Prospective Students

Our programs are devoted to rigorous and interdisciplinary exploration of music in its historical and social contexts. Each year we offer specialized seminars and methods courses that introduce students to current work in the field and train them in skills foundational to further graduate work at the doctoral level or arts careers beyond the university. We are particularly proud of our ability to work with students extensively one-on-one through independent studies and research advising. Musicology students at MSU undertake individual research projects on a wide range of musicological and ethnomusicological topics and regularly share their findings at conferences and meetings of professional societies worldwide.

The Michigan State University Office of the Registrar maintains requirements for all degrees. For details, select the button below for the Musicology/Ethnomusicology program that interests you. Further down on this page, you can follow the Music Admissions link for more information.

Master of Arts Graduate Certificate

Funding, Assistantships, and Admissions

Funding and Assistantships

Graduate Assistantships

Graduate students in musicology pursuing the MA are eligible for Graduate Assistantships (GAs), which provide a tuition waiver, a stipend for living expenses, and health insurance. Applicants to the MA program are automatically considered for a GA and an offer of admission is usually accompanied by a GA offer.

GA positions include:

Teaching Assistant for MUS 214 (Introduction to Music Studies), the area’s introductory course required of all undergraduate music majors.
Assistant and Graduate Instructor for IAH (Integrative Arts and Humanities) classes. These courses are taught by musicology area faculty and serve the university’s general education needs. GAs assigned to these classes assist the instructor and teach weekly sections of their own design.

Learn more about Graduate Assistantships at Michigan State University.

Travel and research support

The Musicology Area offers generous travel and research support to area graduate students. Generally these funds can be used to attend conference or to conduct archival or field research. For more information, contact the area chair of musicology.

Additional travel and research funding is available from the MSU Council of Graduate Students (e.g., professional development, conference travel, hosting an event on campus). Learn more.

Admissions for Graduate Certificate in Musicology

Admission

To be considered for the Graduate Certificate in Musicology, a student must be enrolled in a doctoral degree program in the College of Music. Students must submit the following materials by December 1:

An 800- to 1000-word personal statement addressing the applicant’s career plans and research/teaching interests.
A curriculum vitae that includes all relevant education and professional experience.
One transcript from every college or university attended. Transcripts may be unofficial.
A 10- to 15-page research paper demonstrating research ability, including bibliographic citations and/or fieldwork experience.
One letter of recommendation.

Following initial screening, candidates will be invited to interview with the musicology faculty to determine admissibility.

Applications should be sent as an email attachment to Prof. Kevin Bartig, Musicology Area Chair. The letter of recommendation may be sent to Prof. Bartig directly from your letter writer.

Learn more!

Information on College of Music admissions processes can be found in the Admissions section.

Choose your degree interest to find details.

Music Admissions