Musicology

Students take twelve (12) graduate seminars and design their program in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies (“DGS”), who must approve all course selections prior to registration. The typical course load is three seminars per semester; however, students who wish to take a reduced course load of two seminars while preparing for the General Exams in spring of their second year, may choose to take a seminar in the fall of their third year or (less typically) to take a fourth seminar during their first year.  

The seminars offered usually reflect the current research interests of the faculty. While it is expected that the majority of the required seminars will be with the musicology faculty, students may occasionally supplement or substitute musicology course offerings with graduate seminars taught by the composition faculty, in other departments, or through the exchange programs at other Universities with the permission of the DGS. While students are encouraged to sample courses in other departments relevant to their interests, we recommend that no more than one course be taken outside the department in any given semester. Normally advanced undergraduate courses do not count as seminars; if you find one that is particularly relevant to your research interests, you may petition the DGS for an exception. Language courses do not count as seminars.  

Students may also take additional seminars in other departments after completing their 12 required seminars, but should discuss the matter with their advisor(s) to ensure that they have adequate time to concentrate on the dissertation. 

Students who are interested in applying to the Interdisciplinary Humanities (IHUM) program are encouraged to take at least one IHUM seminar during their first two years of study.  

Seminar Grading:

Musicology seminars are normally graded Pass/Fail (P/F). To remain in good standing with the department, students are expected to attend seminar meetings and complete assignments in a timely fashion. Failure to complete the work of graduate courses during the semester in which they are taken may result in deferred reenrollment and negatively impact financial support. 

The Music Department follows the Graduate School’s Policy on Incomplete Coursework, which states in part that a “…grade of ‘Incomplete’ (INC) should be given only under exceptional circumstances when there are compelling reasons, discussed in advance between the course ahead and the student…”.  

If a student is granted an INC in a course, it is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the instructor and make sure that you have completed the requisite work. If the work remains incomplete and the grade is not filed within one year after beginning the course, the incomplete automatically becomes an F. 

Students should register for, change, or drop courses only after discussion with the Director of Graduate Studies (“DGS”).

Courses may be added through TigerHub during the first two weeks of the semester; the extended Drop period lasts until week nine. Changes in course schedules must also be approved by the DGS. Click here for more information about the dates for adding and dropping graduate courses. 

Students should register for, change, or drop courses only after discussion with and approval of the DGS. To facilitate these approvals, the DGS will meet with individually with students still completing course requirements before the beginning of each semester.   

For Fall 2024, the DGS will meet with students as follows: 

• Incoming First Years: August 15, 2024 between 11am-1pm eastern standard time.  

• Rising Second Years & Third Years requiring coursework: August 8, 2024 between 12-2pm eastern standard time.  

• Administrative staff will contact these students to help them book their individual time slots.  

All courses registration is done through TigerHub. Please see the Academic Calendar and Deadlines for more information about the dates for adding and dropping graduate courses.  

All first–year musicology students take a diagnostic theory exam, which asks students to analyze, discuss, and transcribe short pieces of music.. The purpose of the exam is to determine whether the student, would benefit from additional theory work either independently or in the context of a course or seminar.

The closed-book diagnostic theory exam is sent to students over winter break. Students can take the exam at any point over the break, so long as they do not allocate more than 12 hours to completing it. Completed tests should be submitted via email to the Director of Graduate Studies before the first day of the spring semester. Students will receive the assessment of their exam via email from the Director of Graduate Studies no later than one month into the spring semester, based on the students’ research interests and the general requirements of the musicology graduate program. The closed-book diagnostic theory exam is sent to students over winter break. Students can take the exam at any point over the break, so long as they do not allocate more than 12 hours to completing it. Students will receive the assessment no later than one month into the spring semester. Assessment will come in the form of a brief prose account of the strengths and weaknesses of the student’s performance on the exam. In the case that additional study is recommended, a specific set of suggestions will be made.

Students complete one of the modules listed under the General Exam and the associated oral exam in May of their first year.  

It is not recommended that students use the Research Paper module for the First Year Exam. 

Students must demonstrate proficiency in two (2) languages. Students should choose languages that are relevant to their course of study and research interests.  

Choice of languages and schedule for completion should be proposed to and approved by the chair of their Mentoring Committee during the first semester of the first year. Changes can be requested as the course of study proceeds. 

It is the student’s responsibility to confer with their mentoring committee about the status of their language exams, and to make the necessary arrangements to satisfy this requirement.  

Examples of language exams that could fulfill the requirement, if approved by the Committee, include: 

• Passing a reading exam administered by the relevant language department.  

• Passing one of the university’s summer language courses. 

• Passing a test administered by a qualified faculty member, arranged in consultation with the student’s Mentoring Committee chair. 

• Passing a summer course at another institution, arranged in consultation with the student’s Mentoring Committee chair. 

• Completing an online course or certification in a programming language such as Python or R. 

• Contributing a short translation of an as-yet untranslated source that is critical to a student’s field, arranged in consultation with the student’s Mentoring Committee chair. 

Barring exceptional circumstances, students should have fulfilled at least one (1) language requirement by the start of the second year in the program, and both languages by the start of the third year.  

In certain situations, a student’s research interests may change at a point where they determine they need to acquire a different language than they’d initially anticipated; extensions to the timeline for completion of the language exam can be granted in exceptional cases of this sort. 

Students may use their research funds to enroll in a summer language course at Princeton or another institution. Additionally, a limited about of funding for intensive summer language study is available from the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS). 

The General Exam Committee is formed during the first semester of a student’s second year. It is usually made up of the same faculty who were on the student’s Mentoring Committee, and this body administers and evaluates the student’s General Exams. Committee membership is subject to change based on faculty leave schedules and if the student changes advisors.  

Students meet with their General Exam Committee once each semester to discuss their plans and progress until they have completed their General Exams. The dates and times for these committee meetings are established by the Administrative Staff before the start of each semester, and are not changeable except in highly unusual circumstances and with the permission of the Committee members.

FORMAT

Students must select three modules from six options, and each module must be selected in conjunction with a specific field.  Fields from the First Year Exam may not be repeated in the General Exams. 

Each module comes with its own oral exam, described below. Fields must exhibit considerable breadth, encompassing a range of time periods, traditions, or methods. Individual modules may be more relevant to particular parts of music studies (e.g. historical musicology, ethnomusicology, theory and cognition).  The range of fields selected must be broad and must support the student’s intended research and career trajectory.  

Students’ performance on the module product and its accompanying oral exam must reflect control over the selected field. Usually, one of the selected fields for the General Exam is the field within which a student plans to write their dissertation. 

The selection of modules and fields, and the timeline for the exams, will be determined through close consultation with the student’s Mentoring Committee and their General Exam Committee. The General Exam Committee will only approve general exam plans that encompass a broad range of fields and that support the student’s specific research and career goals.   

More information about the modules and suggested fields are noted in the Musicology Handbook.

RESULTS

Students are expected to demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the core issues and debates within each of their chosen fields, both in the module work they submit and in the oral exam. Responses should show control of the relevant scholarship, methods, repertory and sources in the field. Candidates should demonstrate an ability to evaluate scholarship critically and to substantiate their views with examples. 

Exams are evaluated by the student’s General Exam Committee. In some cases, the Committee may change across a student’s course of study; the Committee in place at the time of a module’s submission and oral examination is the committee who evaluates that component of the exam. 

Students will be informed about results for each module within 48 hours of its oral exam. Within one week of the oral exam, they will receive a written summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the performance on that module. 

If a module is failed with a performance that reveals some strengths, but also discrete problems that could be addressable in a retake, the student may be invited to retake that module on a specific timeline (in all but the most exceptional cases, the semester following the failure). The Committee will specify whether the retake needs to be on the same module and field, or whether the module and field can or must change. Students will only retake the portion of the exam that they failed (for example, students could be asked to retake only the oral exam if the written portion was strong, or vice versa). 

Possible outcomes of the general exam include:  

• Pass and move on to doctoral candidacy; 

• Pass, but do not move on to doctoral candidacy (if all other requirements are met, a student can receive a terminal master’s at this stage);  

• Fail with the option to retake the exam, or; 

• Fail with no option to retake the exam (in cases where the student failed the same module twice).

Students should begin considering possible doctoral dissertation subjects as soon as possible after admission to the program and are urged to identify and meet with faculty whose interests seem best suited to a potential dissertation topic. Concentrated work on the dissertation begins after the successful completion of the General Exam; students should schedule a meeting with a prospective advisor(s) early in the third year to discuss potential topics. Prospective advisors and students are urged to have a frank conversation early in the process to clarify expectations and responsibilities, to work out a mutually beneficial schedule for meetings and deadlines, and establish clear guidelines for communications and expectations regarding reading drafts, requests for letters of recommendations, managing of outside activities (conferences, teaching, publications), etc. It is the students’ responsibility to maintain contact with their advisors and make sure that they are making adequate progress on the dissertation.  

The dissertation proposal is the principal requirement for third year students. While third-year students may precept and/or take one or two seminars, most of their attention should be devoted to completing a dissertation proposal no later than midterm of the spring semester. While proposals necessarily differ in length and style according to the topic, a successful dissertation proposal typically includes the following:  

• A compelling discussion of the topic 
• Its rationale and originality, and the contribution the dissertation will make to the discipline 
• A description of the methodologies; a review of the relevant literature 
• A preliminary table of contents and paragraph-length abstract of each chapter 
• A proposed schedule for completion; a bibliography including primary sources and selected secondary sources that intersect with your work.

Once their advisor has approved the dissertation approval, it should be submitted to the Academic Administrator for distribution to the musicology faculty and then presented in a Work-in-Progress session before the end of the term. Admission to the fourth year may be contingent upon approval of the dissertation proposal. 

It is expected that most fourth‐year students will complete at least one chapter before reenrollment and fifth‐year students will complete a minimum of two chapters. Ideally, the doctoral dissertation is written during the student’s official last year in residence to ensure full and frequent consultation with the supervisor and other faculty members. 

Each dissertation must also be read and approved by a second reader who is a full-time (non-emeritus) member of the Music Department Faculty. Second readers may be involved with the dissertation from the initial stages or may enter the process closer to the completion of the dissertation. Both primary and secondary readers submit reports to the Faculty and Graduate School a month before the Final Public Oral Exam (FPO). FPOs will not be scheduled without the full approval of both readers. Depending upon the topic, it may be desirable to have an outside reader from another institution or department, depending upon the special nature of the dissertation and needs of the student. Outside readers are offered a small stipend for their services and may also attend the FPO. The decision to invite outside readers is made by the DGS and advisor in consultation with the student.

Teaching is an essential part of the graduate program; the Graduate School requires all students to teach at some point during their period of enrollment.

As noted on the Graduate School website, “Assistantships in Instruction are teaching assignments awarded to graduate students by the academic departments and programs. Graduate students serving in these roles are referred to as Assistants in Instruction, or AIs. They may also be referred to as teaching assistants.  Most Ph.D. students at Princeton University serve as teaching assistants at some point during their enrollment, often during specific years of study.  Individual programs specify whether and when such teaching may be required. With very rare exceptions, first-year students in Ph.D. programs may not be appointed as AIs. In all cases, graduate students should have the permission of their DGS and adviser before taking on an AI appointment.”   

In addition, the Graduate School requires all first-time Ais to undergo training with the McGraw Center to establish a foundation of essential teaching issues and skills.  All graduate students must complete this mandatory training before being eligible to take on AI appointments. These training sessions are typically offered at the beginning of each semester at the Frist Campus Center. 

In accordance with Graduate School policies, musicology graduate students are typically not asked to take on teaching duties until after they have passed the General Exams.  Exceptions are sometimes made in specific circumstances depending on a variety of factors. 

Students who have excelled as preceptors may also be able to participate in the Collaborative Teaching Initiative, which provides the opportunity for students to co-design and co-teach a Princeton undergraduate course with a current full-time faculty member. The course proposals, prepared by both the student and the sponsoring faculty, are subject to rigorous review, first by our own curriculum committee (both Directors of Graduate Study, Chair, and Director of Undergraduate Study) and then representatives of the Deans’ Offices. Students who have an idea for an innovative course should begin by discussing it with the faculty member in question no later than February of the preceding academic year.

Post-Generals students are also encouraged to explore opportunities to gain teaching experience outside the University either in area colleges or the Community College Teaching Fellowship. Students who are in their regular period of enrollment and still receiving full stipends should get permission from their advisors before accepting an outside teaching position. 

Students are also encouraged to take an active part in the working musicological community at large, through participation in regional, national, and international meetings. The Music Department will contribute to subsidize membership in the scholarly society of your choice. For information on reimbursement, see the Department’s Business Manager. 

While we encourage students to pursue professional opportunities, present papers, teach, and publish articles as appropriate, it is expected that graduate students will discuss these plans with their advisors in advance to make sure that the projects are viable and that they have worked out a plan to share their work with their advisors before submitting it. It is the students’ responsibility to leave enough time before a deadline for their advisors to read a draft of a major conference paper or help vet a publication. Your progress on the dissertation will be evaluated each year at reenrollment and is taken into consideration in awarding extra funding and teaching and is also a factor in deciding whether a student is prepared to apply for various grants and fellowships. It is strongly advised that students not overcommit to publishing projects that prevent them from making reasonable progress on the dissertation. 

The Musicology Colloquium series, funded by the Music Department, is organized by the third-year students in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and features public talks with scholars. The Work-in-Progress (“WIP”) series, also organized by the third-year musicology students, provides an opportunity for graduate students to share their work with one another. Students are expected to present their dissertation proposals at a WIP session during the second semester of their third year and are also encouraged to use the WIP series to rehearse conference papers throughout their enrollment. 

Regular attendance in the Musicology Colloquium Series and the Works-in-Progress Series is expected of all students.

Students who have not completed their Ph.Ds after five years may be enrolled for an additional two years in Dissertation Completion Enrollment (DCE) status. The primary goal of DCE status is to provide students with continued access to libraries and other campus resources, health insurance, and—as available— teaching opportunities while they complete their dissertations.  

Eligible students apply for DCE status with the Graduate School during the reenrollment process in the last year of their program of study and must be approved for DCE status by their department and the Graduate School based on criteria for satisfactory academic progress.  

Students in DCE status are fully and formally enrolled graduate students, working full-time to complete degree requirements. DCE students may be enrolled as regular (in residence) or In Absentia students (pursuing their work away from Princeton).  

If students beyond their department’s regular program length are not in DCE status and have not graduated, they will be given Enrollment Terminated/Degree Candidacy Continues (ET/DCC) status. ET/DCC is an unenrolled status in which students are ineligible for the student benefits that come with formal enrollment. For ET/DCC students, library access and student borrowing privileges (for those in Princeton or the vicinity), and e-mail and computer account access will continue for a period of five years beyond the date of the General Exam. Students who choose ET/DCC status may be appointed as part-time Lecturers through the Dean of the Faculty’s Office. 

Funding:

Tuition: The tuition rate for DCE students for this academic year will be available on the Graduate School website. The Graduate School waives tuition for students who precept for at least two hours a week. In addition, students in good standing may apply to the Music Department for DCE tuition subsidies in semesters in which they are not teaching or if they are funded by outside grants that do not include tuition. 

DCE Funding: Often, students enter DCE status having exhausted their regular funding. Therefore, students should begin discussing DCE funding with their advisors at least a year before their funding runs out to see if they are ready to apply for outside grants, many of which require students to have at least two chapters of their dissertation drafted. Many students in DCE status supplement their income with precepting; students who anticipate needing precepting hours should indicate their need and availability on their DCE application. There are several opportunities to receive internal funding during the DCE period via internal and external fellowships and other relevant opportunities. In addition, the faculty may nominate one musicologist for the Dean’s Completion Fellowship/Postgraduate Research Associates (DCF/PGRA) Program, which pays the DCE tuition and a full stipend for one semester during their sixth year. Students who successfully defend the dissertations by the end of that semester have to opportunity to be appointed as Post Graduate Research Assistants for the spring semester, with full stipend. 

Ideally, the doctoral dissertation is written during the student’s official last year in residence to ensure full and frequent consultation with the advisor and other faculty members.  

As you begin the final stages of your dissertation, you will want to carefully consider the scheduling of your FPOE. You should allow at least six weeks from the time you submit your completed dissertation until the FPOE. 

Please remember that the final decision about whether a dissertation is ready to be defended is made by your advisors and their decisions are final. While faculty make every effort to accommodate deadlines for jobs or postdoctoral fellowships, the department will schedule FPOEs only for students whose dissertations have the full approval of both readers. 

It is essential to establish a timeline for final revisions of your dissertation with your first and second (principal) readers, Administrative Staff, and the DGS, at least one semester before the planned FPOE.   

The following steps must be completed in order for the FPE to be scheduled and executed: 

1. The Academic Programs Administrator and the DGS must receive written approval from the two readers and a third current faculty member. 

2. The two reader reports must be submitted to the Academic Programs Administrator at least 30 days before the scheduled FPOE. 

3. An electronic copy of the completed, approved dissertation must be filed with the Academic Programs Administrator at least 30 days before the FPOE. (PDF files are preferred). 

For more information on your status after the FPOE please visit: https://gradschool.princeton.edu/academics/degrees-requirements/advanced-degree-application-process 

TigerHub is a secure website where students sign-in for the academic year, maintain their personal information, enroll in courses, and sign-up for direct deposit.  

The sign-in process begins on August 1. To see this year’s Sign-In period, visit the University’s Academic Calendar. It is essential that you complete this process to receive your paychecks and be able to register for your classes.  

All students also undergo a re-enrollment process every year semester in which their progress in the program is evaluated by the Director of Graduate Study in consultation with the faculty (first and second years) and their advisors (after year three). Readmission to the program is not automatic. During the first two years students are expected to perform satisfactorily in their seminars and participate in the musicological community at large. Students working on their dissertation need to demonstrate adequate progress and should be maintaining close contact with their advisors. 

MORE STUDENT RESOURCES 

Musicology Graduate student handbook

The Music Department provides each graduate student with a pool of research funding for travel, equipment, and other approved needs. Incoming graduate students may receive up to $2,400 per year for five years as research funds to be accessible until end of G7 or the semester in which dissertation defense occurs, whichever comes first.  

 A list of other available funding is available through the Graduate School. 

Graduate students separately receive their stipend checks monthly on the last working day of the month, though December pay is typically distributed before winter break. Students are encouraged to sign up for Direct Deposit through TigerHub. 

In accordance with the Graduate School’s policies regarding Student Government and Advocacy, each year the Music Department establishes a committee of graduate students to act as liaisons between students and faculty.  

The committee serves in an advisory capacity, providing feedback on curriculum, policies, and climate, facilitating communication between graduate students and faculty about areas of mutual concern. Committee members are encouraged to listen attentively to their colleagues’ different perspectives so that all viewpoints can be aired.  

The committee meets with the musicology Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) at least once a semester. It is the responsibility of the committee to arrange meetings with DGS, formulate the agenda, and follow up with DGS with meetings of the minute and action plans as relevant. 

The committee is typically comprised of up to 6 members. Each G1-5 class selects its own representative, and all students in Dissertation Completion Enrollment (DCE) status select one student representative. To make sure that as many voices as possible are heard, students are asked to serve on the committee for only one academic year.  

Names of selected committee members should be submitted via email to the Academic Programs Administrator and the DGS no later than October 1^st each year.

Before requesting a letter of recommendation, students should discuss each application with advisor(s) in advance to make sure that the opportunity is appropriate at this stage in their career. There are always unexpected opportunities that will arise, but under most circumstances students should give each faculty member a minimum of two weeks to write a letter of recommendation, ideally four. Provide your recommender with a description of the fellowship or grant, a draft proposal, a CV, and a list of bullet points that they might want to emphasize in their letter. For recommenders who are not your primary advisor, make sure they have a clear idea of how your work has progressed since the last time they wrote for you.