Music, PhD

Admission Requirements

Admission to the MA/PhDPrograms at the Master’s Level in Music (Critical Music Studies) and in Music (Composition)

The following are required for admission to the Graduate program in Music (Critical Music Studies) and in Music (Composition) leading to an M.A. and/or Ph.D. degree, in addition to the requirements of the Graduate School:

A. A bachelor’s degree from a recognized institution.

B. Official transcripts of all undergraduate records, and all graduate records, where applicable.

C. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B) in undergraduate music courses.

D. Three letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the student’s work.

E. Examples of undergraduate work:

1. For Critical Music Studies track applicants, essays in music history, analysis, theory, ethnomusicology, or criticism.
2. For Composition track applicants, musical scores and recordings.

F. Acceptance by both the Department of Music and the Graduate School.

Applicants are invited to submit any other evidence of their abilities in support of their application for admission, such as recordings of music performances.

All students entering the M.A. program will be assessed in the following areas:

1. Ear training.

2. Basic keyboard skills (for Composition students only).

3. The history and cultural study of music.

4. The analysis of music.

These exams are advisory only; students will be advised on which courses to take to address any gaps or develop specific skills.

Admission to the PhD Programs in Music (Critical Music Studies) or in Music (Composition)

See Admission to the M.A./Ph.D. Program, above. In addition, a master’s degree, usually in the pertinent area of competence, is required. As evidence of ability to carry on doctoral work in the area of specialization, applicants should submit examples of recent work as follows:

1. For the Composition track: recordings and scores.

2. For the Critical Music Studies track: essays that demonstrate a breadth of knowledge in two or more of the following areas: the history, theory, analysis, or criticism of any music tradition, music’s relationship to culture and politics, musical and sonic media, the ethnography of music and sound.

Applicants who plan to include study in performance as a part of their degree program should follow the audition procedure outlined under Admission to the D.M.A. Program, above. Students who intend to work in a secondary area of specialization must demonstrate to the pertinent faculty competence commensurate with a master’s degree at a distinguished level in that area.

Students who do not possess the Master of Arts degree in Music from Stony Brook will be asked to demonstrate achievement commensurate with that degree by the end of the first or second year of study, as advised, by taking the relevant M.A. qualifying examinations.

Entering students who have not already done so must successfully complete the appropriate advisory examinations described under Admission to the M.A./Ph.D. Program. These exams are advisory only; students will be advised on which courses to take to address any gaps or develop specific skills. These must be completed by the end of the first year of study.

Although most students will move directly from the master’s to the doctoral level of the M.A./Ph.D. program, successful completion of the Stony Brook M.A. degree does not guarantee acceptance into the Ph.D.-level program. Students wishing to continue from the M.A. to the Ph.D. degree must formally apply for admission to the Ph.D. program by the posted deadlines for fall admission. This should be accompanied by two letters of recommendation from Stony Brook faculty. In order to demonstrate the ability to continue on at the doctoral level, students must submit appropriate examples of work: master’s papers for Critical Music Studies; the Master’s Composition Portfolio for Composition. Students may also elect to finish with the M.A. degree.

Degree Requirements

A plan of study in the form of a working “Contract Toward Candidacy” will be drawn up by the student and a Directing Committee early in the student’s first semester. The Directing Committee will consist of the student’s advisor and at least two other faculty members. The Graduate Program Director will appoint the Directing Committee and will designate its chairperson, who shall not be the student’s advisor. The committee may include faculty members from outside the Department when appropriate. Final approval of the Contract, and of any revisions that may be necessary, rests with the Graduate Studies Committee.

The design of the program is to be developed around the requirements given below, and the contract should specify courses to be taken, the length of full-time residence, and the schedule and subject areas of various examinations including the preliminary examination. The terms of the Contract should normally be completed within two or three years (after MA-level work), depending upon the scope of the program. Successful completion of relevant master’s requirements is assumed for the Ph.D. degree; see Admission to the Ph.D. Program.