Music

Secondary PhD Field in Music

A student enrolled in a PhD program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University may achieve formal recognition for completing a secondary field in Music. The interdisciplinary breadth of musicology and its wide-ranging subject matter make it an attractive secondary field for students from many fields, including area studies, art history, religion, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and neuroscience.

Our courses cover the classical Western tradition from the Middle Ages to the present as well as a wide range of musical materials from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. Our music theory courses cover history of theory, studies of individual theoretical approaches, and methods of analysis, with a particular emphasis on performance theory and theories of time. Over the last several years, Ph.D. students from across the disciplines have enrolled in musicology seminars and have incorporated musical materials and musicological approaches into their doctoral dissertations.  

The following requirements must be met to complete this secondary field.

Coursework

• Completion of a minimum of four half-course courses.

• One of these courses must be an introductory course: Music 201a: Introduction to Historical Musicology, Music 201b: Introduction to Ethnomusicology, or Music 221:
Current Issues in Theory.

• The remaining three courses may be chosen from other graduate courses (200 level: “Primarily for Graduates”) or intermediate courses (100 level: “For Undergraduates and Graduates”). (No more than two courses may be chosen from the 100 level.)

• Neither Pass/Fail nor audited courses will count towards a secondary Ph.D. field in this department.

Record-keeping

Students interested in declaring a secondary field in music should submit to the Director of Graduate Studies evidence of their successful participation in four appropriate courses in the Music Department. Once they obtain the approval of the DGS they and the registrar will receive certification of successful completion of secondary field requirements.

Advising

For further information contact the Director of Graduate Studies//E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. //, Harvard University Department of Music, Music Building, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 0213