MA in Music - Musicology in Tempe United States | Arizona State University

Enhance your expertise as a music scholar through comprehensive exploration of music theory, the significance of music in human culture, specialized terminology, historical reception, biographical studies, and cross-disciplinary themes. Within the musicology specialization of our Master's program, faculty facilitate immersive learning opportunities covering diverse musical genres, stylistic elements, performance techniques, auditory practices, instrument studies, performance venues, philosophical approaches, industry frameworks, and regional musical traditions.

Our distinguished faculty includes renowned experts in both Western and global music traditions, with particular emphasis on American and Eastern European (Russian, Ukrainian, Soviet) musical heritage, as well as Middle Eastern, Central Asian, Latin American, and Indonesian musical forms. The curriculum encompasses diverse subjects ranging from medieval musical traditions, Romantic-era developments, jazz studies, popular music analysis, avant-garde movements, copyright law, arts policy, spontaneous composition, acoustic research, environmental music studies, movement-based expression, and therapeutic applications of music.

Degree candidates are required to complete a capstone project showcasing sophisticated research abilities and professional-level writing in either musicology or ethnomusicology. This culminating work may take the form of a traditional thesis, a collection of research papers, or a comparable scholarly document demonstrating equivalent rigor and depth.