PhD Music at Stony Brook University

Programme overview

The PhD in Music is offered with tracks in Critical Music Studies and Composition. The Department of Music combines scholarly study, composition and performance in a partnership between the academy and the conservatory, with a particular emphasis on music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Performing organizations include the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary Chamber Players, Jazz Ensemble, Camerata Singers and Opera Workshop.

Faculty: College of Arts and Sciences | Department: Department of Music | Study mode: full-time | Location: Stony Brook, NY, United States

What you will study

Each student drafts a Contract Toward Candidacy with a Directing Committee in the first semester, specifying courses, residence, examinations and the preliminary examination; the contract is normally completed within two or three years after master's-level work. Work covers the area of specialization, with advisory examinations completed by the end of the first year.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to the MA/PhD requirements (bachelor's degree, transcripts, minimum 3.0 GPA in undergraduate music courses, three letters of recommendation, work examples, acceptance by the Department and Graduate School) plus a master's degree, usually in the pertinent area. Composition applicants submit recordings and scores; Critical Music Studies applicants submit essays showing breadth in two or more areas such as music history, theory, analysis, criticism, music and culture, sonic media or ethnography. Applicants without a Stony Brook MA demonstrate equivalent achievement via MA qualifying exams by the end of the first or second year. Stony Brook MA graduates must formally apply for the PhD level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate School: the application fee is $100 (limited exceptions). Deadlines vary by program; for fall applications considered for funding the deadline is typically January 15.

Apply through the official page: https://www.stonybrook.edu/grad/admissions/apply-graduate-programs.html

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