PhD in Ethnomusicology in Cambridge United States | Harvard University

Harvard's ethnomusicology program provides in-depth education in ethnographic techniques alongside exploration of theories, challenges, and methodologies for analyzing living musical traditions within their cultural contexts. By their second year, students choose primary and secondary specialization areas, which can be geographically based (like Turkish or West African music), genre-focused (such as jazz or pop music), or centered on specific topics or theoretical perspectives (like instrument studies or aesthetics). The program excels in regions spanning from the Mediterranean to India, African and diaspora studies, and urban American music. Harvard boasts exceptional resources in the music department and across campus for critical theory studies. The program fosters collaborations between ethnomusicology and other music department disciplines including historical musicology, music theory, composition, and creative practice with critical inquiry. Annually, the curriculum features six to eight ethnomusicology courses—a mix of seminars and proseminars or undergraduate classes. Graduate seminars apply ethnomusicological approaches to musical analysis while covering diverse topics, whereas proseminars concentrate on specific musical styles or unique performance contexts. A distinctive feature of Harvard's program is its dual focus on Western music history alongside training in historical musicology and music theory methods. The curriculum also emphasizes interdisciplinary connections, particularly with anthropology, history, regional studies, linguistics, and theoretical frameworks relevant to each student's focus area.