PhD in Music - Historical Musicology in New York United States | New York University

NYU's Graduate Program in Music caters to aspiring professionals seeking careers that blend academic teaching with ongoing research and/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 disciplines. Our scholars explore diverse subjects ranging from jazz and popular music to film scores, global musical traditions, Western classical music, 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 graduate program maintains a research-intensive curriculum where most courses push the frontiers of musical knowledge.

Within our department, Musicology stands alongside Ethnomusicology and Composition and Theory as one of three interconnected specializations. We actively encourage cross-disciplinary exploration, recognizing that musicology itself is undergoing transformative changes influenced by concepts from related fields. This intellectual cross-pollination has led all three areas to increasingly examine sociological dimensions, cultural policies, and historical relationships between musical creators, performers, and audiences.

Our musicology training balances traditional methodologies—including archival research, source studies, and performance practice—with contemporary critical approaches like gender studies, reception theory, and cultural interaction analysis. Students are expected to sample courses across all departmental specializations and engage with our full faculty. Many additionally enroll in classes at neighboring institutions through our consortium (including CUNY, Columbia, and The New School), gaining exposure to diverse academic perspectives that enrich their research and publications.