Exams

During the third year in residence, students are expected to take Dissertation Proposal Seminar I to prepare for dissertation field research and grant writing. The emphasis is not on the accumulation of credits since you should have already received the 30 credits required for the MA degree and 3 credits for Dissertation Proposal Seminar II) but on the acquisition of knowledge necessary to compete for outside funding for field research, to design a dissertation project that will comprise an original and major contribution to ethnomusicological scholarship, to publish or present at meetings research already completed or in development (for example, research based on the MA thesis), and to prepare for exams. Be aware that students are frequently very busy teaching as well during this year, and striking a balance between these competing demands is difficult and important. Many students also seek funding for dissertation research beginning in Year 3. Below is the sequence of exams:

Foreign Language Exam(s), if applicable:  Ideally taken in years 1 or 2.
Oral Analysis Exam:  Ideally taken in the beginning of the Fall semester of year 3.
Major/Minor Area Exam:  Ideally taken in Spring of year 3.
General Ethnomusicology Exam:  Ideally taken in Spring of year 3.

The Department of Music website provides a detailed timeline of the exams required for a PhD in Ethnomusicology. (insert link to music website)