PhD in Composition

Associate Professor of Dance, Melanie Aceto, performs in "Liaison," a collaboration with UB PhD composition alumna Megan Beugger. Photo: Paul Hokanson

Course requirements

The following is the approved normal course of study for students pursuing a PhD in Composition. In all cases, a student's particular program should be determined in consultation with his/her academic advisor.  Customized tracks, involving substitutions for required and elective courses, are encouraged. These must be planned in advance with the advisor and will require the approval of the Music Department Graduate Committee.

Course Semesters Credits
MUS 628 TUT 6 24
MUS 628 SEM 6 12
     
Students may choose from the following 4 credit courses for a total of 3 semesters and 12 credits:
3 12
Discourses in Musicology (MUS 615)
   
Music and Queer Studies (MUS 515) 
   
Music, Gender, and Sexuality (MUS 517)
   
Popular Music Studies (MUS 525)
   
Studies in Music History (MUS 526)
   
Music and Modernity (MUS 527)
   
Media, Memory, and Notation (MUS 528)
   
Studies in US Music (MUS 529)
   
Experimental Music (MUS 530)
   
     
Students may choose from the following 4 credit courses for a total of 3 semesters and 12 credits:
3 12
Discourses in Music Theory (MUS 614)
   
Topics in Tonal Theory and Analysis (MUS 621)
   
Analyzing Popular Music (MUS 613)
   
Analyzing Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Music (MUS 629)
   
     
Students may choose from the following courses for a total of 3 semesters and 10 credits:
3 10
MUS 612 Computer Music  (4 credits)
   
MUS 619 Advanced Orchestration (4 credits)
   
MUS 600 TUT (2 credits)
   
     
MUS 700 Dissertation*   2
     
Total   72

* Variable credit as required by Major Professor

examinations

Comprehensive Examination (taken after completion of all course work and language requirement):

  1. A three- or four-hour written examination on the history of Western Music from the Middle Ages to 1950.
  2. A three- or four-hour written examination on contemporary (post-1950) music.
  3. A three- or four-hour examination on music theory.
  4. A portfolio of at least three representative works composed while in residence accompanied by a recording of each of the three pieces.
  5. An oral examination, the content of which will parallel that of the three written examinations, will be given 10-14 days after the completion of the written exam. Areas of weakness will be addressed by the committee

Thesis/Dissertation

The dissertation will be a composition of substantial scope and complexity which demonstrates the candidate's ability to handle large musical forms.

foreign language requirement

One foreign language: French, German, or Italian. Another natural language may be substituted with approval of student's academic advisor and the Graduate Committee.

Retention standards

All degree coursework must be completed with grades of "A," B," or "S."

Questions?