Ethnomusicology & Musicology, M.A.

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The graduate seminars in Music History and Ethnomusicology cover many topics and use a broad range of hermeneutical approaches from an anti-racist perspective, including:

Representations of race, gender, and sexuality
Music and postmodernism
Popular music and culture
Contextualizing classical music in society

The School of Music regularly invites guest lecturers to provide students with an opportunity to become acquainted with current topics in musicological and ethnomusicological studies and to meet renowned scholars in diverse areas of specialization.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

describe and integrate advanced topics in theoretical analysis, the study of music history and society, and music performance skills through writing, speaking, discussion, and musical performing, as exemplified through successful completion of coursework.
conduct professional level research; as exemplified through the successful completion of coursework, thesis, and exit exams.
apply content knowledge and theoretical concepts from within the program of study, as exemplified through successful completion of the thesis and exit exams.

Contact Information

Louis Niebur, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director
(775) 784-6145
lniebur@unr.edu

School of Music
Church Fine Arts, Mail Stop 0226
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557-0049

Admission Requirements

To be admitted into the School of Music graduate program you must meet the program requirements, but you must also meet the requirements of the Graduate School. The University Admissions Web site has information specifically for the graduate admissions process.

Applicants steps:

Contact the appropriate graduate faculty member or the School of Music Chair to determine eligibility for a graduate degree in music.

Apply to audition by obtaining the Audition/Application Procedures from your appropriate faculty member
Complete the online Graduate School application and pay the application fee. You can apply to Graduate School at UNR online. The process is straightforward: create an account, login and you’re on your way.
Have two official transcripts sent directly from your undergraduate institution to the Graduate School: University of Nevada, Reno, Graduate School, Mail Stop 0326, Reno, NV 89557-0326
Have two letters of recommendation sent to the School of Music: University of Nevada, Reno, School of Music, Mail Stop 0226, Reno, NV 89557-0226
Complete your Immunizations and send those records to: University of Nevada, Reno, Graduate School, Mail Stop 326, Reno, NV 89557-0326

I. Program Requirements

The master of arts degree requires six credits of thesis and one credit of comprehensive examination as follows:

Master of Arts (32 units)

MUS 690 - Research Methods in Music (3 units)
Related course work (4 units)
Ensemble (2 units)
Electives (7 units)
MUS 709 - Contemporary Theory and Practice (3 units)
MUS 795 - Comprehensive Examination (1 unit)
MUS 797 - Thesis (1 to 6 units) (6 units required)
Two music history courses from the following:
MUS 710 - Topics in Medieval and Renaissance Music (3 units)
MUS 711 - Topics in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Music (3 units)
MUS 712 - Special Topics in Nineteenth Century Music (3 units)
MUS 713 - Topics in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Music (3 units)
MUS 714 - Special Topics in American Music (3 units)
MUS 715 - Introduction to Ethnomusicology Graduate Seminar (3 units)