Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education

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The Ph.D. in Music Education requires the successful completion of an approved program of graduate-level study (minimum of 48 credits beyond the master's degree), including twelve (12) hours of disseration credit. Unless approved by the student's doctoral committee and the Music Graduate Director, all credits taken beyond the master's degree must be at the 700 level or higher. Transfer of appropriate post-master's credits from another institution may be permitted as long as the final 36 credits of doctoral work (including all credit for the dissertation or disseration requirement) are taken on the Columbia Campus.

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Immediately after a student has been admitted to candidacy, specific course requirements for a particular degree program must be approved by the student's doctoral committee and filed in both the Music Graduate Office and the Office of the Graduate School. The candidate must satisfactorily complete all courses and studies as specified by the School of Music. No more than 12 credits with grades of C+ or below that have been taken at the doctoral level may be accumulated within an eight-year period. In addition, an average grade of B (3.0) is required for courses numbered 700 or above as well as for all courses taken in the major area. Grades earned on credits transferred from other schools do not count in the grade-point average. An accumulation of grades of C+ or below on 12 credits of graduate course work taken at the University within an eight year period will disqualify a student for a doctoral degree (see the University Graduate Bulletin for further information)

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The curriculum given below outlines normal expectations for the successful completion of the PhD in Music Education. The degree can be earned in as few as two years of work beyond the master's degree, though the usual time is three or more years.

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Prerequisites: Master of Music Education degree or the equivalent (32-35 credits)
as well as a minimum of three years (and an expectation of five years) of successful full-time teaching experience

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Doctoral studies	48 credits
1.) Music Education Courses (12-18 credits, including MUED 796)
2.) Special Research Project (1credit of MUED 890) 3.) Dissertation (12 credits of MUSC 899)
Statistics (6 credits) Cognate Studies (11-17 credits of approved studies in music history with a minimum of two 700-level courses, music theory with a minimum of two 700-level course, etc.)

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Foreign-language requirement (to be satisfied before the Comprehensive Examination can be scheduled): reading proficiency in French, German, or Italian

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CANDIDACY

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All recommendations for admission to doctoral candidacy are approved by the Music Graduate Director and the Dean of the Graduate School. A student must have been fully admitted as a degree student before attempting to fulfill any doctoral candidacy requirements. Admittance to degree candidacy indicates that the student is fully qualified to pursue the desired doctoral degree. Students who have not been admitted to doctoral candidacy after the equivalent of two semesters of full-time study may not be permitted to continue doctoral studies.

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The following are required before doctoral candidacy can be considered:

1. Completion of the equivalent of one semester of full-time study.

2. Successful completion of the Written Doctoral Candidacy Examination.

 

Each doctoral student must take a three-hour written examination in the major area no later than the beginning of the second semester of full-time study (or the equivalent). The examination may be passed, passed with conditions, or failed. If failed, the exam may be be retaken only once unless an exception is approved by the Music Graduate Committee. The written candidacy examination is scheduled through the Graduate Music Studies Offfice.The following guidelines pertain to specific doctoral majors:

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Music Education — The Written Candidacy Examination in music education tests general knowledge of the field of music education (the history of music education, important philosophies of music education, current trends and developments in music and music education, and current issues in music education) as well as knowledge of the specialty area or areas (elementary music, instrumental music, choral music). In the specialty area(s) questions may deal with literature, organization and administration, current trends and developments, methods and materials, research, and pedagogical procedures. A candidate for the PhD in Music Education should demonstrate understanding and knowledge beyond that expected of one who has completed a master’s degree in music education.

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3. Recommendation of the area faculty, which will be based on contact with the student as well as on the following according to the particular degree emphasis:

Music Education — A doctoral student in music education must submit at least two scholarly papers that offer significant evidence of doctoral-level research and writing abilities in music education.

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Normally a student may not register for research or recital credit (MUSC 890-899, MUED 890) or complete more than the equivalent of two regular semesters of full-time work until candidacy has been approved. At the time a student is admitted to doctoral candidacy, the Music Graduate Committee may require specific courses to be included in the candidate’s program of study and possibly also additional teaching/professional experience prior to either the final recital or the Oral Dissertation Examination.

Doctoral Committee — Immediately after a doctoral student has been admitted to candidacy, the Music Graduate Director in consultation with the student and the student’s advisor will appoint a doctoral committee that will oversee the student’s doctoral work. This committee will include three professors (including the major professor) from the major area and one professor each from music history and music theory. The candidate’s advisor, the Graduate Music Director, and the School of Music Dean are ex officio members of a student’s doctoral committee but may also be regular members. The committee will advise and guide the candidate’s work and program as well as administer the Comprehensive and Oral Dissertation examinations. Should a student elect to incorporate a doctoral minor or a significant course of study from outside the School of Music, an additional committee member from that area will be appointed to advise the student’s program of study and participate in the Oral Comprehensive Examination. Before a candidate submits a composition or research prospectus, the Music Graduate Director in consultation with the student and his or her advisor will select four members of the doctoral committee to read the doctoral research project. This dissertation or research committee will include the director of the project, two members of the area graduate faculty (three if the director is not from the area), and one music faculty member from outside the major area (for students who will write a dissertation, a professor from outside the School of Music will be appointed to replace one of the music professors). If the subject of a research project requires the direction of a faculty member not on a student’s doctoral committee, the Music Graduate Director will replace one of the professors with a suitable director. At least three members of the area faculty will adjudicate a doctoral recital.

Program of Study - Within six months after admission to candidacy, the student, in consultation with his or her advisor will circulate the SOM doctoral program-of-study proposal to the appointed doctoral committee (guidelines concerning the preparation and submission of this proposal are available on-line. Following approval by the School of Music of the program of study, the student must complete and submit the official USC Graduate School program of study form.

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RESIDENCY

Both the DMA and the PhD require a minimum of 48 credits beyond the master’s degree and the successful completion of an approved program of graduate-level study. For all doctoral students except those in composition, 18 of these credits must be completed in residence on the Columbia campus within a span of three consecutive regular semesters, with a least one semester being spent in full-time study (at least nine credits per semester for regular students and six for graduate assistants). DMA-Composition students should consult information regarding the degree requirements. Enrollment in a summer term is not required to maintain continuity, but credits earned during summer terms may be counted toward residency. In addition, the final 36 credits of doctoral work (including 30 credits taken after admission to the doctoral program and all credit for the dissertation or dissertation requirement) must be taken on the Columbia campus. All credits to be counted toward doctoral study must have been taken within eight calendar years of the date at which the degree is to be granted.

The intent of doctoral residency is to ensure that doctoral students benefit from and contribute to the complete spectrum of educational and professional opportunities provided by the graduate faculty of a comprehensive university. When establishing residency, the student should interact with faculty and peers by regularly attending courses, conferences, and seminars, and utilize the library facilities and resources needed to support excellence in graduate education. DMA and PhD students should therefore expect to spend at least four days per week on campus while fulfilling the full-time portion of doctoral residency.

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FOREIGN LANGUAGE

All doctoral students must demonstrate reading proficiency in French, German, or Italian before the Comprehensive Examination can be scheduled. If a research project (document, treatise, dissertation) is to involve significant research in another foreign language, a doctoral student may petition the Music Graduate Committee for substitution of the desired language. DMA students in choral conducting, orchestral conducting, and voice performance have additional foreign-language requirements (see under Degree Programs).

The foreign-language reading-proficiency requirement may be satisfied by earning a grade of at least “B” in a foreign-language 315 reading course or by successfully completing an examination given by the appropriate USC foreign-language faculty. With the approval of the Music Graduate Director and the Dean of the Graduate School, English may be accepted as a foreign language for students whose native language is not English.

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SPECIAL RESEARCH PROJECT IN MUSIC EDUCATION

Each doctoral candidate in music education must complete a special research project before submitting the dissertation prospectus, to be taken after completion of MUED 796. The project (MUED 890) is to be of such scope and quality that it will be acceptable for presentation at a state, regional, or national meeting of music educators and/or for submission for possible publication.

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DISSERTATION IN MUSIC EDUCATION

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No later than five years after completion of the Comprehensive Examination, a Ph.D. candidate in music education must present a dissertation that has been approved by the student’s dissertation committee,the Dean of the School of Music, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The dissertation should demonstrate a level of scholarship appropriate for the doctoral level. Guidelines for preparing both the prospectus and the actual dissertation are available on-line. Because some members of the dissertation committee may not be available, the student should first consult the Music Graduate Director before planning to submit a prospectus or dissertation during the summer months.

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Prospectus — Prerequisite to submitting a dissertation prospectus are the following: 1) appointment of the dissertation committee; 2) completion of at least one semester of statistics; and 3) completion of the special research project in music education (see above). With the help of the project’s director, the candidate must prepare a prospectus for approval by the student’s dissertation committee. Five typewritten copies of the prospectus are to be submitted to the Music Graduate Office. Once the prospectus is approved by the committee and the Music Graduate Director, a corrected copy of the prospectus is to be filed in that office within one month of approval. The prospectus should include a clear statement of the purpose(s) of the study, an outline of chapter headings or their equivalents, specific procedures and methods to be followed, and a basic bibliography.

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Dissertation — When the project’s director has fully approved the dissertation, the student will submit a copy to each committee member. The director will collect the corrections and suggestions from the committee members and give them to the student for preparation of a revised copy. Upon the approval of the project’s director and no fewer than seven weeks before the degree is to be conferred, the student will submit one revised copy (along with a list of available dates for the oral defense examination) to the Music Graduate Office for format check. After making all necessary changes resulting from the oral dissertation examination or the format check—and no later than 30 days before the degree is to be conferred—the student should submit the correction (marked) copy as well as one copy of the correct version of the research project to the Music Graduate Office for final approval by the dissertation/research committee and the Dean of Music. At least 20 days before the date of graduation, three signed copies are to be submitted to the Graduate School for approval and binding.

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ORAL DISSERTATION EXAMINATION (defense)

Each doctoral candidate must successfully defend a dissertation, document, or dissertation requirement before the appointed doctoral committee. For candidates in conducting, performance, or piano pedagogy (recital track), this may also include questions concerning any historical, stylistic, or technical aspect of the works performed in recital. The examination, which will be arranged through the Music Graduate Office, may not be scheduled until the Comprehensive Examination and all recitals have been completed. The Oral Dissertation Examination must be passed at least 30 days before the date at which the candidate expects to receive the degree. Signed copies of the doctoral research project (document) must be filed in the Graduate School Office at least 20 days prior to the end of the semester.

MAXIMUM PERIOD ALLOWED

All work to be applied toward a doctoral degree, exclusive of the master’s degree portion, must be completed within eight years prior to graduation. Should more time be needed to complete a degree program, special arrangements may be made with the Graduate School for the revalidation of outdated credits in courses given by the University, if approved by the Music Graduate Director (see the current Graduate Studies Bulletin for information concerning the revalidation fee). For revalidation of USC courses, the student must demonstrate a contemporary knowledge of the course content by passing an examination administered by a music faculty member who currently teaches the course. Outdated transfer courses cannot be revalidated. Any student who fails to complete the program within eight years becomes subject to changes in degree requirements adopted up to a date eight years prior to graduation.

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DOCTORAL-DEGREE FLOW CHART

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ADMISSION TO DEGREE PROGRAM
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DEGREE CANDIDACY
(second semester of full-time study or the equivalent)
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USC GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAM OF STUDY
(submitted within one year after admission to degree candidacy,
but absolutely no later than beginning of last semester)
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FOREIGN LANGUAGE
(requirement to be met before taking Comprehensive Exams)
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RECITALS
(DMA-conducting, DMA-performance, and DMA-piano pedagogy/recital track)
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WRITTEN AND ORAL COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
(after completion of the foreign-language requirement and all
coursework except for recital and research credit)
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DISSERTATION RESEARCH PROJECT
(document and composition for DMA-composition; document for DMA-conducting and DMAperformance; treatise or dissertation for DMA-piano pedagogy; dissertation for PhD music education)
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ORAL DISSERTATION EXAMINATION (DEFENSE)

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Application Procedures

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Application for graduation should be made early in the semester.

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