Graduate Degree

In addition to meeting the requirements of the University and of the College of Music students must meet the requirements specified below.

Admission

To be admitted to the Master of Arts degree program in musicology on regular status, an applicant must have a bachelor's degree in musicology, or have completed the courses in musicology that are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in music at Michigan State University or their equivalents.

Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Musicology

The program is available under both Plan A (with thesis) and Plan B (without thesis).  A total of 32 credits is required for the degree under either Plan A or Plan B.  The student's program of study must be approved by the student's academic advisor.  The student must meet the requirements specified below:

Requirements for Both Plan A and Plan B

1. Complete the following course (3 credits):
   MUS      830        Research Methods and Materials in Music (3)
2. Complete 15 credits of musicology courses in addition to MUS 830. At least three courses must be at the 800-level or above. If a 400–level course is to be used to satisfy this requirement, the student must enroll concurrently in 1 credit of MUS 892A. Students may count up to 3 credits of MUS 890 (Independent Study) toward this requirement. Students interested in ethnomusicology are encouraged to take MUS 833.
3. Complete 2 or 3 credits in music theory.
4. Complete 3 credits in a cognate outside the College of Music. Both the cognate area and the related courses must be approved by musicology area faculty.
5. Demonstrate a reading knowledge of a language other than English. Credits in courses in a foreign language may not be counted toward the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in musicology.
6. Complete 4 or 5 additional credits in music excluding musicology and MUS 898 and MUS 899.
7. Attend all area colloquia and guest lectures as approved by faculty.

Additional Requirements for Plan A

1. Complete the following course:
   MUS    899    Master's Thesis Research (4)
2. Complete a thesis under the direction of a member of the musicology faculty that is acceptable to the final oral certifying committee consisting of the student’s thesis advisor, another member from the musicology area, and a faculty member from music faculty. A copy of the thesis must be submitted to the Graduate School and to the office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and will be retained as part of the permanent degree record.

Additional Requirements for Plan B

1. Complete the following course:
   MUS    898    Master's Research (4)
   Possible projects include historical performance, instrument construction, or transcribing or editing historical music.
2. Complete and submit a research project under the direction of a member of the musicology faculty that is acceptable to the final oral certifying committee consisting of the student’s thesis advisor, another member from the musicology area, and a faculty member from music faculty. A copy of the project must be submitted to the Graduate School and to the office of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and will be retained as part of the permanent degree record. Possible projects include historical performance, instrument construction, or transcribing or editing historical music.