yale phd music theory

Fields include music history, music theory, and ethnomusicology. (Students interested in degrees in performance, conducting, or composition should apply to the Yale School of Music.)

• Programs of Study
• PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
• Combined PhD
• MA - Master of Arts
• Department of Music

Director of Graduate Studies

• [email protected]

Kristine Kinsella

Departmental Registrar

• [email protected]
• 203-432-2985

Admission Requirements

Standardized testing requirements.

GRE is not accepted.

English Language Requirement

TOEFL iBT or IELTS Academic is required of most applicants whose native language is not English.

You may be exempt from this requirement if you have received (or will receive) an undergraduate degree from a college or university where English is the primary language of instruction, and if you have studied in residence at that institution for at least three years.

Combined Degree Program Application Deadline

*The deadline to submit an application to a combined program is always the earlier deadline of the two individual programs, or December 15, whichever comes first.

Academic Information

Combined phd information.

Music offers a combined PhD in conjunction with African American Studies .

GSAS Advising Guidelines

Academic Resources

Academic calendar.

The Graduate School's academic calendar lists important dates and deadlines related to coursework, registration, financial processes, and milestone events such as graduation.

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Registration Information and Dates

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Students must register every term in which they are enrolled in the Graduate School. Registration for a given term takes place the semester prior, and so it's important to stay on top of your academic plan. The University Registrar's Office oversees the systems that students use to register. Instructions about how to use those systems and the dates during which registration occurs can be found on their registration website.

Financial Information

Phd stipend & funding.

PhD students at Yale are normally full-funded for a minimum of five years. During that time, our students receive a twelve-month stipend to cover living expenses and a fellowship that covers the full cost of tuition and student healthcare.

• PhD Student Funding Overview
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Master's Funding

While Master's programs are not generally funded, there are resources available to students to help navigate financial responsibilities during graduate school.

• Master's Student Funding Overview
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• Student Employment
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Alumni Insights

Below you will find alumni placement data for our departments and programs.

School of Music 2023 – 2024

Music at yale.

Music at Yale enjoys a level of participation and excellence that is unrivaled among American universities. The School of Music stands at the center of this activity, with students and faculty presenting more than four hundred public concerts and recitals every year. Although there are numerous extracurricular music groups of all types throughout the campus, the curricular study and performance of music is centered at the School of Music, the Department of Music, and the Institute of Sacred Music.

The School of Music

The Yale School of Music is a graduate-professional school for students of exceptional ability who, by reason of their musical and intellectual aptitude, are qualified to do graduate work at this University. At Yale, students selected from all parts of the world are brought together to study with a distinguished faculty. In addition to receiving professional training in music, students are encouraged to participate in the rich intellectual life of the entire University and to develop and pursue interests in areas outside of their majors. While these intellectual pursuits are not, and should not be, formulated as a program of prescribed courses, the expansion of one’s comprehension and perception beyond mechanical craft is a basic premise of the School’s educational philosophy. School of Music programs are designed to develop students’ potentials in their special field to the highest levels of excellence while extending their intellectual horizons beyond that area of specialization.

One of the most important training activities at the School is chamber music, which is closely supervised by faculty coaches. There are also frequent opportunities for solo, small ensemble, orchestral, choral, and other types of performances. Because of this unique training, many graduates of the Yale School of Music hold positions on university faculties, in major symphony orchestras, and in leading opera companies. Others are now performing as concert artists or have found careers in various aspects of commercial music and music administration.

The School limits its enrollment to two hundred graduate students and maintains a student-faculty ratio of approximately three-to-one, providing a distinctive educational environment for gifted artists.

Norfolk Chamber Music Festival/ Yale Summer School of Music

Nestled among northwest Connecticut’s pastoral Litchfield Hills, the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Estate in the village of Norfolk has hosted the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival/Yale Summer School of Music since 1941. The festival’s three renowned programs are the Chamber Music Session, the New Music Workshop, and the Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting Workshop. The admissions process is highly competitive, as these programs are among the most selective summer music offerings in the world. Accepted fellows (instrumentalists, composers, and singers) receive a scholarship covering the full cost of tuition, housing, and meals. At Norfolk, fellows participate in an intensive program of coachings, master classes, and performances.

Summertime school and festival concerts are presented from June through August in the Music Shed, which was built in 1906. The Music Shed’s stunning acoustics have complemented the artistry of such renowned musicians as Fritz Kreisler, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jean Sibelius, and, more recently, the Artis, Brentano, Fine Arts, Guarneri, and Tokyo string quartets.

Chamber Music Session fellows have ample opportunity to perform on the weekly Emerging Artist Showcase series and alongside their faculty mentors and festival guest artists on the Friday and Saturday series. The Emerging Artist Showcase has developed a strong following, attracting area residents as well as people who travel many miles to hear concerts.

All school and festival performances are professionally recorded, and fellows from each session may obtain video and audio downloads of their work. Festival concerts are livestreamed and frequently broadcast nationally on public radio.

Alumni of the Norfolk program who have enjoyed successful careers in music include Alan Gilbert, Richard Stoltzman, Frederica von Stade, Pamela Frank, the Claremont and Eroica trios, So¯ Percussion, Eighth Blackbird, and the Alexander, Calder, Cassatt, Cavani, Jasper, Miró, St. Lawrence, Shanghai, and Ying string quartets, among many others. Recent Norfolk alumni have also won many of the most prestigious chamber music prizes including the Young Artists, Naumburg, Fischoff, M-Prize, and Banff competitions.

Applications for the New Music Workshop and the Chamber Music Session are due by Thursday, January 4, 2024. Applications for the Chamber Choir and Choral Conducting Workshop are due by Thursday, March 14, 2024. Admission is extremely competitive and is based on an audition video and, most important, a subsequent live audition. Applications and further information may be obtained at https://norfolk.yale.edu or by email, norfolk@yale.edu .

Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments

The Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments is committed to fostering the understanding and appreciation of musical instruments from all cultures. It provides access to and disseminates information about its holdings to Yale students, faculty, and staff; to scholars, musicians, and instrument makers; and to the public.

One of the foremost institutions of its kind, the Morris Steinert Collection of Musical Instruments acquires, preserves, and exhibits musical instruments from antiquity to the present, featuring restored examples in demonstration and live performance. Established in 1900 when Morris Steinert presented to Yale his collection consisting chiefly of keyboard instruments, the collection became one of the world’s most important repositories of musical instruments with the acquisition of the Belle Skinner Collection, the Emil Herrmann Collection, the Albert Steinert Collection, and the Robyna Neilson Ketchum Collection. Since 1970 the collection has nearly tripled in size, today comprising more than one thousand instruments, the majority of which document the history of Western art music.

The collection maintains permanent displays, regularly mounts special exhibits, and presents an annual series of concerts, lectures, and other special events. An important resource for the music curricula of the University, the collection serves as a laboratory for courses in the history of musical instruments and as a supplemental archive for courses taught in the arts and sciences. Special lectures and demonstrations as well as performance seminars are frequently presented to sessions of music history classes. The collection also acquires fine reproductions of period instruments to be used by music students for practical study and performance. More information is available at https://collection.yale.edu .

The Department of Music

The Department of Music works as a partner with the School of Music to provide a basic education in music to Yale students. Whereas the School of Music is primarily concerned with graduate students who wish to become performers, conductors, and composers, the Department of Music teaches undergraduates in Yale College, providing instruction in music theory, music history, and music appreciation for music majors and nonmajors alike. At the same time, the department offers graduate programs in music theory and musicology leading to the Ph.D. degree. Students interested in these programs may apply directly to the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, https://gsas.yale.edu/admission . Graduate courses, all conducted as seminars, are taught by a distinguished faculty. With the consent of their advisers and the instructor of the course, students in the School of Music are welcome to enroll in both undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the department. Similarly, students enrolled in the department will often be found at the School taking lessons, playing chamber music, or taking courses in conducting, music history, or composition. The department sponsors the Yale Collegium Musicum, the Yale Bach Society, the Yale Symphony Orchestra, the Yale Group for New Music, and Yale College Opera as extracurricular musical activities. Further information may be obtained at https://yalemusic.yale.edu .

Yale Institute of Sacred Music

The Yale Institute of Sacred Music, an interdisciplinary graduate center, educates leaders who foster, explore, and engage with the sacred through music, worship, and the arts in Christian communities, diverse religious traditions, and public life. Partnering with the Yale School of Music and Yale Divinity School, as well as other academic and professional units at Yale, the Institute prepares its students for careers in church music and other sacred music, pastoral ministry, performance, and scholarship. The Institute’s curriculum integrates the study and practice of music and the arts with religion. With a core focus on Christian sacred music, the Institute builds bridges among disciplines and vocations and makes creative space for scholarship, performance, and practice.

Music students who wish to pursue graduate work in programs in choral conducting, organ, composition, or voice (early music, oratorio, and chamber ensemble vocal track) must apply for and be accepted into one of the degree programs of the School of Music: M.M., M.M.A., or D.M.A. Institute students must be admitted to either the Yale School of Music or Yale Divinity School (or both), from which they receive their degrees. Students pursuing music degrees receive rigorous conservatory training and will typically go on to careers in church music, public performance, or teaching.

The Institute of Sacred Music was established in 1973 by a gift from the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller Foundation of Columbus, Indiana. The chairman of the board of the foundation, Mrs. Robert S. Tangeman, described the Institute as a place where “the function of music and the arts in Christianity will receive new strength through the preparation and training of individual musicians, ministers, and teachers who understand their calling in broad Christian terms and not exclusively within the limits of their disciplines.”

At the heart of the Institute’s program is the weekly Colloquium, a lively interdisciplinary course attended by all ISM faculty and students. Faculty and guest speakers lecture in the fall on topics pertinent to the primary fields represented in the ISM: worship, music, and the arts. In their final year, students present a project that is the culmination of work done with another ISM student outside their own discipline. In Colloquium, students and faculty explore the ways in which music and the arts function within diverse Christian liturgical practices. The Institute serves to promote the understanding of biblical texts as proclaimed in community and the unique sense of identity the arts provide for worshipers in a variety of faith traditions.

More information regarding the Institute may be found online at https://ism.yale.edu ; or its Bulletin may be obtained online at https://bulletin.yale.edu or by writing directly to the Institute of Sacred Music, 406 Prospect Street, New Haven CT 06511-2167; by phoning 203.432.9753; or by emailing ism.admissions@yale.edu .

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Dissertations and Theses

• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Includes millions of searchable citations to dissertations and theses from 1861 to the present day together with over a million full-text dissertations that are available for download in PDF format. The database offers full-text for most of the dissertations added since 1997 and strong retrospective full-text coverage for older graduate works. It includes the more than 28,000 Yale PhD and MD theses (1861-present). Of these, more than 18,500 are in full-text: almost all since 1960, and selected dissertations back to 1868. It also includes PQDT UK & Ireland content.
• Articles+ Dissertations It can be easier to locate a known dissertation by author and title using Articles+ (which searches against ProQuest Dissertations & Theses) and limiting to dissertations. The link above has already been limited to dissertations.

Search for dissertations in Quicksearch:

The Music Library has purchased many copies of dissertations from other universities.  Most Yale dissertations that are not full-text in ProQuest (above) are available in paper or microfilm for reading, scanning, or printing.

Dissertations can be located in Quicksearch by: (1) Entering the author or title in the Basic Search box. Remember to enclose exact word-by-word phrases in quotation marks.

(2) Using the Quicksearch Books+ Advanced Search:

• To browse all dissertations & theses, leave the search rows empty, enter All fields: music, or enter your search terms in the search boxes
• Limit by Format: Dissertation & Theses
• Limit by Location: Music Library (optional) 

(a) The example below shows a blank search limited to Dissertations & Theses format and Music Library location: 2,713 results.

 (b) Refine your search using the facets on the left of the results screen.

3) If you do not locate a Yale dissertation in Quicksearch, check the card catalog at Manuscripts and Archives. Except for some early dissertations that are not available, the originals of all Yale dissertations are held at Manuscripts and Archives.

Finding Dissertations Online - Additional Resources

• Dart-Europe E-Theses Portal
• Dissertation Express
• Dissertationsmeldestelle der Gesellschaft fur Musikforschung
• Doctoral Dissertations in Musicology
• EDT Digital Library
• Music Theory Online Dissertation Index
• OhioLink ETD Center
• Theses Canada Portal
• WorldCat (OCLC)
• Archive of Dissertation Abstracts in Music (Europe).
• Finding Dissertations on Music (Indiana U guide)

How to get a copy

If you find a dissertation that you need, but there is not a full text link, there are several options: search for it at Yale, borrow a copy through Borrow Direct or Interlibrary Loan (ILL) , or request that the library purchase a copy.  You may also purchase a copy in various formats.

Citing Electronic Resources

There are three major citation styles used in the humanities, social sciences, and some scientific disciplines. Consult one of the following official style manuals :

• APA Style The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is the style manual of choice for writers, editors, students, and educators in the social and behavioral sciences.
• MLA Style Center Website with updates and tips for the Modern Language Association's 8th edition of the MLA Handbook (see entry below). Includes a Quick Guide to works cited, an FAQ, and posts on topics such as URLs and citing ebooks.
• The Chicago Manual of Style online With state-of-the-art recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices in the digital age, The Chicago Manual of Style is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words.
• The Columbia guide to online style Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor. A guide to locating, translating, and using the elements of citation for both a humanities style (i.e., MLA and Chicago) and a scientific style (APA and CBE) for electronically-accessed sources. Access is available to the Yale Community. Often preferred in history and many other disciplines.
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Yale College Programs of Study 2024–2025

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• Summary of Requirements

Director of undergraduate studies:   Anna Zayaruznaya ; yalemusic.yale.edu

The Department of Music offers introductory and advanced instruction in the history of music, the theory of music, composition, music technology, and performance. The Music major provides a general music program in the humanities, as well as preparation for graduate studies or for music careers. 

Courses for Nonmajors and Majors

Introductory courses, numbered from 100 to 199, are open to all undergraduates and require no previous experience in music. 

Qualified students, whether majoring in music or not, may offer up to four terms of instruction in performance for academic credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement for the bachelor's degree. Of these four course credits, only two may be applied to the major in Music. Auditions for lessons are held at the beginning of the fall term; students sign up at the   School of Music auditions website. Students who audition for lessons are placed into one of three groups: (1) noncredit instruction for a fee; (2) lessons for academic credit at the intermediate level ( MUSI 345 ), graded Pass/Fail; or (3) lessons for academic credit at the advanced level ( MUSI 445 ), graded A–F. Only students with exceptional proficiency are placed into  MUSI 445 . 

Students accepted for noncredit instruction are charged $550 for ten hours of lessons per term or $350 for six hours of lessons per term. The fees are added to the Student Financial Services bill and are not refundable after the first two weeks of lessons each term.

Course Numbering

Introductory courses are numbered from 100 to 199. Intermediate courses, numbered between 200 and 399, may require prerequisites or a familiarity with music notation. Advanced courses, numbered between 400 and 494, are intended for students who have completed intermediate courses in the relevant field. They are intended primarily for students majoring in music, but they may be elected by others who meet the stated prerequisites.

Corequisites and Lessons

Students taking MUSI 345  or 445  are required to enroll concurrently in a non-introductory music theory or music history course for two terms, or they must complete one term of the theory/history requirement before enrolling in  MUSI 345 or 445 for the first time, and another before enrolling in  MUSI 345  or  445 again. MUSI 345 is taken pass/fail; MUSI 445 and the corequisites are taken for a letter grade. Eligible corequisites include MUSI 110 or any course designated as Group I, III, or IV within the music major (i.e. courses numbered 200–219, 250-299, 300–319, 350–399, 400–419, 450–499).

Placement Procedures 

There is no longer a placement test for the music theory curriculum; instead we invite students to identify the right course for them by using our  self-placement guide , and to consult with the course instructors.

Requirements of the Major

Thirteen courses are required,  two intermediate courses and one advanced course in each of four groups, and the senior requirement. Group I (MUSI 200–219; 300–319; 400–419) includes music theory and technology courses focused on the materials and structures of musical works and repertoires. Group II (MUSI 220–249; 320–349; 420–449) includes composition, technology, and performance courses with a practical focus on techniques of artistic production. Group III (MUSI 250–274; 350–374; 450–474) includes lectures and seminars taking a research- and writing-based approach to the Western art-music tradition. Group IV (MUSI 275–299; 375–399; 475–494) includes lectures and seminars taking a research- and writing-based approach to popular or vernacular music or to music of non-Western traditions.

Credit/D/Fail Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may not be counted toward the requirements of the major.

Senior Requirement

Each student majoring in Music must satisfy the senior requirement by completing a senior essay, composition, or recital in  MUSI 496 , 497 , 498 , or  499 .

The standard major Students must submit a completed Senior Project Form to the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) by the end of the course selection period in the term during which the project will be completed. The Senior Project Form, available in the departmental office, includes a brief description of the project and a timeline for completion. The form must be signed by the project's primary and secondary advisers, at least one of whom is a member of the faculty of the Department of Music.

The intensive major The intensive major is for students of high standing who are qualified to do sustained independent and original work in music research or in composition. Students wishing to elect the intensive major must register for the senior project in the fall term of their senior year (MUSI 497–499). A plan for progress must be included in the project proposal at the beginning of the fall term, specifying a deliverable end-of-term product with approximately the same scope as a one-term senior project. Upon satisfactory completion of this work, a student may be admitted to the intensive major, which consists of a second term of registration for the senior project (MUSI 497–499). The additional course for the intensive major is supplementary to the thirteen term courses that constitute the standard major.

Simultaneous B.A./M.A. program Undergraduates with exceptionally strong preparation in music history or music theory may complete a course of study leading to the simultaneous award of the B.A. and M.A. degrees after eight terms of enrollment. Students may not enroll in Yale College for more than eight terms to qualify for the simultaneous award of both degrees. Declared majors in Music may apply for the program until the last day of classes in their fifth term of enrollment, if they have completed at least two graduate courses in the Department of Music, at least one numbered 700 or higher, with grades of B+ or above, and if their overall grade average is A– or above. Applicants must demonstrate progress toward proficiency in a foreign language examined by the Department of Music.

Students in the simultaneous program fulfill the requirements for the intensive major in Music. They also take eight graduate courses in the Department of Music, with average grades of B+ or higher and grades of A or A– in at least two of the courses. They satisfy the Yale College requirements for the program (see Academic Regulations, section L, Special Academic Arrangements , “Simultaneous Award of the Bachelor's and Master's Degrees”), and they pass a departmental examination in a modern foreign language.

B.A./M.M. program  The Bachelor of Arts/Master of Music program is designed for students with outstanding abilities in performance who are also interested in a liberal arts education. Admission to the B.A./M.M. program is through acceptance into Yale College as well as a separate, successful audition through the School of Music, either before matriculation into Yale College or during the third year of the B.A. program. For details regarding the B.A./M.M. program, please consult the Yale School of Music online bulletin .

Students cannot accelerate the undergraduate program in the B.A./M.M. program. 

SUMMARY OF MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites None

Number of courses 13 term courses numbered 200 or above (incl senior req)

Specific courses required  None

Distribution of courses 2 intermediate courses and 1 advanced course from each Group I–IV

Senior requirement One-term senior essay, composition, or recital in MUSI 496–499

Intensive major Two-term senior essay or project in MUSI 497–499; additional course is supplementary to the thirteen course req

Requirements 

13 courses (13 credits), including the senior requirement

Note: 4 performance instruction courses may count as academic credit toward the 36-course-credit requirement for the bachelor's degree; 2 may count toward the major requirements

• 2 intermediate courses and 1 advanced course from Group I 
• 2 intermediate courses and 1 advanced course from Group II 
• 2 intermediate courses and 1 advanced course from Group III 
• 2 intermediate courses and 1 advanced course from Group IV
• 1-term senior essay, composition, or recital in MUSI 496–499

Requirements for the Intensive Major

• one extra term of the senior project for a two-term senior project focused on music research or composition (MUSI 497-499) 

The Department of Music offers courses in ethnomusicology, music history, music theory, music technology, composition, and performance. Students may take most introductory courses without a prerequisite.  The department also offers First-Year Seminars without prerequisites. 

First-year students with appropriate preparation are also welcome in more advanced courses. Courses at the 200 level assume familiarity with music notation; many courses at the 300 and 400 levels assume the ability to read music.

Students interested in music—whether or not they are considering the Music major—are encouraged to take courses in music theory. There is no longer a placement test for the music theory curriculum; instead we invite students to identify the right course for them by using our  self-placement guide , and to consult with the course instructors.

Voice and instrument lessons are available to qualified students. Students who want to take lessons must audition in the fall. Advanced students are eligible to take lessons for credit beginning with enrollment in MUSI 345  or MUSI 445 . To qualify for credit, students must play at a sufficiently high level  and  be taking the appropriate theory course, as described in the Overview tab, "Corequisites and Lessons." Please see the  Music Lessons  page on the  department website for more details.

FACULTY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC

Professors Kathryn Alexander ( Adjunct ), Richard Cohn, Daniel Harrison, Gundula Kreuzer, Richard Lalli ( Adjunct ), Ian Quinn ( Chair ), Gary Tomlinson, Michael Veal

Associate Professors Robert Holzer ( Adjunct ), Konrad Kaczmarek ( Adjunct ), Brian Kane, Markus Rathey ( Adjunct ), Braxton Shelley, Anna Zayaruznaya

Assistant Professors  Ameera Nimjee, Jessica Pertiz, Lindsay Wright

Lecturers Phil Acimovic,   Nathaniel Adam, Trevor Bača, Maiani da Silva, Daniel Egan, Grant Herreid, Annette Jolles, Sara Kohane, Ian MacMillen, Joshua Rosenblum, Wendy Sharp

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• Department of Music >
• Music at UB >

Music Theory

The Music Theory track is one of the most successful in the U.S. Our graduates have accepted full-time employment at Yale, Temple, Swarthmore, Bowling Green, Ithaca College, American University, Arizona State and many other world-class institutions.

Degree Options

Graduate:  MA in Music Theory ,   PhD in Music Theory and Historical Musicology

Undergraduate students interested in Music Theory are encouraged to pursue a  BA in Music  and adopt Music Theory as their advisement track. 

Music Theory Highlights

Our students receive a thorough grounding in the standard disciplines, including history of theory, Schenkerian analysis, and set theory, while mastering promising new areas of research, such as Neo-Riemannian transformations, diatonic set theory, and intertextuality.

Recent doctoral seminars have addressed the music of Stravinsky, the music of Ives, and 19th- & 20th-century tonal chromaticism. Our graduates produce dissertations on topics as diverse as microtonal music by Haba, form in Takemitsu's music, harmony in Schoenberg"s Gurrelieder, and gravitational space as a metaphor for analysis.

The linchpin of our program is the Slee Chair , the oldest fully endowed professorship of Music Theory in the country. The program is also home to the Slee Institute of Tonal Harmony, which seeks to integrate the highest-level of systematic speculative research in music theory with the everyday business of teaching harmony to undergraduate students.

Another central resource is the Music Library , conveniently located on-site in the music building, which has unusually strong collections in the areas of jazz, rare editions, and contemporary music. The strong contemporary music presence and distinguished musicology faculty at UB also ensure a lively, interdisciplinary community of composers, performers, and scholars.

Our Faculty

The music theory faculty is comprised of distinguished scholars and musicians who offer a unique mix of traditional musical disciplines that foster individual creativity. The department's low student-teacher ratio ensures that students receive a high degree of individual instruction and supervision.

410 Baird Hall

Phone: (716) 645-0646

[email protected]

Questions? Contact Professor Moseley , area coordinator, with any music-theory related inquiries

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• Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Music Theory

Doctor of philosophy (phd) in music theory.

The PhD in music theory program offers professional training for careers in teaching and scholarship. Applicants are admitted based on their background ability and motivation for academic, scholarly, and artistic achievement and their desire to contribute to the program. Theory faculty members possess expertise in current methodologies of analysis, history of theory, and pedagogy. The program offers instruction in counterpoint, Schenkerian analysis, 20th-century theory, the history of music theory, pedagogy, and a variety of specialized topics.

The doctoral degree in theory is oriented toward preparing students for scholarly research and teaching, aiming for breadth and depth in one specialized area. The program offers the emerging scholar:

• Courses that prepare students for advanced research in their field
• Interdisciplinary interaction within a comprehensive school of music and a major research university
• A curriculum with a varied range of choices with respect to historical periods, analytical systems, and cultural areas

The music theory faculty of the School of Music invites interested students to email us before applying to the theory PhD program. Specifically, we ask students to contact the individual professor they think would be the best fit as their degree/research advisor in order to have a conversation about the applicant's interests, goals, and fit with the department.

For your PhD, you will be expected to meet the following requirements, including your post-baccalaureate study from other institutions:

• 30 credits of music theory and analysis courses
• 6 credits of musicology/ethnomusicology 
• 12 credits of supporting non-music coursework
• 3 credits of music electives
• Demonstration of reading knowledge in 2 foreign languages
• Completion of written and oral preliminary exam
• Completion of thesis or final project
• Completion of final oral examination

Requirements for the Music PhD

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Four faculty members honored for commitment to graduate student mentorship.

Sreeganga Chandra, Jennifer Allen, Marynel Vázquez, and Grace Kao

Four Yale faculty members have been honored by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) with this year’s Graduate Mentor Awards for outstanding commitment to advising and student support.

The winners are Sreeganga Chandra, associate professor of neurology and neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine; Jennifer Allen, associate professor of history in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS); Marynel Vázquez, assistant professor of computer science at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science; and Grace Kao, the IBM Professor of Sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at FAS.

“ The Graduate Mentor Awards recognize our faculty’s extraordinary commitment to fostering the intellectual and professional growth of Yale’s graduate students,” said GSAS Dean Lynn Cooley. “Each of the recipients embodies the highest ideals of our academic community, inspiring both excellence and innovation among the next generation of scholars.”

Originally developed in conjunction with the Graduate Student Assembly, the graduate school’s student government, the awards began in 2008 and are the university’s principal recognition for superb teaching, advising, and mentoring of graduate students.

Students are invited to nominate faculty members for the award every February. One award is given in each of four divisions: biological sciences, humanities, physical sciences and engineering, and social sciences.

Winners are chosen by a committee of students and faculty. This year’s awards will be presented during the GSAS convocation on May 19.

Sreeganga Chandra (Biological Sciences)

Sreeganga Chandra’s research focuses on synaptic biology and neurodegeneration. Student nominations highlighted her unflagging support of their work in the Chandra Lab. She pairs rigor, detailed and constructive feedback, and high expectations with generosity and approachability, they said, thereby modeling ideal mentorship by focusing on their development as whole humans, not just as researchers.

Jennifer Allen (Humanities)

Jennifer Allen’s work focuses on modern Germany, in particular late-20 th -century cultural practices. She was praised by students for her deep commitment to pedagogy and for her intellectual generosity. Keenly attentive to students’ development as scholars and future leaders in the field, she was credited with shaping them into stronger writers, thinkers, and mentors in their own right.

Marynel Vázquez (Physical Sciences and Engineering)

Marynel Vázquez’s research focuses on human-robot interaction. She leads the Yale Interactive Machines Group. Her students emphasized her infectious optimism and confidence-inspiring support of their research and teaching. They praised her dedication to their professional development, as well as her kindness, patience, and consideration of their academic and personal growth.

Grace Kao (Social Sciences)

Grace Kao is the director of the Center for Empirical Research on Stratification and Inequality. Her research focuses on racial, ethnic, and immigrant differences in education outcomes and transitions to adulthood; interracial friendships and romantic relationships; the sociology of music; and dating and marriage in South Korea. She was lauded by students for her dedication to their professional development — opening doors by encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and mentoring them through the publication process — and for inspiring their excitement for the field and the profession.

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