The Department of Music at Berkeley is one of the oldest and most prominent in the country, bringing together a renowned group of composers, scholars, and performers. The graduate program is consistently ranked among the top three programs in the nation. The Department offers the M.A/Ph.D. and the Ph.D. degrees (for those who have previously completed the Master's degree) in composition and scholarship, the latter with options in the history and literature of Western music and in ethnomusicology. The Music Department does not offer the terminal M.A. degree. The program provides graduate students with a solid mastery of their discipline while cultivating a sense of intellectual and creative independence. Students are free to explore related fields of study both in the larger university and within the music program itself. They are supported in their studies by both fellowships and teaching opportunities. Graduates of the Berkeley Music Department play prominent roles in distinguished musical institutions across the nation and abroad.

Students in composition are encouraged to create music that is personal both in style and content while building a firm technical foundation. Composition is taught through seminars and independent studies by all composers on the faculty. Opportunities exist for public performances of student compositions, including chamber, vocal, and orchestral works. Facilities are available for work in electronic and computer music.

Students in the history and literature program gain skills for historical research while developing a sense of critical inquiry and intellectual independence. The M.A. program introduces students to musicological methods and techniques and at the same time seeks to broaden their horizons through a variety of courses, including analysis and ethnomusicology. The Ph.D. involves more detailed work in research seminars and special studies. Dissertation topics at Berkeley have run the gamut of scholarly approaches and subjects, from source studies to theoretical or critical works, and from early medieval chant to the music of the 1970s.

Students in ethnomusicology prepare for ethnographic research, through the study of cultural theory and methodology from various disciplines involving field work. Each student's program is individually designed in consultation with an adviser, including opportunities for drawing on Berkeley's considerable resources in related disciplines and area studies.For more information.

The Master of Arts Degree

The period of study in all areas of specialization is from three to (more typically) four semesters ending with the M.A. comprehensive examination. The general course requirement for the M.A. is 24 units, at least 12 of which must be in the graduate series in music.

The M.A. Comprehensive Examination consists of two parts: (1) a short oral examination comprising the analysis of one musical piece given out beforehand, and (2) a three-hour written examination: for composition, an exercise in fugal writing or orchestration, or computer music software programming, and for scholarship (history and literature of music or ethnomusicology), a three-hour written examination designed to test the student's knowledge of music from various historical periods or a cultural area.

The Doctor of Philosophy Degree

Since the Ph.D. degree is awarded for original, creative achievement, not for the mere completion of a course of study, course and unit requirements are not rigidly prescribed. There is an academic residence requirement of two years. The amount of time needed to complete the Ph.D. varies considerably from one student to another, but students are encouraged to proceed as fast as they can and as the nature of their doctoral project allows. It is expected that the typical student (having obtained an M.A. degree) will have pursued sufficient course work, fulfilled all the supplementary requirements, and taken the qualifying examination by the end of two years; students in ethnomusicology will most likely take longer. By the end of the following semester, students complete a prospectus for the doctoral project and are advanced to doctoral candidacy. After this the only requirement is that the student satisfactorily complete the doctoral project.

Language requirement: Proficiency in a language is usually demonstrated by a written examination consisting of a passage (or passages) totaling a minimum of 300 words, at least partly taken from the literature on music. For students who enter at the M.A. level, one language must be completed before the M.A. exam. Proficiency in the second language may be established either by examination or by four semesters of coursework with a grade of B or better.

Composition French or German, and one other language.

History and literature of music German and a second language pertinent to the student's area of specialization.

Ethnomusicology two languages pertinent to the student's research specialization.

The Qualifying Examination: The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to determine that the student is clearly expert in those areas that have been specified for the examination and that he or she can in all likelihood design and produce an acceptable dissertation.

The Doctoral Dissertation: In composition, the dissertation consists of a musical composition of recent conception and considerable scope. No further a priori qualifications are placed on the composition. In scholarship (history and literature of music or ethnomusicology), the dissertation may deal with any aspect of music that lends itself to scholarly investigation.

After Graduate Education: The traditional career for Ph.D.s in music has been university and college teaching. There are also other professional activities for which an M.A. or Ph.D. in music is required or desirable, such as editing, criticism, and arts management, music technology, and professional composing.

Members of the faculty provide advice on career planning, dossiers, interviews, etc., as well as recommendations for job candidacies. Berkeley Ph.D.s are likely to compete successfully for positions at leading institutions. Competition, however, is keen and advisers work closely with students to help them plan a course of study that reflects the realities of the job market.

Fellowships and Financial Support: The University's application for admission to graduate study also serves as an application form for fellowship support. The Music Department provides a minimum of five years of support to students who enter on the M.A. level and a minimum of four years to those who enter on the Ph.D. level. Students are awarded either a University or a Department fellowship in their first year. Support in subsequent years is in the form of a combination of fellowships and appointments as Graduate Student Instructors. The stipend level for students entering in 2008-09 is $18,000 plus tuition and fees.

In addition, the George Ladd Prix de Paris is awarded every other year to a composer in the Music Department’s graduate program for two years of study abroad. To be considered for the award, students must have completed the M.A. degree and usually will have passed the Qualifying Exams. Awards are made on the basis of faculty nomination. The stipend level for 2008-09 is $42,000.

Teaching Positions: An unusual feature of the program, and a major advantage for students at Berkeley, is the number and variety of courses in which they are given employment and in which they teach under faculty supervision. Teaching experience of this kind is both a philosophical and practical aim of the program and a means of student employment. The department has as one of its principal goals the preparation of teachers for colleges and universities. Every effort is made to ensure that graduates have the knowledge, imagination, and musical and pedagogical skills to enable them to inform and inspire others. The department employs graduate students (normally after their first year of study) as graduate student instructors in courses in European music historyand appreciation, American music culture, ear training, harmony, computer music, chorus, and orchestra.

Financial Aid: The University of California at Berkeley offers loans, grants, and work-study awards through the Financial Aid Office. The programs are based entirely on demonstrated financial need and require a separate application, independent of the fellowship application.

Miscellaneous Information

Housing: New students are advised to arrive in the area as early as possible to find housing. Housing information can be obtained from the University Housing Office, 2401 Bowditch Street, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2272 or at www.calrentals.housing.berkeley.edu.

Establishing Legal Residence: Information on legal residence for tuition purposes can be found in the General Catalog. Since the establishment of legal residence involves considerable documentation over a period of slightly more than one year, incoming students are advised to attend to the matter immediately upon arrival.

General Catalog: The University's General Catalog is available online at: http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog

Since the Catalog goes to press early, class-offering and scheduling information is subject to change.

Estimated Student Budget for fees, out-of-state tuition, and an estimated student budget, see the Graduate Application for Admission and Fellowships.

More detailed information on the requirements and procedures for the Department's graduate programs can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook.

Updated7/23/2008