music as cultural diplomacy during the Pan American era, 17th- and 18th-century operatic adaptations of Shakespeare’s works, music in marginal cinemas (horror, slasher, etc.).

The UCLA Musicology department normally enrolls 4-5 students per year. We accept applications for the Ph.D. only (an M.A. is normally awarded to eligible students after two years). The department is committed to competitive multi-year packages of support, and at the present time can usually guarantee a minimum of one year of fellowship and three plus years of teaching assistantship to incoming students. Students normally graduate 5-6 years after matriculation.

Student Perspectives:<br />
Caitlin Vaughn Carlos
Student Perspectives:
Caitlin Vaughn Carlos

“I’ve always been interested in how people use music of the past – the historical past and their own personal past. At UCLA I got to study nostalgia and uses of the past in rock music of the early 70s, allowing me to think about music that I’ve heard my entire life (for example, “American Pie” or “Led Zeppelin IV”) in a completely new way.” Caitlin Vaughn Carlos Ph.D. ’21 | Musicology

Jenny Olivia Johnson Joins Musicology Faculty
Jenny Olivia Johnson has a … different artistic process than most. The musicologist and composer, who will join The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music in Fall 2023 as associate professor of musicology, has always been known for mixing seemingly incompatible elements in her work.  By way of illustration, consider Johnson’s opera “The After Time,”
Doctoral Student Breana McCullough Connects Baroque Music and Native American Voices
McCullough has been an apprentice with the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado in 2022-23. She collaborated with the orchestra on their winter concert, re-envisioning a French carol to elevate indigenous perspectives.
How Spotify Knows What You Want Next
When the Wall Street Journal wants to understand how Spotify’s algorithm works, they turn to Thomas Hodgson, assistant professor of musicology and music industry at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Graduate Opportunities

Distinguished Lecture Series
Ciro Zoppo Research Fellowship

Explore Other Degrees

Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
Ethnomusicology
The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work
Global Jazz Studies
Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies
Music Composition
Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media
Music Education
Preparation for music educators leading to a B.A. and teaching credential in just four years
Music History & Industry
Combining Musicology and the Music Industry minor for practical hands-on training with the study of music within the context of different societies, cultures, and theories
Music Industry
Industry professionals and UCLA faculty prepare students for music-related careers
Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music