Ph.D. in Historical Musicology

Diversity of approach and breadth of expertise distinguish graduate study in musicology (music history) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our small and flexible program provides a supportive environment to pursue imaginative research grounded in close interaction and cooperation among graduate students and their faculty colleagues. Our interdisciplinary research commitment encourages students to develop original approaches that draw on recent work in history, anthropology, and cultural theory.

In the Ph.D. program, doctoral students immerse themselves within the disciplines' various critical methodologies, choose an area of research specialization, and pursue intensive studies in a related minor area. Recent seminars have addressed The Earliest Motets, The Tams-Whitmark Collection, Rousseau musician, the Concerti of J.S. Bach, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger, and Stravinsky’s Ballets. After two years of coursework, doctoral students write the preliminary examination, demonstrating detailed knowledge of a 200-year period of music history and scholarship surrounding the student’s specialization area.

The Mead Witter School of Music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is proud of an outstanding international roster of faculty artists and scholars devoted to the School's fundamental mission of fostering and promoting music's global cultural art. Established in 1895, the School of Music also reflects the Wisconsin Idea of practical service to the state and its residents.

As one of the largest departments within the College of Letters & Science, the School of Music offers flexible programs with innovative and global music study approaches. Our teaching, research, and performances reflect the University’s progressive history of creating change through innovation and exploration.