Master of Arts in Historical Musicology
Entrance Requirements
The candidate must possess a B.Mus. or B.A. degree which entails completion of the following U.B.C. courses or their equivalents: Music 100/101/105, 200/201/205, 300/301, and two of 410-415, 120/121, 220/221 and 241. In addition, at least three of the upper level history courses (350, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357) are essential.
Residence Requirements
The Faculty of Graduate Studies requires Master's students to be in residence on a full-time basis for at least one winter session. For virtually all students, however, two winter sessions of full-time study will be necessary to complete the program as stipulated. Only in cases of special preparation, such as graduate credits accumulated elsewhere, should students contemplate programs shorter than the two-year norm. Moreover, students admitted with deficiencies may have to spend more than two winter sessions in residence.
Curriculum
A.
500 Advanced Musical Analysis (3 credits)2
512 Directed Individual Studies (3 credits)2
520 Music Bibliography and Research Techniques (3 credits)3
549 Thesis (6/12 credits)4
German or French5
B.
523 Seminar in Medieval Music (3/6 credits)
524 Seminar in Renaissance Music (3/6 credits)
525 Seminar in Baroque Music (3/6 credits)
526 Seminar in Classical Period Music (3/6 credits)
527 Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Music (3/6 credits)
528 Seminar in Twentieth-Century Music (3/6 credits)
C. Music Electives*
502 The Structure and Function of Music Theories (3/6 credits)
503 Topics in the History of Music Theory (3/6 credits)
504 Theories of Non-Tonal Pitch Relationships (3/6 credits)
511 Topics in Musical Aesthetics (3/6 credits)
521 Seminar in Performance Practices (3/6 credits)
522 Seminar in Notation of Polyphonic Music (3/6 credits)
529 Introduction to Ethnomusicology (3/6 credits)
531 Seminar in Ethnomusicology (3/6 credits)
532 Advanced Studies in Music History and Musicology (3/6 credits)
533 Aesthetics of Music (3/6 credits)
471 or 571 Music Performance (2 credits)6
*Non-Music electives may be taken as necessary with the Advisor’s approval.
1 The curriculum is normally to comprise at least 30 credits, including all of Section A and at least 9 credits of Section B, with the remaining credits to be drawn from Sections B and C. (If a 12-credit thesis is undertaken, the curriculum will normally involve 36 credits.)
2 This course may be repeated for credit.
3 This course introduces students to the principal resources of a research library, devoting particular attention to reference tools and bibliographical repertories. The selection of a research topic, as well as questions concerning structure and references in a scholarly text, will also be considered. The course must be taken in the first term of graduate study.
4 Where the scope of the project warrants it, and at the discretion of the student's committee, a thesis may be accorded as many as 12 credits. Extra thesis credits (beyond the 6 credit norm) will not, however, be acceptable in lieu of required courses unless one or more of the latter are not offered during the student's period of residence.
5 The German or French reading requirement may be met by passing the Educational Testing Service's GSFLT in either of these languages, or by passing German 433 and 434 or French 341 (This course can either be audited or taken for credit. If audited, the student should talk to the professor about work required for the course and the steps needed to meet the required standard of reading knowledge) or their equivalents. Or the French or German requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of an examination given by the appropriate U.B.C. department, according to the following guidelines: (1) the examination consists of a translation into English; (2) the passage, usually related to the student's field of interest, will be selected by the examiner from a number of texts (two or three) to be suggested by the department where the student does his graduate work; (3) there is a time limit on the examination, depending on the length of the text. The examiner will assess the length and then give a time limit for the completion of the translation; (4) use of a dictionary is permitted; (5) evaluation: the purpose of the test is to examine the student's comprehension rather than the ability to produce a polished translation; (6) the major department will arrange the time in consultation with the examiner.
6 Graduate students may take up to 6 credits of Music Performance, but only 2 credits may be counted towards the M.A. requirement and up to 4 credits for the Ph.D. Although ensemble work may be taken throughout a candidate's residency, these credits may not be counted towards the M.A. or Ph.D. requirement.
Ph.D. in Musicology
The Degree
The Ph.D. in Music is offered with Emphasis on Musicology, Music Theory, or Ethnomusicology, with the certification of degree reflecting this distinction. Qualified students may combine the curricula of two or more emphases in their programs of study, with the approval of the supervisory committee.
Entrance Requirements
The entering student should have completed a Master's degree or its equivalent, including a thesis. Exceptionally, however, a student who has completed 18 credits in the first year of an M.A. program may be offered admission directly into the Ph.D. (without completing the M.A. thesis) if the student has demonstrated sufficient mastery of graduate-level material and sufficient development as a scholarly writer. In either case, the following entrance requirements apply:
The entering student should have: a) completed courses equivalent to Music 520 (Music Bibliography and Research Techniques) and Music 500 (Advanced Musical Analysis, (3 credits); b) demonstrated proficiency in either German or French (see the explanatory notes to the M.A. in Historical Musicology).
Sequence of Completion of Degree Requirements
1. Prerequisites and remedial subjects (curriculum, language requirements)
2. Formal approval of thesis topic. At this time the student should present for approval to the advisory committee evidence of progress such as a bibliography, an outline of methodology, a ground plan of themes to be explored and expanded, etc.
3. Comprehensive Examinations
4. Research and fieldwork (if applicable); thesis (Music 649); and Final Oral Examination
Curriculum
In addition to Music 649 (Ph.D. thesis, no credit), students will take 21 credits of course work as specified below. All programs of study must be approved by the student’s supervisory committee.
3 credits of Music 512 (Directed Individual Studies) must be taken on a topic related to the subject of the Ph.D thesis. The remaining 18 credits should be selected from the following list:
403 Selected Topics in Music (3/6 credits)
428 Area Studies in Ethnic Musics (3/6 credits)
500 Advanced Musical Analysis (3/6 credits)
501 Readings in Schenkerian Theory (3 credits)
502 The Structure and Function of Music Theories (3 credits)
503 Topics in the History of Music Theory (3 credits)
504 Theories of Non-Tonal Pitch Relationships (3 credits)
511 Topics in Musical Aesthetics (3 credits)
512 Directed Individual Studies (not related to thesis) (3 credits)
521 Seminar in Performance Practices (3/6 credits)
522 Seminar in Notation of Polyphonic Music (3/6 credits)
523 Seminar in Medieval Music (3/6 credits)
524 Seminar in Seminar in Renaissance Music (3/6 credits)
525 Seminar in Seminar in Baroque Music (3/6 credits)
526 Seminar in Classical Period Music (3/6 credits)
527 Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Music (3/6 credits)
528 Seminar in Twentieth-Century Music (3/6 credits)
529 Introduction to Ethnomusicology (3/6 credits)
530 Readings in Ethnomusicology (3 credits)
531 Seminar in Ethnomusicology (3/6 credits)
532 Advanced Studies in Music History and Musicology (3/6 credits)
600 Seminar in Analytical Techniques (3 credits)
In addition to the 21 required credits, up to 4 credits of Music ensemble or, with permission of the Director of the School of Music, Music Performance may be elected.
Language requirements
A reading knowledge of German or French is a prerequisite to the program; students admitted with a deficiency in this area must rectify it by the end of their first winter session in the Ph.D. program. For the Ph.D. one additional language is required. Proficiency in a third language may also be required if the advisory committee deems it essential for thesis research.
Review of a Student's Program and Progress
Students do not automatically continue from year to year in the Ph.D. Their programs and progress are reviewed by the appropriate division in the spring term of each year.
Comprehensive Examinations for Ph.D. students
Before the student may actively pursue research for the Ph.D. thesis – excepting the preparatory studies conducted as part of Music 512 – he or she must have successfully completed the Comprehensive Examinations. These examinations may be taken only after the student has removed all entrance deficiencies, satisfied the language proficiency requirements, completed all course work, and received official approval of the Ph.D. thesis topic.
a) A written examination covering the major historical eras: Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth Century. One question is to be answered from each of these eras.
b) A written examination covering questions related to the student's chosen area of research for the Ph.D. thesis.
c) An oral examination with Emphasis on the student's chosen area of research, but dealing also with subjects related to the written examination and possibly several selected sound recordings.
d) The General Comprehensive examination in Music Theory.
The Ph.D. thesis and the Advisory Committee
The candidate must take (3 credits) of Music 512 (Directed Individual Studies) in order to formulate a proposal for the thesis topic. It must then be approved by the School before the Comprehensive Examinations can be taken. In accordance with the student's proposed research area, a committee will be established early in the period of residency. This advisory committee will include the thesis supervisor and at least two other members, one of whom may be drawn from outside the School of Music.
The Ph.D. thesis must be researched and written under the direction of the thesis supervisor and with the assistance of the candidate's committee as required. In its final form it must satisfy all requirements established by the Special Collections Division of the University Library. An external examiner will be asked to evaluate the thesis and, when possible, to join the committee for the final oral defence. Students should consult the current U.B.C. Calendar for deadline dates for submission of the Doctoral thesis, and for information concerning the final oral examination.
