Ph.D. in Music
Perform, teach, and participate in research and outreach as a UM Music graduate student.
About this Program
The Department of Music in the College of Liberal Arts offers the Ph.D. in Music with emphasis in Music Education.
The program is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced study in preparation for university teaching, research, and other leadership roles in music education. Students can individualize the program to fit their interests and background.
Students may select an optional concentration in Gender Studies to provide rigorous grounding in gender studies methods and theory.
On this Page…
Program Information
Program Type
Doctorate Program
Area of Study
Arts
School
Degree
Ph.D. in Music
Program Location
Emphases
Music Education;
Music Education and Gender Studies
Required Credit Hours
57
Program Details
APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 15 (for scholarships); March 1 (for admission and stipends)
The Department of Music welcomes applications from students with a master's degree in music or music education and 3.0 GPA from an accredited institution.
- Complete the Graduate School’s Online Application.
- Pay the application fee ($50).
- Submit official transcripts.
- Submit GRE scores (minimum quantitative score 146; verbal 142; writing 3.5)
- International applicants whose first language is not English may be required to submit scores from an acceptable English language proficiency test.
- Submit Supplemental Application materials directly to Rhonda Hackworth, Music Graduate Program Coordinator - at shackwo@olemiss.edu.
- Portfolio: a career narrative, a discussion of your goals, programs of your students’ performances, and a video of your own performances.
- Three letters of recommendation: provide contact information for three recommenders
- Journal article review (article information will be sent to the applicant)
- Video of applicant teaching students. We suggest two 10-minute examples showing your best teaching. This should not be a performance, but rather should show the applicant teaching and engaging students. Be sure that we get quality camera work so that we can see and hear the interaction with students.
- Evidence of at least 3 years of full-time teaching in music or other relevant experience in music.
Diagnostic Exams
All incoming graduate students are required to take diagnostic exams in music history/literature and music theory. The exams are offered the week before the start of school in the fall and spring semesters and during the first days of the first summer term. Students are required to take all exams at their first enrollment. Those students who neglect to take the exams at the required time will be reclassified to conditional admission status.
Additional details about the application process and diagnostic exams are found on the department website.
The Department of Music offers several graduate assistantships every year.
Doctoral Assistantships
Full-time PhD assistantships start at $11,000-$11,500 and waive 100% of both the in-state portion of tuition (a value of $9,252) and the out-of-state portion of tuition (a value of $17,568). Students with a graduate assistantship receive subsidized health insurance. Additional scholarships and fellowships could boost the value of the total package even further. Assistantship assignments are based on student interests and strengths and the needs of the department. Students must apply by March 1 to receive priority consideration. See the form and additional information on the department website.
Department Scholarships
Complete and submit the department's Scholarship Application Form found on the department website. The deadline is February 15 for full consideration.
Graduate School Funding
The Graduate School’s financial aid webpage lists a variety of funding possibilities, including summer support and a recruiting fellowship program that promotes academic excellence and access to graduate education to groups who are historically underrepresented. The Graduate School also provides, on a competitive basis, Dissertation Fellowships to a limited number of students nearing the completion of their doctoral studies.
Students in the Ph.D. in Music with a Music Education emphasis complete 57 credit hours beyond the master's degree, including
- 12 credit hours of Research courses in
- experimental research
- historical qualitative research
- observation research
- statistics
- 6 credit hours of Music Education Methods from
- Mus 536: Kodaly Music Education in America
- Mus 551: Orff Level I
- Mus 523: Advanced Instrumental Directing
- Mus 524: Advanced Techniques of Choral Directing
- Mus 548: Psychology of Music
- Mus 620: Research in Music Education
- Mus 619: Foundations of Music Education
- 3 credit hours in Music History
- 3 credit hours in Music Theory
- 9 credit hours in elective area - choral music, applied pedagogy, music theory, music history/literature, or music education
- Mus 797: Dissertation
If the student has not earned credit during the master's degree for the following courses, he or she must complete them before finishing the Ph.D. degree.
- MUS 520: Introduction to Music Research
- MUS 575: Perspectives in World Music
- MUS 619: Foundations of Music Education
- MUS 620: Introduction to Research in Music Education
Written and Oral Comprehensive Examinations
The exams will cover the course work for the degree. Students will prepare two research projects, a syllabus for an undergraduate course, and write essays on the philosophy of music education.
Dissertation Requirements
After passing the comprehensive examinations, the student must submit a prospectus.
Students completing the Gender Studies Concentration must fulfill 18 credit hours of coursework in gender/sexuality, including
- 12 hours of required core Gender Studies
- G St 600: Gender Studies Methodology
- G St 601: Gender Theory
- G St 605: Feminist Pedagogy
- G St 641: Readings in Global History - Gender
- 6 credit hours of gender studies electives chosen in consultation with graduate coordinator
The comprehensive exam will include material related to gender studies and the dissertation must have a significant focus on gender/sexuality.
What is the study of Music?
We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about the Ph.D. in Music, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Rhonda Hackworth
Associate Professor of Music Education
Next Steps
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