Master of Arts in Music, Emphasis Ethnomusicology (MA) at University of British Columbia

About

The program can accommodate interests in ethnomusicology’s wide range of geographic areas and intellectual issues. We strongly encourage performance, close interaction with related disciplines (anthropology, area studies, sociology, linguistics, etc.), as well as border crossing within music (composition, theory, and historical musicology).

Disciplines

Faculty of Arts

Requirements

Entry Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement: 90

Reading

22

Writing

21

Speaking

21

Listening

22

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement: 6.5

Reading

6.0

Writing

6.0

Speaking

6.0

Listening

6.0

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

The applicant must ordinarily possess a B.Mus., B.S. or B.A. degree

Course Requirements

The applicant must ordinarily possess a B.Mus., B.S., or B.A. degree and demonstrate strengths in a range of musical skills, including musicianship, transcription, and analysis, as well as prose writing skills. No rigid prerequisites are specified but a music major is strongly recommended, including courses in World Music Cultures and close study of individual world areas. Solid grounding in performance and/or fieldwork is an asset. Applicants should demonstrate interest in the practice and perspectives of ethnomusicology in its broadest senses, including its place (and the place of music) in the history of ideas and cultural relations. Predetermination of a focused research topic can certainly be helpful but is not expected at this stage. Sustained interest in European Art Music may prove beneficial. It is also recognized that ethnomusicology is closely related to other disciplines, such as anthropology, sociology, folklore, Asian studies (or other area studies), and linguistics. Students with Bachelor's degrees in these disciplines are encouraged to consider this program and discuss its prerequisites prior to application.

Document Requirements

Follow the general graduate application guidelines in How to Apply and in addition: Submit a maximum of two papers dealing with a topic in music that is representative of work to date.

Submit at answer to each of the following questions (max. 300 words per question):

What are your strengths as a musician?
What would you like to work on?
What kinds of musical activities do you especially enjoy and why?
Describe two books or articles about music you have particularly learned from or been stimulated by.
Name some music you particularly admire and explain why. What draws you to music scholarship?

A transcription exercise will be required of all applicants to the program. This exercise will become available on the Ethnomusicology website the first or second weekend after the deadline for the application; applicants will be contacted by the department with further instructions. Most students will use standard Western notation, but modified Western notation or other systems are acceptable.

Other Requirements

The applicant must demonstrate strength in a range of musical skills and prose writing skills.

Career

Career Options

Our recent PhDs have been successful in landing tenure-track positions at major universities including MIT, University of Waterloo, UC Davis, Tennessee State, and the Indonesian Institute of the Arts. Others have gone into music and film production. Some MA students continue to PhDs elsewhere or move on to other fields including law, arts administration, coding, and more.

Fee Information

Tuition Fee

CAD 9,884

Application Fee

CAD

Master of Arts in Music, Emphasis Ethnomusicology (MA)

University of British Columbia

University of British Columbia

Key Facts

Start & Deadlines