Master of Arts in Music

Total Credits
36

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Program Description

Graduate study in musicology covers approaches such as historical and ethnomusicological investigation as well as hermeneutics, semiotics and criticism. Students are expected to become familiar with a wide range of areas: methods, philosophies and techniques of historical research methods for analysis of music and ethnomusicological research.

Students enrolled in the program are expected to familiarize themselves with the current state of musicological research and thinking through independent study as well as in consultation with faculty members. Students are also expected to take an active part in the working musicological community at large, through participation in regional, national, and international meetings and concomitant informal contacts with students and faculty at other institutions. The program aims:

1.To develop and sharpen the skills each student needs to realize his or her future specialization intentions;
2.To expand each student’s conception of what is possible in construing music performance or research through speculation and experimentation;
3.To develop a larger and sharper sense of the context in which the students work, and on which it depends by continued study and research.

Admission Requirements

Applicants will normally hold a bachelor degree in music or an equivalent qualification. They need to submit an extended piece of writing on a musical subject in order to provide evidence of writing skills and intellectual ability appropriate for musicological study at master’s level. An English test is required except for students majoring in Arabic music. Selection is based on information submitted by the applicant, and by interview when necessary.

Transfer

Although transfer is not generalized, some credits from major universities can be transferable upon admission by the Committee. A transferred course must be passed at the grade of 80, according to the University Grading and Bylaws. In addition, applicants for the graduate program may be granted a maximum of 9 transfer credits of graduate studies taken at another accredited institution of higher education provided that the transfer course(s) correspond to the NDU course requirements.

Graduation Requirements

To attain the Master of Arts in Music degree, a student is required to fulfill a total of 36 credits. The minimum passing grade for a graduate course is C. It is mandatory for graduate students to uphold a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 across all courses taken for their graduate programs, with no more than 2 instances of receiving a grade of C in the entire program.

Structure and Time-Table

The program is delivered over four semesters. All students, whether full- or part-time, initially complete the program requirements, and attend the research method course. Classes are normally timetabled in the afternoons.

The program moves from general methodological concerns towards greater specializations:

1.Research methodology;
2.Academic study. All students are required to take courses in Musical Thought, languages and aesthetics;
3.Dissertation. Here students embark on a programme of independent study, supervised by a dissertation advisor.

Courses

Major Courses (36cr.)

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Major Courses

36 Cr

Minimum Cumulative GPA

3.0

4.0

Total 36 Credits