PhD Music at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

to provide a rich, integrated program of undergraduate and graduate education that promotes the highest levels of professional, creative, and scholarly development while challenging students to achieve their greatest potential; to cultivate an environment that inspires creativity, stimulates intellectual curiosity, and fosters critical thinking; and to serve the university community, the public, and the profession through performance, composition, scholarship, music education, outreach, and engagement.

Department: Music | Duration: 51 credits | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall (deadline December 1) | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires a minimum of 51 credits. Courses listed in the requirements include MUSIC 911 Seminar in Musicology (taken every semester, in principle); MUSIC 821 Historical Music Theories; MUSIC 822 Historical Music Theories; MUSIC 921 Current Issues in Musical Thought; MUSIC 925 Form and Analysis Seminar; MUSIC 927 Seminar in Composition.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not Required; Letters of Recommendation Required 3. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in music (or equivalent foundational coursework) plus a Master’s degree in music (or consent of the faculty). The PhD application will require two substantial samples of academic writing, preferably (but not mandatorily) on a topic in Musicology or Music Theory. In the Statement of Purpose, candidates should discuss their academic and professional goals as well as their qualifications to serve as a Teaching Assistant in the School of Music. No audition or interview is required for the PhD application. For details of the application process, please visit the Mead Witter School of Music graduate admissions website .

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.

Entry terms (spring, summer or fall) vary by programme and are listed on each programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. An applicant may have active applications in only one entry term at a time.

Application deadlines vary by programme and are listed on the programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. Applications are submitted through the Graduate School application portal. The application fee is $75 US, non-refundable, payable by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM; international applicants pay an extra $6 processing fee. Up to three programmes in the same entry term can be applied to for one application fee.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

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