PhD in Music - Ethnomusicology in New York United States | New York University

NYU's Graduate Program in Music caters to ambitious students pursuing careers that blend academic teaching with ongoing research or composition. The program offers three specialized tracks: Ethnomusicology, Historical Musicology, and Composition and Theory, though students aren't restricted to rigid interpretations of these fields. Our scholars explore diverse subjects ranging from jazz and popular music to film scores, global musical traditions, classical repertoire, and musical theater. Alumni have secured faculty positions at top-tier universities across North America while making significant scholarly and compositional impacts worldwide.

With an intentionally limited enrollment of six to eight students annually, our research-focused curriculum pushes the boundaries of musical knowledge through innovative coursework.

NYU's ethnomusicology concentration champions cutting-edge, interdisciplinary approaches to sound and music studies. While maintaining ethnography as its foundation, this specialization creatively integrates methodologies from across the humanities and social sciences. Our ethnomusicologists tackle both traditional disciplinary questions and emerging topics from sound studies, psychoacoustics, trauma research, and science/technology intersections. This flexible approach stems from our dedication to blending meticulous sonic analysis with examinations of musical creation, distribution, and reception. First-semester ethnomusicology students participate in foundational proseminars alongside their peers, exploring both established and groundbreaking works in music scholarship. The core curriculum culminates in an intensive ethnographic methods seminar, where students develop research skills within New York City's vibrant musical ecosystem - an ideal laboratory for studying cultural production amid global flows and local particularities. (We strongly recommend ethnomusicology students participate in composition seminars, as creative practice serves as a vital research methodology for sonic exploration.)