MA in Musicology

The Master of Arts in Musicology is for students who are working toward entrance to a PhD program, performing students with academic interests, and students preparing for positions in the music industry. To enter, students normally possess an undergraduate degree in music or its equivalent.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of the program, students are expected to:

• Be able to conduct research in Historical Musicology and/or Ethnomusicology.
• Demonstrate knowledge of disciplinary history of Historical Musicology and/or Ethnomusicology.
• Demonstrate proficiency with relevant theoretical and methodological paradigms.
• Understand and convey the relationship between musical sound and broader intellectual, social, economic, and/or political spheres of human endeavor.
• Conduct research that contributes to knowledge in the field.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material of a main field.
• Be able to analyze music from a variety of periods or cultural settings.
• Be able to conduct scholarly activities in a professional and ethical manner.
• Be able to present and defend their research in public forums.
• Have reading knowledge of two languages apart from English.
• Be able to teach the discipline at the undergraduate level.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 32 credits is required for the degree of Master of Arts.

Candidates choose one of the following fields of specialization:

Language Requirement

All students pursuing an MA in Musicology are required to demonstrate graduate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language prior to completion of the degree. Language proficiency can be demonstrated through either a language examination or successful completion of a non-credit graduate-level foreign language reading course offered by Boston University.

Comprehensive Exams

MA candidates in the historical musicology specialization must pass a Comprehensive Exam. This exam should be taken no later than the beginning of the fourth semester of coursework. The one-half hour oral exam will consist of short answers to questions about some fundamental areas of scholarship, the work of some of the main scholars in the field, and landmark repertories and genres.

MA candidates in the ethnomusicology specialization must pass a Comprehensive Exam. This exam should be taken no later than the beginning of the fourth semester of coursework. The one-half hour oral exam will consist of questions about the theory, history, and practice of ethnomusicology. Candidates must display a general knowledge of the field and its history.

Master’s Thesis

Following the successful completion of the departmental comprehensive examination, students must undertake a thesis that represents a contribution to some aspect of musical knowledge. A thesis proposal, prepared in consultation with the faculty advisor, must be approved by the Musicology/Ethnomusicology faculty. Students should discuss and formulate a topic with their advisor by the end of their second semester.