Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements: Ethnomusicology

The interdisciplinary field of Ethnomusicology is concerned with understanding music as a global and social phenomenon, and as a creative and political practice. Universities engaged in the professional training of ethnomusicologists have developed programs with differing emphases, reflecting, in part, the specialties of the faculty and their distinctive approaches to the concerns of the field. Programs variously strike a balance between the ethnographic and musicological. The Duke Ethnomusicology track is designed with the versatility to accommodate students’ diverse interests. Those who envision conducting research that primarily intersects with other musical subfields can utilize the multi-faceted training available within Duke’s small music graduate program. Students whose primary interest lies in linking music studies to the interpretive social sciences and global humanities can exploit Duke’s lateral opportunities and interdisciplinary relationships.

Course Requirements

Fifteen Courses (45 units) of graduate instruction.  The required courses include:

  • MUS 790S-2 (Studies in Ethnomusicology)
  • CULANTH 801S (Theoretical Foundations of Cultural Anthropology) and CULANTH 802S (Fieldwork Methods: Cultural Analysis and Interpretation) or two other sequential courses from the humanities or interpretative social sciences approved in advance by the DGS.
  • 12 additional elective graduate courses, at least four of which should be taken in the Department of Music, and three in another single discipline. NOTE: 500 and 600 level Applied Music Courses do not count towards the Ph.D.
  • At least three courses need to focus on the geographical area that is to be featured in your dissertation.

Registration Requirements

The Graduate School requires six semesters of “full-time” registration regardless of the number of courses taken or residence.   

Teaching Requirement

Classroom teaching is an integral part of the doctoral program. All graduate students will be required to complete eight semesters of teaching as a Teaching Assistant or Instructor of Record. For the Ethnomusicology track, this requirement begins immediately in the first semester of the first year of study. In extraordinary circumstances, students may apply to the DGS for a waiver of one semester of the required teaching.

 

Sample Program of Study in Ethnomusicology

The following represents a typical program for students entering the doctoral program in Ethnomusicology, which begins with en route A.M. requirements and then proceeds to Ph.D. requirements. You may apply to receive an A.M. diploma en route to the Ph.D. The A.M. will be awarded after successful completion of the Portfolio Workshop, which will serve as the A.M. exam. The committee may recommend that a student receive a terminal A.M. if the student is not admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.

Semester Typical Course of Study
Year 1
  • Coursework
  • Teaching Assistantships
  • Begin developing Mini-portfolio using work from courses
  • Diagnostic Exam - singing and chord/interval identification (Fall exam week)
  • Submit Mini-portfolio at the end of Year 1 (constitutes Qualifying Exam)
Year 2
  • Coursework
  • Teaching Assistantships
  • Select adviser and discuss preliminary formation of your Doctoral Committee
  • Field Specializations Workshop
  • Diagnostic Exam – style identification, transcription, sound production (accessed online before Fall classes)

(A.M. Degree)
Year 3
  • Teaching Assistantships
  • Complete foreign language requirements (Note: Foreign language exam must be successfully completed before the portfolio workshop. Students are strongly encouraged to take it in the first or second year.)
  • Complete the Portfolio
  • Doctoral Committee finalized with Dean’s approval by February 1
  • Prepare final version of a dissertation prospectus
  • Portfolio & Prospectus Workshop (constitutes Preliminary Exam)
Year 4
  • Dissertation research
Year 5
  • Teaching Assistantships
  • Dissertation writing
Following Years
  • Final Examination (dissertation defense)
        (Ph.D. Degree)

Examinations and Dissertation