Stanford University
Department of Music
Graduate Handbook
2014—2015
This handbook augments the Bulletin and other University
publications and contains department-specific policies,
procedures, and degree requirements. The department reserves
the right to make changes at any time without prior notice.
Further information and resources are available from the
Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, student services staff,
and can be found on our website.
It is the responsibility of each student to familiarize
himself/herself with this information and to seek clarification
as needed. Additionally, it is the student's responsibility to
review the Graduate Handbook on an annual basis.
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
POLICIES YOU MUST KNOW ............................................................................................................................................................... 5
Stanford Office of Judicial Affairs ................................................................................................................................................ 5
Stanford Bulletin Policies, Statements, & Regulations ................................................................................................................. 5
SECTION ONE:
THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC (http://music.stanford.edu/)........................................................................ 7
GENERAL INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................................................... 8
CCRMA Hour Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters ......................................................................................................................... 8
Braun Music Center Hours Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters .................................................................................................... 8
Braun Music Center After-Hours Access ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Music Library Hours Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters ............................................................................................................. 8
Center for Computer-Assisted Research in the Humanities (CCARH, http://www.ccarh.org) ..................................................... 9
Dinkelspiel Auditorium ................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA, http://ccrma.stanford.edu/)................................................... 9
FACILITIES ACCESS, SCHEDULING, AND USE POLICIES ......................................................................................................................... 9
Practice Rooms and Keys ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Instrument Lockers.......................................................................................................................................................................10
Concerts/Recitals and Receptions ................................................................................................................................................10
Concert Recordings .....................................................................................................................................................................10
Grad-Students’ ID Mailboxes ......................................................................................................................................................10
Photocopying ...............................................................................................................................................................................11
Computer/Copy Room (Braun 230) .............................................................................................................................................11
Guidelines Regarding Use of Music-Department Letterhead ......................................................................................................11
IMPORTANT SOURCES OF INFORMATION ............................................................................................................................................12
MUSIC DEPARTMENT PEOPLE (http://music.stanford.edu/People/index.html) ..................................................................................14
Friends of Music at Stanford (FoM, http://music.stanford.edu/FOM/fom.html) .........................................................................14
Departmental Committees............................................................................................................................................................14
Academic Council Teaching Faculty (“ACTFac”) ......................................................................................................................15
Consulting Professors ..................................................................................................................................................................15
Applied Music Faculty Senior Lecturers ......................................................................................................................................15
Emeriti .........................................................................................................................................................................................15
Lecturers & Applied Music Faculty .............................................................................................................................................16
Ensemble in Residence: St. Lawrence String Quartet ..................................................................................................................16
Departmental Performing Ensembles (http://music.stanford.edu/Ensembles/index.html)...........................................................17
Department Staff ..........................................................................................................................................................................17
SECTION TWO:
REGISTRATION (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - text) ..............................................19
GENERAL INFORMATION ...................................................................................................................................................................20
Continuous Registration ..............................................................................................................................................................21
Registration Categories ...............................................................................................................................................................21
Full-Tuition Registration — Year 1 ............................................................................................................................................................ 21
Research and Teaching Assistantships — Years 2 through 5...................................................................................................................... 21
Reduced Tuition Adjustment....................................................................................................................................................................... 21
Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR, http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/special-graduate-status)................................ 22
Understanding TGR .................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Graduation Quarter (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/tuitionfeesandhousing/ - tuitiontext-gradstudtuit-graqua) ................................... 24
Leave of Absence (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - leavereinstatementtext) ............................................................ 24
Discontinuation and Reinstatement (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - leavereinstatementtext-leavabsegrad-disrei). 24
RESIGNATION ....................................................................................................................................................................................25
PRELIMINARY STUDY LIST DEADLINES .............................................................................................................................................25
Clarification Regarding Section Numbers for Music Courses..................................................................................................................... 25
UNIVERSITY GRADING POLICIES .......................................................................................................................................................26
MUSIC DEPARTMENT GRADING POLICIES .........................................................................................................................................26
ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS .............................................................................................................................................26
Admission to Candidacy ..............................................................................................................................................................26
Policy on Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students ............................................................................................27
Graduate Residency Transfer Credit and Course Substitution ....................................................................................................27
Changes to, and Addition of Degree Programs ...........................................................................................................................28
RESIDENCY (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - residencytext) .........................................................................28
SECTION THREE:
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MUSIC ....................................................................................29
GRADUATE DEGREE GENERAL INFORMATION ...................................................................................................................................30
DIAGNOSTIC EXAMINATIONS REQUIRED OF ALL DOCTORAL STUDENTS ...........................................................................................31
Ear Training & Dictation Examination ....................................................................................................................................................... 31
Harmony and Theory Examination ............................................................................................................................................................. 31
The Piano Proficiency Exam ....................................................................................................................................................................... 32
History Exams ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 33
LANGUAGE EXAMINATION REQUIREMENT FOR ALL DOCTORAL STUDENTS ......................................................................................34
German Language Examination https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/German_PhD_Reading_Exam .. 34
French Language Examination https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/French_PhD_Reading_Exam ...... 34
Italian Examinations https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Italian_PhD_Reading_Exam....................... 34
Latin Examinations https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Latin_PhD_Reading_Exam ......................... 35
Spanish Examinations https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Spanish_PhD_Reading_Exam .................. 35
Other languages........................................................................................................................................................................................... 35
SECTION FOUR:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DMA IN COMPOSITION .........................................................................36
COMPOSITION DMA MILESTONES & EXAMINATIONS TIMETABLE ....................................................................................................37
COMPOSITION QUALIFYING EXAMINATION .......................................................................................................................................38
Procedures and Format ...............................................................................................................................................................38
Sample Questions .........................................................................................................................................................................39
Section A..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Section B ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39
JURY/PORTFOLIO REVIEW .................................................................................................................................................................39
SPECIAL AREA EXAMINATION AND PUBLIC LECTURE/PRESENTATION ..............................................................................................40
Sample Questions for Part 1 ........................................................................................................................................................40
Recommended Guidelines for Final Project Proposals (Part 2) .................................................................................................41
APPOINTMENT OF A FINAL PROJECT READING COMMITTEE ..............................................................................................................41
FINAL PROJECT DEFENSE/PUBLIC PRESENTATION.............................................................................................................................41
FINAL PROJECT PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION TO THE UNIVERSITY ..............................................................................................42
SECTION FIVE:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PHD IN COMPUTER-BASED MUSIC THEORY AND ACOUSTICS .43
CBMTA PHD MILESTONES & EXAMINATIONS TIMETABLE ..............................................................................................................44
CBMTA QUALIFYING EXAMINATION ...............................................................................................................................................45
Procedures ...................................................................................................................................................................................45
Format .........................................................................................................................................................................................45
Sample Questions .........................................................................................................................................................................46
Section A..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Section B ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
Section C ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
SPECIAL AREA EXAMINATION ...........................................................................................................................................................47
Format .........................................................................................................................................................................................47
PHD DISSERTATION...........................................................................................................................................................................47
Scope of the Dissertation .............................................................................................................................................................47
Preparing and Submitting the PhD Dissertation Proposal ..........................................................................................................47
Recommended Guidelines for PhD Dissertation Proposals ........................................................................................................47
Appointment of a Reading Committee for the PhD Dissertation .................................................................................................48
UNIVERSITY ORAL EXAMINATION.....................................................................................................................................................49
Schedule of the Dissertation Oral Examination ...........................................................................................................................49
Preparing the PhD Dissertation for Submission to the University ..............................................................................................50
SECTION SIX:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PHD IN MUSICOLOGY ................................................................................51
EXPECTATIONS OF PH.D. STUDENTS IN MUSICOLOGY .......................................................................................................................52
SUGGESTED SCHEDULE OF COURSEWORK; PHD MILESTONES ..........................................................................................................53
MUSICOLOGY QUALIFYING EXAMINATION .......................................................................................................................................54
Procedures and Format ...............................................................................................................................................................54
SPECIAL AREA EXAM ........................................................................................................................................................................55
Format .........................................................................................................................................................................................55
Procedures ...................................................................................................................................................................................55
PHD DISSERTATION...........................................................................................................................................................................56
Scope of the Dissertation .............................................................................................................................................................57
Preparing and Submitting the PhD Dissertation Proposal ..........................................................................................................57
Recommended Guidelines for PhD Dissertation Proposals ........................................................................................................57
Appointment of a Reading Committee for the PhD Dissertation .................................................................................................57
UNIVERSITY ORAL EXAMINATION.....................................................................................................................................................58
Schedule of the Dissertation Oral Examination ...........................................................................................................................59
Preparing the PhD Dissertation for Submission to the University ..............................................................................................59
SECTION SEVEN:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW! .....................................................................61
GRADUATION GENERAL INFORMATION .............................................................................................................................................62
Conferral Of Degrees ..................................................................................................................................................................62
Spring Commencement ................................................................................................................................................................62
Regalia .........................................................................................................................................................................................63
Graduation Quarter .....................................................................................................................................................................63
Financial Obligations ..................................................................................................................................................................63
Graduate Aid Plan .......................................................................................................................................................................63
Format ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 65
Monies......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 66
The teaching component of your graduate work: Privileges and responsibilities ........................................................................................ 66
Graduate-Student Teaching ......................................................................................................................................................................... 66
TA Training Course: Music 280, Spring Quarter ........................................................................................................................................ 67
International-Student-TA English Screening .............................................................................................................................................. 68
Work In Addition To Assistantship Appointment .........................................................................................................................68
Applied Music Lessons & Scholarship Support ...........................................................................................................................68
Musician-Referral Service for Off-Campus Teaching and Performing .......................................................................................69
Outside Fellowships, Post-Degree Plans, Career Planning And Placement ...............................................................................69
Exchange Scholar Program .........................................................................................................................................................70
Support Services at Stanford ........................................................................................................................................................70
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to Stanford!
In providing information about graduate study in music, this handbook is designed as a supplement to other
University publications, in particular the 2013–14 version of the Stanford Bulletin (Bulletin) THE official
statement of University policies, processes, and degree requirements. The Graduate Academic Policies and
Procedures (GAP) online manual (http://gap.stanford.edu/) brings together into one resource the guiding
policies, their rationale, and other information related to their implementation. Take the time to read the
general material in the Bulletin concerning policies associated with graduate study at Stanford
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduateeducation/) as well as the Department of Music’s specific section
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/). It is the responsibility of each
student to familiarize herself/himself with this information and to seek clarification as needed.
✯
The Stanford Bulletin 2013–14: http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/
The information and tips contained in these pages should prove useful throughout your course of study in the
Music Department. If you’re still left with questions after having consulted it, further information and
resources are available from the Graduate Studies Committee, and/or the departmental administrative staff,
and the departmental website (http://music.stanford.edu/).
E-mail is the “official form of notification” at Stanford.[See the Bulletin, “Notification/Obligation to Read
Email” at http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academicpoliciesandstatements/ - text-compwithunivpoliholdnotreaema.] If you don’t have an account by the time you read this sentence, you can obtain one by visiting the
ITS site (https://accounts.stanford.edu/). Contact information for the entire campus community (students,
faculty, staff, affiliates) may be found at Stanford.Who (https://stanfordwho.stanford.edu/SWApp/lookup).
You can control what information the Stanford community and the public at large see about you by visiting
and editing settings under “Maintain your personal data” at Stanford.You (http://stanfordyou.stanford.edu/),
the corollary to Stanford.Who.
The Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA – http://ccrma.stanford.edu/) publishes
its own website and it serves as an additional resource for master’s and doctoral students working at CCRMA.
I wish you a productive and enjoyable period of graduate education.
Jonathan Berger
Chair
Note on the use of this handbook:
✯
This icon alerts you to particularly helpful sites (URLs) or PDFs and where to find them.
You may find procedures documented here that have been changed. Please, if you discover errors, or if you
have suggestions that will improve the usability of this manual, let me (Debbie Barney, Graduate Student
Services Officer (GSSO), know!
POLICIES YOU MUST KNOW
Stanford Office of Judicial Affairs
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/judicialaffairs/policy
There are two major policies with which every Stanford student must be familiar:
The Fundamental Standard and The Honor Code. Together, these policies create the framework underlying all
your work and interactions while at Stanford.
Make sure that you understand these policies, the adjudication process for addressing violations, and the
sanctions that may be administered during the judicial process and the circumstances in which they may be
applied.
✯
The Fundamental Standard:
✯
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/judicialaffairs/policy/fundamental-standard
✯
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/judicialaffairs/policy/honor-code
The Honor Code:
The Office of Community Standards (formerly Judicial Affairs),
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/communitystandards
Stanford Bulletin Policies, Statements, & Regulations
Students should take responsibility for informing themselves of applicable University policies, rules,
requirements, and regulations.
✯
✯
Academic Policies and Statements, http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academicpoliciesandstatements/
Nonacademic Regulations: http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/nonacademicregulations/#text
SECTION ONE:
THE DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC (http://music.stanford.edu/)
In this section you will find…
 General information about the department
 Facilities access, scheduling, and use policies
 Department faculty and staff
GENERAL INFORMATION
As the department has grown, it has spread out a bit over campus! The Knoll, above Florence Moore
dormitory, (“FloMo”) was the home of the Music Department until 1984, when Braun Music Center opened.
Now The Knoll houses CCRMA, while the rest of the Music Department resides amidst bustling activity in
the area referred to as the “Campus Center” (southwest side of White Plaza). The new Bing Concert Hall
opened at the start of winter quarter in January 2013. “BCH” (http://live.stanford.edu/bingconcerthall/) is
located adjacent to Frost Amphitheater, directly across Museum Way from Cantor Arts Center
(http://museum.stanford.edu/) and is used for Stanford Symphony Orchestra and Stanford Wind Ensemble
rehearsals as well as periodic concerts by various Music Department performing ensembles.
Braun Music Center Hours
Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters
Mon.–Sun.
8 am–11 pm
CCRMA Hour
Fall, Winter and Spring Quarters
Mon.–Fri.
9 am–5 pm
Hours during Summer Quarter, intersessions, and university holidays falling within the three academic
quarters will be posted and normally include only weekday hours. Holidays closed: Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day.
Braun Music Center After-Hours Access
Undergraduate majors and graduate students who are willing and able to follow departmental policy may be
granted after-hours access to the building for practice, etc. For 24/7/365 building access, please see Ardis
Walling (ardis@stanford.edu) in the Music Department Central Office (Braun 101) for ID card activation.
NOTE: this building access will not allow you access to the Music Library after hours!
The Music Library (https://lib.stanford.edu/music) maintains a collection of writings, music, and sound
recordings for use by enrolled graduate students. Borrowing privileges are granted by the Privileges/Service
Desk in Green Library and vary with the status of the student. Doctoral students may apply for carrel
assignments in fall quarter https://lib.stanford.edu/music-library/carrel-application (SUNet ID and password
required). Informative tours and helpful instructions about using the Music Library are available from Ray
Heigemeir (raymondh@stanford.edu). After passing into candidacy, doctoral students are eligible to apply for
Dissertation Room assignments in Green Library
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/libraries_collections/places_to_study/index.html). Remember: to borrow
anything (and/or even to enter some libraries!), you’ll need your ID card!
Music Library Hours
Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarters
8
Mon.–Thu.
9 am–10 pm
Fri.
9 am–5 pm
Sat.
1 pm–5 pm
Sun.
1 pm–10 pm
Section One: The Music Department
Hours during Summer Quarter, intersessions, and university holidays falling within the three academic
quarters will be posted on the Music Library home page, and on the entrance door of Braun Music Center
closest to the Library.
Employment opportunities in the Music Library are available by applying at the Music Library circulation
desk. Please contact Rich Powers (rpowers@stanford.edu) with questions.
The Archive of Recorded Sound is located in the basement of Braun, and is accessible via the Music Library.
The Archive is open to the public from 1–5 pm weekdays, or by appointment. Many grad students have found
this an excellent resource in their research. Please contact Aurora Perez (aperez@stanford.edu).
The Lange Historical Instruments and Bows Collection is housed in Braun 217. Herbert Myers
(hwm@stanford.edu) is curator. We have a Stradivarius, and various other marvels; if you have interest in
borrowing or just seeing instruments, get in touch with Herb.
Center for Computer-Assisted Research in the Humanities (CCARH, http://www.ccarh.org)
CCARH (pronounced “ka kar”) is located in Braun 128, a center engaged in the development of large
databases of musical and textual materials for applications in research, teaching, and performance. It has
proved extremely useful to faculty and grad students in printing, analyzing, and otherwise accessing music.
Department alumnus, Craig Sapp (ccarh@ccrma.stanford.edu), is their extremely helpful research associate.
Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Dinkelspiel (“Dink”) is open the same hours as Braun; during the summer, however, it is closed to all except
workshop participants. During intersessions it is also closed. Dink is a heavily-used/much-in-demand concert
hall with 710 seats. Ensemble rehearsals take place on stage and both classes and rehearsals are held in the
rehearsal hall in the basement. There are also nine practice rooms and several offices in the lower level.
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA, http://ccrma.stanford.edu/)
CCRMA (pronounced “karma”) is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
FACILITIES ACCESS, SCHEDULING, AND USE POLICIES
✯
Practice Rooms and Keys
Sign-ups for practice rooms are done online.
(https://www.stanford.edu/dept/music/forms/Practice.fb)(You’ll need an active SUNet ID in order to
use the online webform. Contact the department receptionist, Ardis Walling (ardis@stanford.edu), if
you do not have a SUNet ID.)
The classrooms and rehearsal/recital halls are NOT intended for use as individual practice facilities (see
Chamber Groups below). Practice rooms are located in the basement of Dinkelspiel and in Room 206 in Braun
Music Center. Use is on a first-come, first-served basis. The nominal fee charged for room use is applied
toward piano and practice-room maintenance. Fees for practice rooms ($50/quarter) are billed directly to
students’ University Bills each quarter. For students taking private or class lessons, the quarterly practice room
fee is included in the lesson fee; however, students must complete the online web form request in order to
ensure card activation and practice room access for the quarter(s) requested.
CHAMBER GROUPS may make arrangements in advance using the department’s on line music scheduling
calendar (http://music-calendar.stanford.edu/virtualems/) for rehearsal time in Rooms 103, 105, 106, and 131.
Section One: The Music Department
9
✯
Instrument Lockers
Sign-ups for lockers are also done online using your SUNet ID and password.
(http://music.stanford.edu/Academics/IncomingStudents.html#Lockers)
Locker fees are payable twice each year, at the start of Autumn Quarter (for the academic year) & at the end of
Spring Quarter (for the summer quarter). Lockers not renewed will be cleared and reassigned! Lockers are
available for storage of musical instruments, materials, and books. There is a rental fee charged for lockers,
($10 or $20, depending on locker size). Fees for lockers are billed directly to students’ University Bills.
Lockers for basses must be approved by Herb Myers (hwm@stanford.edu). Follow the instructions on the web
form.
Concerts/Recitals and Receptions
Concert/recital and reception bookings are managed by Scott Kepley, Technical Services Manager
(sdkepley@stanford.edu). Limited publicity support is available for Department-sponsored events including
PhD and DMA project recitals. Please contact William Keats (wkeats@stanford.edu), the department’s
publicist, for information regarding programs and posters for department-sponsored concerts, periodicals, mail
lists, and extra-departmental publicity.
✯
Download “Recitals at a Glance“ and/or visit: http://music.stanford.edu/DeptInfo/recitalsInfo.html
The opportunity for more informal concerts exists in the form of Wednesday- and/or Friday-Noon Recitals.
Contact the department receptionist, Ardis Walling (ardis@stanford.edu) to schedule a noon concert/recital.
Concert Recordings
Recordings of concerts may be made for participants only (copyright laws). Order forms are available to
download at http://music.stanford.edu/DeptInfo/downloads/RecordingCopy.doc. Fees are currently $15.00 for
copies of archived recordings and $30 advance payment for student recitals, but may change at any time. See
the department receptionist to submit completed forms and to arrange payment.
Grad-Students’ ID Mailboxes
In Braun, labeled ID mailboxes are issued to grad student composers and musicologists. Student boxes are
underneath the wooden faculty mailboxes in the main Music office (Braun 101). Computer-based music
theorists’ and MST Master’s students’ ID mailboxes are at CCRMA in the lobby on the second floor. The
Music Department cannot assume the burden of forwarding subscriptions, personal mail, etc.; we therefore ask
that students not use the department for anything but university-oriented correspondence; especially that
they not remain on any mailing lists which generate junk mail. Please keep personal mail at your residence!
The importance of this cannot be emphasized sufficiently: the US Post Office cannot change the address of the
Music Department at Stanford and if you attempt to use OUR address as YOUR address, what it means in
reality is that YOU won’t be able to change your address with outside sources using the Post Office’s forms:
therefore, all your mail will continue to come here after you are gone! And we won’t be forwarding it to you
— we’ll be returning it to the Post Office!
Last word about addresses: You are responsible for notifying the University (by keeping your information upto-date in Axess and in Stanford.You) of any changes in contact information as it occurs during your academic
career. No one ever expects an emergency, but we have first-hand experience that reinforces the importance of
keeping your contact information, and your emergency contact information, up to date!
10
Section One: The Music Department
Photocopying
Department policy — students may deposit money into their SU ID cards (the “Stanford Card Plan“) to
finance photocopying of their personal work (this includes research, music for chamber music or lessons, etc.)
The photocopier in the Music Library is available for student use. The photocopiers in the main office (Braun
101), and in the upstairs computer/printer/copier room (Braun 230) are for faculty and staff (including students
currently serving as TAs) and are available only for departmental business. This includes TA’s copying
materials for their classes — syllabi, exams, handouts, etc. — and non-TA seminar students copying
assignments to be handed out to the entire class. Departmental-ensemble librarians and/or managers are also
able to copy music for rehearsals.
✯
Stanford Card Plan http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sfs/bill/overviews-stanfordcardplan
Computer/Copy Room (Braun 230)
The department has a room set aside for student use of a Macintosh computer, a LaserWriter, an IBM Selectric
typewriter (really!), and copier that can send scanned documents to your email account. The computers have
Internet access and some basic software, including Finale and Microsoft Office. Keys to Braun 230 are
available to TAing graduates and those wishing to use the computer and may be obtained from the
receptionist, Ardis Walling in the Braun central office.
✯
The University has academic computing services for students (http://acomp.stanford.edu/).
Guidelines Regarding Use of Music-Department Letterhead
1. Departmental letterhead is intended for use by members of the Department of Music in conducting
business of the department or university.
2. “Business of the Department or University” is understood to mean any concern, process, or task directly
related to, or in the exercise of, a member’s appointment or a graduate student’s candidacy for an advanced
degree, as it expresses the educational purposes of the department or university.
3. Use of departmental letterhead for personal and non-university-related business is not permitted.
4. Examples of approved uses:
a. A student request for information or an order for material (such as microfilm from European libraries),
in support of a credit-bearing project or a doctoral dissertation, with the approval of the student’s
project or dissertation adviser.
b. Students, faculty, or staff correspondence related to formal participation at professional meetings,
when the department member is identified as representing the university.
c. Correspondence or promotion related to a department-sponsored program, lecture, or concert, where
the department member is assigned duties requiring such correspondence or promotion.
d. Student letters related to job placement, provided that the student identifies his or her official affiliation
with the department.
5. Exceptions to the above policy may be arranged by students with approval of their academic advisers and
by faculty and staff with the approval of the Chair.
✯
Stationery and Business Card policy: (http://identity.stanford.edu/policies/stationery_policy.html).
Section One: The Music Department
11
IMPORTANT SOURCES OF INFORMATION
As stated in the introduction to this handbook, students are expected to read and understand the policies — of
both the University and the Department — relating to the particular degree they are seeking.
✯
The Stanford Bulletin 2013–14: http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/
The Time Schedule (in Axess (http://axess.stanford.edu/) and at ExploreCourses
(http://explorecourses.stanford.edu/) provides up-to-date information about courses offered each quarter.
Graduate Advising Faculty (http://music.stanford.edu/Academics/graduate_advisers.html): Your faculty
program adviser is a terrific source of information for the duration of your graduate career. Initial program
adviser assignments are made provisionally at the time of acceptance to a degree program. Only Academic
Council Teaching Faculty (“ACTFac” – see list below) are eligible to serve as graduate program advisers;
however, non-ACTFac instructors may serve as co-advisers in conjunction with an ACTFac instructor. Music
students are required to meet with their program adviser at least once each quarter, and are actively
encouraged to communicate clearly and frequently with their advisers. It is important to set clear expectations
for advising and to revisit those expectations periodically. A critical component of the student-adviser
relationship is learning how to advocate for oneself. At the time of developing a Ph.D. dissertation or DMA
final project proposal the student should decide on a principal dissertation/project adviser and reading
committee, in consultation with initial program adviser and other relevant faculty.
If the adviser relationship is not conducive to academic progress or is otherwise problematic, it is the student’s
responsibility to contact the Graduate Student Services Officer and/or the Department Chair to have a
conversation about the issue and/or to initiate a change of advisers.
✯
Academic Advising policies, http://gap.stanford.edu/3-3.html
The Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE, http://vpge.stanford.edu/index.html works
collaboratively with Stanford’s schools and departments to enhance the quality of graduate education at
Stanford University. Among the many wonderful resources at their site is a set of Graduate Advising
resources, http://vpge.stanford.edu/policy/advising.html
Department Office Staff (http://music.stanford.edu/People/staff.html) are also sources of copious
information. If they don’t know the answer, they probably know where to get it, or will try really hard to find
out! (Warning! Beware or you may find yourself the object of gentle chiding if you should ask too many
questions whose answers may be found by searching the Bulletin, Explore Courses, this manual, or by reading
notices posted on the glass doors to Braun 101 (the central office) or on the bulletin board located between
Braun 102 and Braun 103!)
Registrar’s Office (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar): another good source for information about
degree requirements and the primary source for downloadable PDF forms you will need during your career—
bookmark this site, now! http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/forms/grad
The Office of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies (GUS, http://www.stanford.edu/dept/humsci/cgibin/gus/content/current-graduate) provides information and guidance on many topics.
Bechtel International Center (“I-Center,” http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter) is an extremely important
resource for all our international students. Please visit the I-Center frequently for updated information
12
Section One: The Music Department
regarding your status as an international student and the ever-changing federal requirements concerning your
study here in the States.
Office of Accessible Education (OAE, http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae): Students with physical,
psychological, or learning disabilities in need of academic, housing, or other accommodations should contact
the OAE. Requests for accommodation need to be made in a timely manner, that is, within the first two weeks
of the quarter, or as soon as a new need arises. Students must register with the OAE and provide
documentation of their disability. Contact the OAE at (voice) 3-1066, (TTY) 3-1067 with questions.
Ask Jane (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/askjane): “provides instant answers to a wide variety of questions.
Type your question and click askJane, or browse the Top 10 Questions from other visitors.”
Bulletin Boards: The front- and back-hallway boards, the glassed-in board outside the Music Library,
specialized boards adjacent to the Symphony and Chorale offices, in CCRMA, and Braun upstairs boards
adjacent to faculty offices and next to the Faculty/Grad Student Lounge and TA Office should be checked
regularly for announcements. All hard-copy gig, job, audition, and school/workshop announcements are
posted on the back-hallway bulletin board across from rooms Braun 128-130.
Email and Email Lists: As soon as you created your SUNet ID (Stanford University Net ID) when you
responded to our offer of admission, your default Stanford email address became
<yourSUNetID@stanford.edu>. This email address is the one to which all official University and Department
correspondence is sent. You are responsible for reading and, if necessary, responding to all email sent to your
Stanford account! If you decide to use a different email address (i.e. a Gmail or other account), you are
responsible for forwarding your Stanford account to it! In addition, every music graduate student is a member
of the list-serve named “musicgrads” and, (from an “@stanford.edu” email account, only) anyone with a
Stanford email address may post announcements to this list by sending mail to
“musicgrads@lists.stanford.edu.”
✯
For complete information on subscribing and unsubscribing to campus mail lists, visit:
https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/mailinglists
A word about Debbie’s Email Policy: You must read all emails that come directly from me
(dabarney@stanford.edu), faculty, or any official University administrative offices, as clarified in the
“Notification/Obligation to Read Email” at http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academicpoliciesandstatements/
- text-compwithunivpolihold-notreaema. That warning given, you are free to send all mail that comes from me
as a “Forward” from someone else directly to the trash, or another folder that you look at only occasionally.
Note that I receive scads of announcements about campus events that I will initially filter for pertinence to
music graduates; however, I will always forward position announcements, gig announcements, fellowship
announcements, composition competitions, workshops, anything to do with potential monetary benefit, etc.
and if you choose to filter my Forwards to your trash you may miss out!
In addition, the department keeps a list for students interested in learning about performance gigs requested by
the immediate Stanford community as well as the local communities near our campus. If you are interested in
receiving and, potentially, responding to the numerous and various gig requests received by the department
each year, please contact Ardis Walling with your request to be added to this list. This is a wonderful
opportunity to pick up some extra cash and experience as ambassadors for the Department (and, for music) to
the rest of the campus and the surrounding community.
Section One: The Music Department
13
The student-run Stanford Daily (http://www.stanforddaily.com/) and the Stanford Report
(http://news.stanford.edu/sr/), are the major campus news sources and are available to all online (via RSS feed
or email subscription). The Academic Senate has a way of changing things mid-year, and announcements of
such changes often appear in these publications. Besides, they list campus news and goings-on—stay as
informed as you can! The official Stanford Events calendar (http://events.stanford.edu/) is another excellent
place to find out what’s happening all over campus.
MUSIC DEPARTMENT PEOPLE (http://music.stanford.edu/People/index.html)
Friends of Music at Stanford (FoM, http://music.stanford.edu/FOM/fom.html)
The Friends of Music (FoM) at Stanford is an extra-departmental group that provides funding for a variety of
music student activities. The mission of the Friends of Music at Stanford is to support the activities of the
Department of Music and to enhance musical life at Stanford and in the community. FoM is primarily
involved with providing both full (to majors and grads) and partial (to non-majors) scholarship support to
students who would be unable to take private lessons without financial assistance. [See “Applied Music
Lessons & Scholarship Support” in Section Five of this manual for details.] Funds to support these
scholarships are raised by Friends members through fundraising activities and private contributions. FoM
occasionally picks up fees for other musical endeavors undertaken by music students: please consult with the
Undergraduate Student Services Officer (USSO) and Friends of Music Liaison, Elise Fujimoto
(elisef@stanford.edu), if you think you have a project with which FoM might be interested in assisting.
Departmental Committees
The following is a list of departmental committees. Faculty and student membership changes from year to
year. Please check the front hall bulletin board (outside Braun 102) for the new 2013–14 committee
memberships (TBD Autumn Quarter). If you are interested in serving as the student representative to any of
these committees, please let Debbie or Elise know.
Undergraduate Studies Committee
Graduate Studies Committee
Library Committee
Performance Committee
Graduate Music Students’ Association (GMSA)
Musicology Lecture Series Coordinator(s)
Graduate Student Musicology Colloquia
NOTE: Ad hoc committees appointed as required. A membership roster is posted annually.)
14
Section One: The Music Department
✯
Academic Council Teaching Faculty (“ACTFac”)
For contact information, please see the music faculty, grad student, and staff listings online:
http://music.stanford.edu/People/index.html
Mark Applebaum, Associate Professor: composition, theory, (on leave AY 2013–14)
George Barth, Professor (Teaching): piano and early piano, Ives
Jonathan Berger, Professor: composition, music theory, and music cognition—CCRMA
Karol Berger, Professor: history of music theory and aesthetics, music of the Renaissance, Mozart, and Chopin
Jindong Cai, Associate Professor (Performance), Director of Orchestral Studies
Christopher Chafe, Professor: interactive composition, physical modeling of digital audio techniques—
CCRMA (Director)
Brian Ferneyhough, Professor: composition, theory
Takako Fujioka, Assistant Professor—CCRMA
Thomas Grey, Professor: theory and history of German Romanticism
Heather Hadlock, Professor: 19th-century opera and operetta, feminist and gender studies, French Romanticism
Stephen Hinton, Professor: aesthetics, early 20th-century theory; Hindemith and Weill
Jaroslaw Kapuscinski, Associate Professor: composition, theory, intermedia
Charles Kronengold, Assistant Professor: musicology
William Mahrt, Associate Professor: performance practices of Medieval and Renaissance music, Director of
Early Music Singers
Jesse Rodin, Assistant Professor: 15th-century Franco Flemish polyphony; Renaissance music and performance; late
Medieval notation
Thomas Rossing, Visiting Professor: musical acoustics—CCRMA
Stephen Sano, Professor (Teaching) and Department of Music Chair: Director of Choral Activities; conducting
Anna Schultz, Assistant Professor: ethnomusicology
Julius Smith, Professor: applications of signal processing—CCRMA
Ge Wang, Assistant Professor: real-time software; computer music; ensembles—CCRMA
Consulting Professors
Jonathan Abel, Consulting Professor: signal
processing—CCRMA
David Berners, Consulting Professor: signal
processing—CCRMA
Marina Bosi-Goldberg, Consulting Professor:
digital audio technology—CCRMA
Poppy Crum, Consulting Professor—CCRMA
Pierre Divenyi, Consulting Professor—CCRMA
Walter Hewlett, Consulting Professor: computer
applications in musicology—CCARH
Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Consulting Professor:
computer applications in musicology—
CCARH
Malcolm Slaney, Consulting Professor: hearing
sciences, CCRMA
Section One: The Music Department
Applied Music Faculty Senior Lecturers
Giancarlo Aquilanti, Director of Theory and of The
Stanford Wind Ensemble
Talya Berger, music theory, thoroughbass
Stephen Harrison, ‘cello
Thomas Schultz, piano
Gregory Wait, voice/choral conducting
Frederick Weldy, piano
Emeriti
Arthur P. Barnes: bands, musicianship
John Chowning: composition, CCRMA
Albert Cohen: musicology
Marie Gibson: voice
George Houle: musicology
William Ramsey: choral conducting
Leland C. Smith: composition
15
Lecturers & Applied Music Faculty
Erika Arul, theory
Kumaran Arul, piano
Fredrick Berry, Jazz Ensemble
Mark Brandenburg, clarinet
Marie-Louise Catsalis, voice
Marjorie Chauvel, harp
Jonathan Clark, Mariachi
Tony Clements, tuba
Laura Dahl, resident collaborative pianist
Anthony Doheny, violin
John Dornenburg, viola da gamba
Charles Ferguson, guitar
Debra Fong, violin
Claire Giovannetti, voice
Dawn Harms, violin
Alexandra Hawley, flute
Wendy Hillhouse, voice
David Henderson, saxophone
Robert Hubbard, oboe (Aut only)
Nova Jiménez, voice
Joyce Johnson-Hamilton, trumpet
Wendy Guang-wen Ju, CCRMA
Jay Kadis, audio recording, CCRMA
McDowell Kenley, trombone
Mary Linduska, voice (Sum only)
Fernando Lopez-Lezcano, CCRMA
Murray Low, jazz piano
Anthony Martin, Baroque violin
16
James Matheson, oboe (Win, Spr only)
Seward McCain, jazz bass
Charles McCarthy, jazz saxophone
Robert Huw Morgan, organ, University Singers,
Memorial Church Choir
Bruce Moyer, contrabass
Herbert Myers, Renaissance winds;
instrument curator
James Nadel, jazz theory, combos
Rufus Olivier, bassoon
Larry Ragent, French horn
Melody Schaefle, flute
Robin Sharp, violin
Livia Sohn, violin
Elaine Thornburgh, harpsichord
Erik Ulman, theory and composition
Linda Uyechi, Taiko
Rick Vandivier, jazz guitar
Mark Veregge, percussion
John Worley, jazz trumpet
Sharon Wei, viola (Aut only)
Daisy You, Gu-Zheng
Timothy Zerlang, piano, carillon
Ensemble in Residence:
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Geoff Nuttall, violin
Scott St. John, violin (Aut only)
Lesley Robertson, viola
Christopher Costanza, ‘cello
Section One: The Music Department
Departmental Performing Ensembles
(http://music.stanford.edu/Ensembles/index.html)
Chamber Chorale
Chamber Ensembles (duets, trios, quartets, jazz,
etc.), as arranged through Music 171
Early Music Singers
Gu-Zheng
Jazz Orchestra
Mariachi Ensemble
Memorial Church Choir
MoPhO
New Ensemble
Philharmonia Orchestra
[sic] Improvisation Collective (Win only)
SLOrk
Symphonic Chorus
Symphony Orchestra
Taiko Ensemble
University Singers
Wind Ensemble
Section One: The Music Department
Department Staff
Debbie Barney, chairman’s/graduate
students’/faculty’s administrative associate
Mario Champagne, administrative director
Mark Dalrymple, facilities/production manager
Elise Fujimoto, undergraduate student services,
Friends of Music liaison
Willy Keats, graphic designer and in-bound
publicity
Scott Kepley, technical services manager
Sara Langlands, SLSQ administrative associate
Sasha Leitman, technical coordinator, CCRMA
Ardis Walling, receptionist/office manager
Velda Williams, financial officer
Nette Worthey, administrative associate, CCRMA
Carr Wilkerson, system administrator, CCRMA
Jerry McBride, head, Music Library and Archive of
Recorded Sound
17
SECTION TWO:
REGISTRATION (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - text)
In this section you will find…
 Registration General Information
 TGR Registration
 Leave of Absence
 Reinstatement
 Resignation
 Study Lists
 Stanford/Music Enrollment Deadlines
 University Grading Policies
 Music Department Grading Policies
 Academic Progress Requirements
 Residency
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Registrar’s website and the Stanford Bulletin are THE sources of information about all things
“Registration” at Stanford University. The office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (VPGE) is an
excellent resource for all information about all graduate matters (http://vpge.stanford.edu/).
✯
Enrollment Requirements (Bulletin), http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/#text
Registration, Enrollment and Academic Progress (GAP), http://gap.stanford.edu/3-1.html
New students will be term-activated upon acceptance to Stanford. Term activation will continue for every
quarter following (unless students notify the university that they’re going on leave), until the end of their
careers at Stanford. (See the “Leave of Absence” section of the Bulletin information on leave policies,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - leavereinstatementtext.)
Photo ID cards are issued after arrival; if you completed the Stanford ID Card online submission, you may
pick up your new card at the Student Services Center in Tresidder Memorial Union
(https://itservices.stanford.edu/service/campuscard) when you arrive on campus. Their office hours are 9 am–5
pm. If you have any questions, call them at 650-498-2273. If you did not prearrange your ID, follow the
instructions for obtaining a card at their website.
Your university bill is issued through Student Financial Services and is always available in its most current
form electronically in Axess. Questions regarding the assessed tuition should be directed to the Student
Services Center filed as a HelpSU Ticket (https://remedyweb.stanford.edu/helpsu/helpsu). Any other questions
regarding your university bill and/or charges that appear thereon should be addressed to Student Financial
Services (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sfs/bill).
✯
For tuition information, visit http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/tuition-fees_13-14
For complete billing information, visit http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sfs/bill
Because almost all registration and billing processes at Stanford are accomplished in Axess, you are
responsible for making sure your mailing address (along with all other addresses!) is up-to-date in Axess. All
University offices will use your current contact information as you have entered it in Axess.
NOTE: The specific tuition and fees (including music lesson fees!) to which a student commits
will be reported to the Student Financial Office for billing and collection together with any
other separately reported charges (e.g., housing, ASSU fees, food service, etc.). Credit toward
tuition charges provided by scholarship grants, or fellowships will be shown on your University
Bill, either as “anticipated aid” or as credit(s) to your account. Note that Teaching and
Research Assistantships are salaried positions (i.e. you are an employee of the University) and
these monies will NOT be reflected on your University Bill. Salaries are paid out of the Payroll
Office. For complete information:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/fms/fingate/staff/payemployee/
Prior to completion of registration, all students must consult with their Graduate Program Faculty Adviser. If
you are a new student, your adviser will discuss with you your diagnostic exams as well as your program and
20
Section Two: Registration
course planning for this and subsequent quarters. Any student who does not meet with their adviser will have a
hold placed on their enrollment!
Continuous Registration
Registration is required for Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters of each academic year until the degree is
conferred. Students must be registered in the current quarter to fulfill any university or departmental
requirement (commonly referred to as “milestones”). All students must be registered in the current quarter in
which a degree is conferred, a thesis or dissertation is submitted, or declaration of intention to complete is
made in Axess.
Graduate students in Music are expected to do coursework and research on campus unless the department
gives prior approval for study in absentia. Students who wish to register in absentia must have a current
mailing address on file in Axess while away from campus. International students must consult with Bechtel
International Center for information concerning leave status and to ensure that they do not fall out of
compliance with US government rules regarding international student status.
✯
Bechtel International Center: http://icenter.stanford.edu/students/current/maintaining.html and
http://icenter.stanford.edu/students/new/orientation.html
Registration Categories
Full-Tuition Registration — Year 1
First-year graduate students are expected to pursue their studies on a full-time basis. Full-tuition registration
entitles students to enroll in 11 to 18 units of coursework. Full-time students may register for more than 18
units; however, your financial-aid package only covers the first 18 units. Maximum registration in summer
quarter is 10 units.
Graduate students are expected to enroll for full tuition unless they have departmental
fellowships or assistantships that require part-time enrollment. Therefore, first-year quarters
should be for 12–18 units each (in Music we encourage 15 for a speedy transition to Terminal
Graduate Registration — TGR); in years two and three, and in the Autumn quarter of your
fourth year, you should sign up for 8–10 units (again, we encourage 10). This is important in
figuring your residency and getting you to “go TGR” in a timely fashion (see below), preferably
by the end of Autumn quarter in your fourth year.
Other categories:
Research and Teaching Assistantships — Years 2 through 5
8–10 units or (after autumn quarter of the 4th year) TGR, unless otherwise specified by the department. All
tuition adjustments based on student awards are administered in the Department. [Years II & III—TA’s;
Years IV & V—RA and/or TA]
Reduced Tuition Adjustment
Graduate students who are within 3-7 units of achieving the required 135-unit minimum and who need
only a single remaining quarter in which to complete all requirements prior to going TGR are eligible for a
reduced tuition registration. [N.B. This only applies to US citizens and is not possible for international
students.] This registration status is granted only once and requires department approval. Submit the
Section Two: Registration
21
“Request for Graduate Tuition Adjustment”
(http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/tuitadjreq.pdf) to the graduate
administrator in Braun 101.
Terminal Graduate Registration
(TGR, http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/special-graduate-status)
A reduced-tuition registration ($2,775 per quarter, 2013–14 academic year) is available for eligible
students who are working on a dissertation, thesis, or final composition project. Students qualify for TGR
status only when there is a valid program objective to justify their continued access to University
resources. Eligibility criteria for TGR Status are as follows:
1. Admission to Candidacy
2. Completion of all courses, special-area exam (including the approved dissertation proposal), and any
language requirements for the degree as listed on the “Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree”
form (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/appcanddoct.pdf). (Revisions to
the plan delineated on the candidacy form must be approved by the student’s graduate program adviser
and notification (via email) from the adviser provided to Debbie.)
3. Completion of 135 academic units of graduate-level work (the Residency requirement).
Please read the Stanford Bulletin, “Graduate Degrees” section, carefully! Remember, it is your
responsibility to know and understand the requirements of your program!
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/
4. Approval of dissertation/final-project proposal (the final section of the special-area exam for PhDs).
[N.B. The DMA Special Area Examination topic proposal is due at the time of the Qualifying
Examination.]
5. Filing of a “Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee Form” — for PhDs —
(http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/doc_diss_rdg_ctte.pdf)
or — for DMAs — a “DMA Final Project Reading Committee Form,” the last page of this handbook.
Students applying for TGR status must complete the “Request for Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR)
Status” form (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/tgrreq.pdf). All requirements
for TGR status must be completed prior to the start of the quarter for which TGR is requested (at the latest!).
A student in TGR status must enroll in the TGR course (Music 801, TGR Final Project, for DMAs; Music
802, TGR Dissertation, for PhDs) with the adviser as the instructor. An “N” grade signifying satisfactory
progress must be received each quarter to maintain registration privileges. See “General University Grading
System” (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/grades-definition) for information about the
“N”grade.
22
Section Two: Registration
Understanding TGR
The following explains why getting to TGR status is important, and why you need to sign up for as many units
as you can handle in Year I, and the full amount of units allowed every quarter in Years II through V, plus the
two summers you have of aid.
Fellowship packages for doctoral students include:
Year I
Full-time tuition plus stipend
Summer*
8–10 units tuition plus 1/2-time salary (RA)
Year II
8–10 units tuition plus 1/2-time salary (TA)
Year III
8–10 units tuition plus 1/2-time salary (TA)
Summer*
Year IV
8–10 units tuition plus 1/2-time salary (RA)
8–10 units tuition (Autumn) and TGR (Winter &
Spring), plus 1/2-time salary (RA or TA*)
TGR tuition (0 units plus 1/2-time salary (RA)
Year V
*First summer aid occurs after Year I for DMAs and PhDs at CCRMA; after Year II for PhD musicologists;
second summer aid occurs after Year III for all and is intended to provide an opportunity for students to
prepare for their Special Area Exam (including submission and approval of the dissertation or final project
proposal), to be taken in the first quarter of year IV. Students in years IV and V may be required to TA if the
need arises.
The following chart illustrates the academic credits, which would have accrued if a student were to take the
recommended number of units per quarter. (This example assumes that in Year I the student completes an
average of 15 units each quarter.)
Year
Units Per
Quarter
Yearly
Total
I
15
45
Summer
10
10
II
10
30
III
10
30
Summer
10
10
IV
10 (A), 0 (WS)
10
V
0 (AWS)
0
Total
135
After 12 quarters of aid, a grad student would thus have enough academic units to graduate. However, many
students (especially PhD candidates who require a long time to research and write that dissertation) are not
ready to graduate just as the unit requirement is fulfilled. That’s what TGR is for; to allow students at least 5
quarters of funded time where their sole focus is to research and write the dissertation!
Section Two: Registration
23
Students entering with an MA may request a transfer of up to 45 units of graduate course credit. [N.B. Please
see the section below on Transferring Credit.] So, if we include transferred credit – done either at Stanford or
elsewhere – and add that to the equation, we get:
MA year
45 units
180 total
Those students who came in with an MA may be eligible to go TGR even earlier, assuming, of course, that
they have completed the other requirements necessary for that step, as noted above.
Students are required to go TGR as soon as possible in year IV. This means that the Special-Area Exam
should be scheduled, taken, and passed no later than autumn quarter of the fourth year (for PhD students),
including completion and approval of the dissertation or final project proposal (the final section of the
Special-Area Exam). [N.B. DMA students follow a slightly different examination/review schedule and
although they may be prepared to move to TGR status at the end of the 1st quarter of the fourth year, they are
not required to schedule the Special-Area Exam until Winter quarter (2nd quarter) of the fourth year. Please see
“Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music, Doctor of Music Arts (DMA)” for details.]
Graduation Quarter
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/tuitionfeesandhousing/ - tuitiontext-gradstudtuit-graqua)
A reduced-tuition registration ($100 per quarter) is available for eligible students who are putting the
finishing touches on a dissertation or final composition project. Further information about Graduation
Quarter status may be found on the “Petition for Graduate Student Graduation Quarter” form,
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/grad_qtr.pdf. Graduation Quarter
enrollment status may only be granted and used for a single quarter in a student’s career at Stanford. The
intent is to provide a bit of extra time for students who are essentially ready to submit their dissertations
(i.e. they have successfully defended and are deeply into the final editing process). If you miss the
submission deadline in your Graduation Quarter you will need to register for any additional quarters at the
normal TGR rate ($2775 in 2013–14): consider yourselves forewarned!
Leave of Absence (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - leavereinstatementtext)
Students who wish to interrupt their registration may request a “Leave of Absence”. A request for a leave of
absence beyond the expiration of candidacy must be accompanied by an “Application for Extension of
Candidacy.” (http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/appcandextens.pdf)
[N.B. An extension of candidacy may be granted one time for one year, only!]
NOTE: GRADUATE STUDENTS MUST, IN ALL CASES, NOTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF THEIR LEAVE.
We require adviser’s consent, even though the form does not!
✯
Leave of Absence: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/leaveofabsence.pdf
Discontinuation and Reinstatement
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - leavereinstatementtext-leavabsegrad-disrei)
The official line: A student who has not registered for a quarter during the academic year and who is not on
an approved leave of absence ceases to have registration privileges. (In common parlance, this is known as
“stopping out”.)
Reality: If you fail to register or take a leave when you are TGR, what the Department wants you to do is
finish your dissertation, pass your PhD orals (or give your DMA final project defense), and get your degree!
24
Section Two: Registration
One does lose registration privileges, needs to complete the Application for Reinstatement, and pay the fees.
The only supplementary material usually required, however, is a timetable of the student’s plans for
completion (signed-in-approval by the adviser), and any special documentation required of international
students (http://icenter.stanford.edu/students/current/maintaining.html). If you “stop out” early on in your
graduate career (i.e. before reaching TGR), however, there will be more examination of your ability to finish.
International students take note! If you are unable to complete your degree requirements in the
time covered by your fellowship monies must speak with Bechtel International center regarding
what is and is NOT possible concerning your registration status.
✯
Application for Reinstatement in Graduate Study:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/appgradreinstate.pdf
RESIGNATION
Students who wish to terminate study in a program should submit a letter of resignation to the Department
along with the completed Request to Permanently Withdraw from Degree Program
(http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/permanent_withdraw.pdf). A student who
has resigned and later wishes to return to Stanford must follow the reinstatement procedures
(http://gap.stanford.edu/5-4.html).
PRELIMINARY STUDY LIST DEADLINES
The “study list” — enrollment in courses you are taking for the current quarter — must be completed prior to
the 5:00 pm the third Friday of each quarter. There is a $200 fee for filing late study lists! These deadlines
follow the same pattern each quarter.
✯
Academic Calendar: http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academiccalendar/
Clarification Regarding Section Numbers for Music Courses
All courses have section numbers, but in Music, section numbers have different uses from class to class. Most
academic classes in Music have just one section, “01”. Lecture/Seminar Classes with TAs have more than
one section, but students sign up in section 01. [N.B. TA sections, numbered “02” and above are closed
sections (i.e. un-enrollable), and exist so that the TAs may receive students’ evaluation. Do not select a
discussion section in Axess or Simple Enroll when enrolling in a lecture or seminar class!]
Individual Private Lessons (e.g., piano, voice, violin etc.) that are taught by more than one faculty member
have multiple sections: in this instance, students sign up for the section designated for the instructor with
whom they wish to study. Independent Study courses follow the same model: students must enroll in the
section corresponding to the instructor with whom they wish to work. Class Lessons (i.e. group lessons in
piano, voice, and guitar) have different sections designated for each level of the class. See Applied Music
Lessons (http://music.stanford.edu/Academics/LessonSignups.html) for instructions on how to enroll in all
types of lessons.
Enrollment in Independent Study courses requires prior agreement with the instructor, so check
with your chosen faculty member before enrolling!
Section Two: Registration
25
Music 171 (Chamber Music) also requires sections, but these differ from the independent-research sections
listed above — they’re more like lessons, and sections are listed in Axess. Please sign up in the section
designated for the instructor/coach with whom you are working.
✯
UNIVERSITY GRADING POLICIES
See the Stanford Bulletin, Grading Systems,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academicpoliciesandstatements/ - gradingtext
MUSIC DEPARTMENT GRADING POLICIES
Any Music course you want to count towards your degree must be taken for a letter grade (A or B), or an “S”
(which is a course where everyone is pass/fail, as mandated by the instructor). Courses from other departments
may be taken credit/no credit (C/NC): in that case, only a “C” will count towards the degree.
Music 801, TGR Final Project and Music 802, TGR Dissertation are considered to be “continuing”—i.e., you
sign up for them more than once—because they take more than one quarter to complete; the end-quarter grade
is “N” until you’re done with the project you agreed on at the beginning with the professor (“N–” if you’re not
making satisfactory progress).
About the “N–” grade in Music 801 or 802: The first N– constitutes a warning. A second N– puts a hold on
further registration until a written plan for completion of degree requirements has been submitted by the
student and accepted by the department. Any N–’s after that point are grounds for dismissal from the program.
All N– grades should be reported to adviser and department chair. (N– in these courses will probably have
been given by the adviser).
Note: Music 341 and Music 399 may be considered as “continuing” courses; however, if a student is prepared
to petition for TGR status, it is likely that it will be necessary for the instructor(s) to provide final grades in
these courses in order for the total of 135 units to be reached. Please see the instructor and/or the graduate
student services officer for clarification and assistance in this instance.
✯
✯
ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS
Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - degreeprogresstext
Academic Policies and Statements,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/academicpoliciesandstatements/
Admission to Candidacy
Doctoral students in Music are admitted into candidacy upon passing the qualifying exams. PhDs at CCRMA
and DMA Composers are expected to achieve candidacy by the end of the first quarter of the second year.
PhD Musicologists are expected achieve candidacy by the end of the first quarter of the third year. The
Application for Candidacy form needs to be completed, signed by the adviser, and returned to the GSSO (who
will review with you and then procure the Chair’s signature) by the end of Autumn quarter of that same year.
Candidacy is valid for five years.
26
Section Two: Registration
✯
Application for Candidacy for Doctoral Degree,
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/appcanddoct.pdf
Policy on Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students
You are responsible for reading and understanding the University’s Minimum Progress Requirements for
Graduate Students as well as the Department’s expectations and requirements concerning your degree
program.
✯
✯
Minimum Progress Requirements for Graduate Students
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - degreeprogresstext)
Department of Music Degree Program Descriptions:
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/.
Departmental guidelines that set higher standards take precedence over University policy. (i.e. In Music we
require grades of A, B, or S in order for a course’s units to count toward your degree; the university only
requires a B average over all courses.)
Prior to the end of Spring quarter each year, the academic council teaching faculty (ACTFac) meet to review
all graduates’ progress-to-date. Students who have not met the requirements for minimal progress (i.e. taking
and successfully completing required courses offered during the academic year, and meeting degree
milestones in a timely fashion), will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Students will have the opportunity to
explain any special circumstances. Approval for continuation in the degree program will be contingent on the
creation of a suitable plan to maintain satisfactory progress in subsequent quarters, including making up any
course deficiencies. The student working in conjunction with the department chair, department manager,
program adviser, and graduate student services officer will create the plan. A formal letter of understanding
outlining the approved plan will be prepared, reviewed and signed by the student and the department Chair,
copied to the student, and entered into the student’s file. Failure to meet the conditions outlined in the letter of
understanding may lead to dismissal from the program.
Graduate Residency Transfer Credit and Course Substitution
Per University policy, students may transfer up to 45 units of graduate work completed elsewhere as outlined
in the Bulletin. (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/transferwork/ - text-gradresitrancred)
Composition and Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics graduate students may petition their adviser
for permission to substitute a required course with another. The adviser must confirm the decision in an
explanatory email to the GSSO who makes note of the substitution(s) in the student’s file.
Musicology graduate students may petition their adviser for permission to substitute only two required
courses, regardless of whether the substitutions arise from units transferred in from another institution or from
courses taken in another department within Stanford. In other words, Musicology students still have to
complete, for credit, all the required courses of the musicology PhD program, minus a maximum of two. The
adviser must confirm the decision in an explanatory email to the GSSO who makes note of the substitution(s)
in the student’s file.
✯
The Application for Graduate Residency Credit
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/grad_res_credit.pdf
must be approved by the Department and the Registrar.
Section Two: Registration
27
Changes to, and Addition of Degree Programs
Students enrolled in a graduate degree program must have departmental and Registrar approval to add an
additional degree program or to change the degree program to which they were originally admitted. The
Graduate Program Authorization Petition (commonly referred to as a “grad auth” form —
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/grad-auth-pet) is available online in Axess. This automated
petition is most commonly used by those doctoral students who wish to add a Master’s degree to their existing
program (often referred to as “picking up the Master’s” after passing the Qualifying Examination).
✯
Changes and Additions of Degree Programs, http://gap.stanford.edu/5-1.html
RESIDENCY (http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/ - residencytext)
In addition to minimum unit requirements, each graduate-degree program requires a specified number of
academic units [45 for the MA; 135 for the doctorate] to be completed in order to graduate or enter Terminal
Graduate Registration (TGR – see above). It cannot be over-stressed that residency is granted only for
completed, graduate-level units: any Incompletes, Ns, or missing grades and the like will not help you a whit!
28
Section Two: Registration
SECTION THREE: GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS IN MUSIC
In this section you will find…
 Graduate Degree General Information
 Examinations Required of all Doctoral Students
GRADUATE DEGREE GENERAL INFORMATION
Students enrolled in graduate programs are expected to read and understand the requirements, procedures, and
timetables for their respective degree plans as they are delineated in the Stanford Bulletin.
✯
✯
Stanford Bulletin Graduate Degree information for all Graduate Students,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/graduatedegrees/
Stanford Bulletin Degree Requirements for Doctoral Students in Music,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/ - doctoraltext
Graduate programs in the Music Department at Stanford lead to three degrees: the Master of Arts, Doctor of
Musical Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy.
The Master of Arts degree may be conferred (“picked up”) after completion of a minimum of 45 units. The
Master’s degrees in Music History, Composition, and Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics are
preparatory degrees (conferred only after passing the qualifying exams and entering into candidacy); the
Master’s in Music, Science, and Technology (MST) is a terminal degree. As a terminal degree, the MST
Master’s provides additional study beyond the Bachelor’s degree in the student’s special field of interest.
✯
See ExploreDegrees (Stanford Bulletin) for specific requirements of the Master’s programs.
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/ - masterstext
The doctorate in the Music Department may be conferred after completion of four- or five-years, plus two
summers, of study, although a longer time may be required, depending on the scope of the dissertation or final
project elected by the student.
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is granted in composition only. The D.M.A. is offered to a limited
number of students who demonstrate substantial training in the field and high promise of attainment as
composers. Students may work in acoustic and/or electronic forms. Breadth is given through studies in other
branches of music and in relevant fields outside music, as desirable. The final project for this degree is a largescale composition. DMA composition term projects may be submitted to the Music Library (contact Mimi
Tashiro, mtashiro@stanford.edu, for details) for inclusion in the Library’s collection of circulating
manuscripts.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree culminates in a dissertation that is an original contribution to musical
scholarship. The degree may center on either musicology — including historical, aesthetic, or theoretical
perspectives, or a concentration in historical performance practices, or computer-based music theory. The first
two years of study are usually devoted to learning methods of research and analysis, after which time the
student concentrates on research and writing. The dissertation demonstrates scholarly method and clear
exposition as well as the ability to work systematically and independently. Quality, rather than scope or
length, is of prime importance.
✯
30
See ExploreDegrees (Stanford Bulletin) for specific requirements of each doctoral program.
(http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/schoolofhumanitiesandsciences/music/ - doctoraltext)
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
DIAGNOSTIC EXAMINATIONS REQUIRED OF ALL DOCTORAL STUDENTS
Musicology, Composition, and CBMTA students will take…
 Ear training and dictation exam: given on Thursday of the week prior to the start of classes in the fall
quarter from 2–4:00pm with Dr. Giancarlo Aquilanti in Braun 103. The ear training exam is a group
session—one opportunity only.
 Harmony and theory exam: a 24-hour, take-home exam provided by Dr. Aquilanti immediately after the
ear training exam. It will be due Friday afternoon before 4:00pm.
Musicology and Composition students will take…
 Piano proficiency exam: given in 20-minute time slots on Thursday morning of the week prior to the start
of classes in the fall quarter. The exam will be administered by Dr. George Barth in his studio, Braun 234.
Musicology students (only) will take…
History Exams
 Two-hour short-answer IDs (composers, genres, terms, and concepts in basic periods of music history)
 Three-hour style IDs (six short score and/or audio excerpts from representative periods and genres)
Teaching Assistant assignments and the funding associated with this portion of a graduate student’s financial
aid package are determined based upon successful completion of these exams.
Students must remedy any deficiencies in basic keyboard skills, and/or harmony and theory comprehension
before being assigned a Teaching Assistantship at the end of spring quarter of the first year. Keyboard skills
may be remediated either through private instruction or class piano (Music 12A, B, C). Any deficiencies in
basic keyboard skills must be remedied before taking the Qualifying exams. To enroll in the aforementioned
courses, contact Timothy Zerlang at timzer@stanford.edu or 650.723.1549. George Barth will oversee retesting of students’ keyboard proficiency prior to the end of spring quarter of the first year.
Content and Description of the Diagnostic Examinations
Ear Training & Dictation Examination
The examination consists of three parts:
Section I: scales, intervals, chords
Section II: melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation
Section III: listening (i.e. comment on form and analysis of samples from the standard literature)
Practice software available online: search for “ear training” and go to work! Or available for purchase:
Practica Musica.
Harmony and Theory Examination
The examination consists of three parts:
Sec I: Harmonization
Harmonize a diatonic bass line and a chromatic modulating bass line.
Sec II: ABA Modulating Chord Progression
Chord progression to be embellished with non-chord tones (passing tones, suspensions, appoggiaturas)
Sec III: Music Analysis
Tonal and atonal music (i.e. Bach chorale, Mozart sonata, 12-tone piece)
Any standard theory book used as an undergraduate may be used for review over the summer. (i.e. Tonal
Harmony, Stefan Kostka, Dorothy Payne)
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
31
The Piano Proficiency Exam
A. Scales and arpeggios: Hands separately, two octaves and back, minimum speed M.M. = 92 per each two
notes:
 Major scales in E major, E-flat major, F major, F-sharp major;
 Melodic minor scales in C minor, A minor, F minor (descending in either melodic or natural minor);
 Diminished arpeggio (four notes to the octave) beginning on C;
 Major arpeggios in E major, A-flat major;
 Minor arpeggios in G minor, B minor.
Students are expected to use traditional fingerings for the above scales and arpeggios (see fingering charts
below).
B. A simple tune, to be set by the examiner:
 Play the tune by ear.
 Play a simple accompaniment along with the tune (which itself may be either played or sung).
C. Performance of a composition for piano:
This should be a performance, with or without score, of a piece from Schumann’s Album for the Young, at
the following Music Library call numbers:
M1380 .S392 A3
M1380 .S392 A3 1969
M1380 .S392A3 1953
M22 .S39 B6
M23 .S39 P5B V.1
M23 .S39 F2D
M25 .S392 OP.68 S3
M25 .S392 OP.68
M22 .S39 W9 L (miniature)
Also available through http://www.ebrary.com/stanford/browse2/indexbh.html
or Bartók’s Mikrokosmos, vol. 2:
MT225 .B28 M6B 1987 V.2 (six copies at this call number)
MT225 .B28 M6B V.2 (twelve copies at this call number)
or a piece of comparable difficulty.
D. Playing at sight a piece chosen by the examiner (level of difficulty as in C, above).
SCALE FINGERINGS: 2 OCTAVES
32
E
MAJOR
RH
E-FLAT
MAJOR
RH
F
MAJOR
RH
F-SHARP
MAJOR
RH
C MELODIC
MINOR
RH
LH
LH
LH
LH
LH
1
5
2
3
1
5
2
4
1
5
2
4
1
2
2
4
3
3
2
4
3
3
2
1
3
3
4
2
3
3
1
2
3
4
4
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
4
3
1
1
2
3
2
1
3
3
1
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
4
2
2
1
3
2
1
1
4
2
1
1
3
3
1
1
2
4
1
1
2
4
1
2
2
4
3
3
2
4
3
3
2
1
3
3
4
2
3
3
1
2
3
4
4
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
4
3
1
1
2
3
2
1
3
3
1
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
4
2
2
1
3
2
1
1
4
2
5
1
3
2
4
1
2
2
5
1
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
A MELODIC
MINOR
RH
F MELODIC
MINOR
RH
1
5
1
5
LH
LH*
2
4
2
4
3
3
3
3
1
2
4
2
2
1
1
1
3
3
2
3
4
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
4
2
4
3
3
3
3
1
2
4
2
2
1
1
1
3
3
2
3
4
2
3
2
5
1
4
1
* If you choose to descend this scale in the natural minor, this is the traditional LH fingering:
F NATURAL MINOR* LH 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1
DIMINISHED ARPEGGIO FINGERING: 2 OCTAVES
C
RH
LH
1
5
2
4
3
3
4
2
1
1
2
4
3
3
4
2
5
1
ARPEGGIO FINGERINGS: 2 OCTAVES
E
MAJOR
RH
A-FLAT
MAJOR
RH
G
MINOR
RH
B
MINOR
RH
LH
LH
LH
LH
1
5
2
3
1
5
1
5
2
3
1
1
2
4
2
4
3
2
2
4
3
2
3
2
1
1
4
2
1
1
1
1
2
3
1
1
2
4
2
4
3
2
2
4
3
2
3
2
5
1
4
2
5
1
5
1
History Exams
These are written exams to test your knowledge of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic,
Twentieth Century and American music.

Three-hour short-answer IDs (composers, genres, terms, and concepts in basic periods of music
history)

Three-hour style IDs (six short score and/or audio excerpts from representative periods and genres)
Advisement: Students are expected to arrive at Stanford with the ability to serve as Teaching
Assistants (TA) in any of the Department’s core theory, ear training, and analysis classes. To that
end, a diagnostic exam is administered to all new doctoral students in the week prior to the start
of classes. If the exam results indicate insufficient skills in any required area, new graduates will
be expected to undertake remedial work during their first year that will allow them to pass the
diagnostic examination prior to the end of spring quarter of the first year. Failure to remedy
deficits sufficient to TA the required courses will jeopardize your funding package. The whole
purpose of the above process is to determine strengths/weaknesses, to give the adviser an idea of
areas to be explored, and to ensure that a student may be placed in the correct courses for his/her
needs. To that end, students are counseled to speak with their advisers as soon as possible after
the exams are corrected (usually after the first or second week of classes).
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
33
LANGUAGE EXAMINATION REQUIREMENT FOR ALL DOCTORAL STUDENTS
At the time of advancement to candidacy (preferably, before the end of the second year of doctoral study), all
Ph.D. students in Musicology must have passed a Ph.D. Language examination in German and in a second
language, chosen from French, Italian, or Latin (or, on a case-by-case basis, another language, if it has
significant bearing on the candidate’s field of study); Ph.D. students in Computer-Based Music Theory and
Acoustics (CBMTA) and DMA Composition students are required to pass a single language examination in a
language pertinent to their area of research. If a student’s native language is other than English, the student
may be exempted from an examination. Language exams for French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Latin are
given by the Stanford Language Center. Each language has a different procedure: descriptions are posted at
the Language Center site (see URLs below). In order to meet these requirements, entering PhD students
should be prepared to take their first language exams in October according to the schedules provided. If either
exam is failed, remedial coursework is required, and the exam must be retaken as soon as possible.
Demonstrating a reading knowledge in a language at the beginning of graduate study is not always doable, of
course. If you arrive without any other language, we won’t expect you to be reading at the doctoral level
within ten weeks: in that case, you should start studying your chosen language(s) immediately and take the
exam(s) as soon as possible. [N.B. There are no exams during summer quarter.]
Successful completion of these examinations will be reported by the Language Center to the department after
the exam. (Departments are not informed if students do not pass the exam; students wishing to know whether
they have passed should inform the examiner at the time of the examination. Debbie will also send you a
confirmation of same when (if) she receives the hard copy confirmation.)
NOTE: The University requires that any units graduate students wish to count towards their
degree MUST be taken in courses numbered at or above the 100 level.
Since most of the beginning reading language classes are offered as courses below the 100
level, the procedure for registering for these classes and obtaining graduate level credit is
described below. For question about this procedure, please contact Allison Margaret Kopp, SSO
in the Language Center, (amkopp@stanford.edu, (650) 725-5378).
Enroll for a letter grade only. You have the option of taking the course from 2–5 units. In the class search
screen enter the following:
“Course Subject” [choose language of your choice from the drop-down menu]
“Course Number” enter “395”.
“Course Career” [choose “Graduate” from the drop-down menu]
Click the “Search” button. Open class sections will come up. Enroll.
German Language Examination
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/German_PhD_Reading_Exam
French Language Examination
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/French_PhD_Reading_Exam
Italian Examinations
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Italian_PhD_Reading_Exam
34
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
Latin Examinations
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Latin_PhD_Reading_Exam
Spanish Examinations
https://www.stanford.edu/dept/lc/cgi-bin/language/updates/index.php/Spanish_PhD_Reading_Exam
Other languages
See Debbie and we’ll figure out what to do!
Section Three: Graduate Degree Programs in Music
35
SECTION FOUR: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DMA IN COMPOSITION
In this section you will find…
 Composition DMA Milestones & Examinations Timetable
 Composition Qualifying Examination
 Jury/Portfolio Review
 Special Area Examination and Public Lecture/Presentation
 Appointment of a Final Project Reading Committee
 Final Project Defense/Public Presentation
 Final Project Preparation and Submission to the University
COMPOSITION DMA MILESTONES & EXAMINATIONS TIMETABLE
Year
Qtr
Qtr # $
Units
Milestones/Exams
Associated Form/Action
I
Aut
1 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Diagnostic Exams
Collaborative determination
of 15 works
Win
2 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Spr
3 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Establish Quals Committee
Inform GSSO
Sum
4 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Qualifying Exam Preparation
Mid-August library reserve of
Section A piece and score
Aut
5 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Qualifying Examination
Special Area Exam Topic
approval (by end of quarter)
After passing: Candidacy
Granted
II
III
IV
V
Qualifying Exam Report
After passing: Candidacy
Form
Win
6 TA
8-10
(10 rec.)
Doctoral (“PhD”)
Language Examination
(any quarter prior to TGR;
soonest recommended)
Spr
7 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Jury/Portfolio Review
Preparation
Schedule Review w/instr. of
Music 324 for fall of Year III.
Finalize Special Area Exam
Committee membership: tell
GSSO!
Aut
8 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Jury/Portfolio Review
(prior to end of week 9)
Bound anthology &
recordings on reserve at
library 1 month prior
Win
9 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Spr
10 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Sum
11 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Final Project Reading
Committee Form
Aut
12 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
TGR Petition (when 135
units reached); Schedule
Public Lecture in Music 324
(before end of wk. 9)
Win
13 RA
0; TGR (Music 801)
Special Area Exam (1st wk. )
Public Lecture in Music
324 (before end of 9th wk.)
Spr
14 RA
0; TGR (Music 801)
Final Project Preparation
AWS
15-17
RA
0 ea. qtr.; TGR (Music 801)
Final Project Defense &
Submission (before end of
9th wk.)
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
Schedule Defense 1qtr. in
advance (Music 324)
Apply to Graduate in Axess
37
COMPOSITION QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
Exams are normally taken electronically, via CourseWork (https://coursework.stanford.edu/portal/). Students
may petition, in advance of the exam, to write their exams in hardcopy.
Students who live on campus can choose to move in early at the end of the summer leading up to the exam. To
exercise this option, email Stanford Student Housing (housingassignments@lists.stanford.edu) in May,
explaining that you need to return to campus early to fulfill departmental requirements.
Procedures and Format
1. The examining committee will consist of the student’s graduate adviser, a chair (not the adviser) from
the student’s program, and a third faculty member. The student consults with the adviser to choose
committee members, and asks prospective members to serve. It is the student’s responsibility to
finalize committee membership and convey this information to the graduate administrator prior to the
last day of spring quarter in the first year. Answers for Parts A & B are sent directly to the members of
the student’s committee.
2. Section A: Written discussion of 20th-/21st-century example (complete work): 3 hours. The piece will
be announced and put on reserve in the music library one month before the exam.
3. Section B: Written discussion of approximately 125 works covering a wide historical range and
representing various musical issues of interest to composers: 24 hours. 110 of the pieces will be
selected by the composition faculty and announced by mid fall quarter of year 1; the remaining 15
works will be selected collaboratively by the students taking the exam and submitted to the
composition faculty for approval by the end of the fall quarter of Year I. Each work will be available at
the Music Library.
4. Resources: During both sections A and B of the exam students may consult only the following
resources: the score itself (and/or any personally annotated copy of the score that the student may have
made during their preparations); the recording; and any personal notes of original authorship. Also,
original, previously composed prose attributed entirely to the student may be accessed (cut and pasted)
during the exam. Students may not consult: books, articles, or online resources; photocopies of
secondary materials; the notes of other students; other scores or recordings; etc. In addition, students
are not permitted to discuss the exam with other individuals during the exam period.
5.
Section C: 1-hour oral exam/discussion of Sections A and B with the student’s committee. Students
are required to propose and discuss their Special Area Exam topic.
6. Schedule: Sections A and B are to be taken immediately prior to the start of fall quarter of Year II.
Section C, the oral exam/discussion with the student’s committee is to be convened by the student. It
should be scheduled at least one week after the exam is completed but no later than week 9 of the fall
quarter of year 2.
7. Qualifying Exam Report Form Filing: Prior to the end of the quarter, a Qualifying Exam Report
form, obtained from the GSSO and signed by each of the exam committee members, must be returned
to the GSSO (regardless of outcome).
8. Not-Passing Outcome and Process: Students who do not successfully pass one or both Sections A
and B will be entitled to retake the failed section(s) (in the subsequent, current version(s)) during the
38
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
week prior to the start of classes in Year III. Failure to pass either or both Sections A and B during the
second attempt will result in dismissal from the DMA program.
9. Passing Outcome and Process: Students who successfully pass both Sections A and B, and whose
Special Area Exam Topic is approved by the committee must immediately complete the Candidacy
Form, procure the adviser’s signature, and review it with the GSSO (prior to the end of fall quarter).
The GSSO will subsequently obtain the department chair’s signature and complete the milestone in
Axess, officially admitting the student into Candidacy for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in
Composition .
Sample Questions
Section A
The 3-hour exam is based on a thorough analysis of a single contemporary composition. The questions posed
will be the same for all students taken the exam in that particular year. Typical exam questions might be:

Discuss the composer’s primary influences as reflected in the given work. Also discuss it in context of
21st-century compositional styles/aesthetics.

Describe the compositional materials/processes employed.

Provide a graphic representation of the work (include explanatory notes). Also, be sure to include a
clear representation of its formal structure.

Where applicable, describe in general terms the instrumental/orchestral elements and characteristics.
Section B
The 24-hour exam will relate to a core list of 125 works. The questions may include identification, analysis,
historical context for individual works, as well as essay questions that cluster multiple works (or ask the
student to categorize and compare works) within and across wide range of categories. The questions posed
will be the same for all students taken the exam in that particular year. Examples of these are:



Describe the approach to timbre in five or more of the works in the list. Please include examples from
acoustic and electronic music.
What is modulation? How has it been used across different epochs, genres and musical parameters?
Discuss using five or more examples selected from the core list.
Counterpoint has been a primary development element in works from different epochs and genres.
Choose five or more contrasting composers and give an overview of their approaches to counterpoint.
JURY/PORTFOLIO REVIEW
Each student will have a public critique session of his or her portfolio of completed works by the doctoral
committee plus available composition faculty. Copies of the portfolio (e.g., a bound anthology plus
recordings) should be made available to the committee members—and one copy to the Music Library for the
benefit of student colleagues—by one month prior.
The Review occurs at the start of Year III, prior to the end of week nine of the fall quarter. The Review will
take place during the Graduate Composition Forum (Music 324). The schedule should be coordinated with
members of the committee and the Forum instructor at least one quarter in advance. The student must invite
all graduate and faculty composers by one month in advance.
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
39
Students whose portfolios are deemed qualitatively or quantitatively insufficient may be given urgent
suggestions for remediation in order to maintain good standing in the DMA program.
The DMA candidate’s work culminates in a required Final Project. The final project in composition must be a
substantial composition, the scope of which shall be agreed upon by the members of the committee. Typically,
work on the final project encompasses several quarters. Usually, smaller works, for specific performances, are
composed at the same time.
SPECIAL AREA EXAMINATION AND PUBLIC LECTURE/PRESENTATION
A topic, proposed by the student at the qualifying exam and approved by the committee before the conclusion
of the fall quarter of year 2, is researched during years 2, 3, and the fall quarter of year 4. A Special-Area
Exam on this topic is to be taken during the first week of the winter quarter of the fourth year. The duration of
the exam is 7 days. It includes three parts; Parts 2 & 3 may be prepared in advance of the exam period:
Part 1. Essays on the special area exam topic.
Part 2. A detailed syllabus for a course on the special area exam topic. The course should be pitched to an
upper level undergraduate music major.
Part 3. A proposal for the final composition project. The final, approved proposal should be sent to the
graduate administrator directly by the adviser indicating his/her approval of same.
The exam is “open book.” However, all sources used must be cited assiduously.
The exam will be followed by a 1-hour oral exam/discussion of Parts 1, 2, & 3 with the student’s committee. It
shall be convened by the student and scheduled at least one week after the exam is completed but no later than
week 9 of the winter quarter of year 4.
After the exam—but before the conclusion of the winter term—a Public Lecture Presentation is to be given on
the topic in the Graduate Composition Forum. The schedule should be coordinated with members of the
committee and the Forum instructor at least one quarter in advance. The student must invite all graduate and
faculty composers by one month in advance. The lecture will be 60 minutes in duration followed by 30
minutes of Q & A.
Students who do not successfully pass their special area exams may be dismissed from the DMA program.
Sample Questions for Part 1
• Discuss the use of sonification of complex data. Using specific examples, classify the use of auditory
representation display of data with graphic visualization of musical practices.
• Discuss the use of layering in the music of Ives, with particular reference to perception.
• In what ways can music affect the meaning of drama? Relate to ideas of what music means “in itself.”
• Give an account of the beginnings of the spectral movement.
• Discuss ways in which knowledge of the microstructure of sound material has pointed towards new types of
musical form.
• Write an extensive analysis of the first movement of Bartók 3rd Piano Concerto.* Discuss the relationship of
the movement to the entire work. Include comments on the work’s historical context. List a bibliography of
any reference material used.
40
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
*or any other work of like dimensions
Recommended Guidelines for Final Project Proposals (Part 2)
Passed by the Academic Council Teaching Faculty, February, 1997
A statement of c.700–1000 words (2–3 pp.) describing the nature of the proposed composition with regard to
medium (instrumental, vocal, electronic, etc.); approximate scope (length/dimensions/proportions); elements
of “language,” style, idiom, aesthetic; (nature of text/s or textual material, if applicable); structural ideas,
principles envisioned; [etc./misc.].
These aspects of the projected composition should also be put in the context of other composers’ work: past or
present; local, national or international.
How does the composition compare to the candidate’s previous and most recent work? In what ways does it,
or might it, serve as an appropriate summation or end-point of graduate work in composition, as this has been
pursued to date?
APPOINTMENT OF A FINAL PROJECT READING COMMITTEE
The notice of appointment of a DMA Final Project Reading Committee should be submitted to the department
at the same time as the TGR Petition, as early as possible in Year IV.
The membership of the reading committee is the principal final project adviser and a minimum of two
additional members. It is the responsibility of the student, with the advice of his or her adviser, to approach
appropriate faculty members and obtain their consent to serve on the reading committee. Print a copy of the
DMA Final Project Reading Committee form; fill it out; obtain committee members’ signatures; return to the
department office. The composition of the committee is then presented, via the graduate administrator, to the
department chair for approval.
✯
Find the DMA Final Project Reading Committee Form on the last page of this manual.
FINAL PROJECT DEFENSE/PUBLIC PRESENTATION
The Final Project Defense/Public Presentation may be scheduled anytime during Year V prior to the end of
week nine of the spring quarter. The Presentation is made during the Graduate Composition Forum (Music
324). Scheduling should be coordinated with members of the Reading Committee and the Forum instructor at
least one quarter in advance.
The presentation will be 50-70 minutes in duration (including live performance or playback of excerpts or the
entirety of the project), followed by public Q & A. The committee may then deliberate in private and/or may
engage in discussion with the candidate in private.
All graduate composition students are required to attend final project defenses. As such, the candidate must
invite all graduate and faculty composers by two months in advance of the defense. Students who cannot
attend must send a written explanation for their absence to the candidate and to every member of the
composition faculty.
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
41
✯
FINAL PROJECT PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION TO THE UNIVERSITY
Instructions for Submission of the Dissertation (both hard and electronic processes):
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/dissertation-thesis
Please follow all instructions carefully, or the Registrar may not accept your submission!
✯
42
Video for Electronic Submission (very helpful!):
http://www.stanford.edu/group/studentservicescenter/demos_stu/eDissertation/index.html
Section Four: Requirements for the DMA in Composition
SECTION FIVE: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PHD IN COMPUTER-BASED
MUSIC THEORY AND ACOUSTICS
In this section you will find…
 PhD CBMTA Milestones & Examinations Timetable
 CBMTA Qualifying Examination
 Special Area Examination
 Appointment of a Dissertation Reading Committee
 University Oral Dissertation Defense
 Dissertation Preparation and Submission to the University
CBMTA PHD MILESTONES & EXAMINATIONS TIMETABLE
Year
Qtr
Qtr # $
Units
Milestones/Exams
I
Aut
1 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Diagnostic Exams
Win
2 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Spr
3 FS
12-18/qtr (15 rec.)
Establish Quals Committee
Sum
4 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Quals Preparation
Aut
5 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Qualifying Examination
After passing: Candidacy
Granted
Win
6 TA
8-10
(10 rec.)
PhD Language Exam
(any quarter prior to TGR;
soonest recommended)
Spr
7 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Aut
8 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Win
9 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Spr
10 TA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Sum
11 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam Prep. &
Research
Aut
12 RA
8-10 (10 rec.)
Special Area Exam
(before end of 9th wk.)
Win
13 RA
0; TGR (Music 801)
Dissertation Research and
Writing
Spr
14 RA
0; TGR (Music 801)
Dissertation Research and
Writing
AWS
15-17
RA
0 ea. qtr.; TGR (Music 801)
Oral Defense & Submission
(before 10th wk. Spr qtr.)
II
III
IV
V
44
Associated Form/Action
Email to Committee & GSSO
Qualifying Exam Report
After passing: Candidacy
Form
TGR Petition (when 135
units reached); File approved
Dissertation Proposal with
GSSO; Reading Committee
Form
Apply to Graduate in Axess
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
CBMTA QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
To advance to candidacy, students must pass the Qualifying Examination. This exam must be taken during
the week before the beginning of the fifth quarter (start of Year II) for CBMTA PhDs
Exams are normally taken electronically, via CourseWork. Students may petition, in advance of the exam, to
write their exams in hardcopy.
Students who live on campus can choose to move in early at the end of the summer leading up to the exam. To
exercise this option, email Stanford Student Housing (housingassignments@lists.stanford.edu) in May,
explaining that you need to return to campus early to fulfill departmental requirements.
Procedures
1. The examining committee will consist of the student’s graduate adviser, a chair (not the adviser) from the
student’s program, and a third faculty member. The student consults with the adviser to choose committee
members, and asks prospective members to serve. It is the student’s responsibility to finalize committee
membership and convey this information to the graduate administrator by May 31st (Year I).
Answers for Parts B & C will first be graded by the faculty members who generate the questions; Part A is
sent directly to the members of the student’s reading committee. Corrected exams and/or correctors’
comments will be forwarded to the student’s exam committee for final review and assessment.
2. After the written sections are completed, the committee and student together schedule the oral portion.
This should happen during the first month of classes (usually after the second week) and as soon as
possible thereafter. If any of the first written portions of the exam are not passed, the committee may
recommend that a second examination be given if it appears that additional brief preparation will enable
the candidate to be qualified. Otherwise, the student is dismissed from the doctoral program.
3. After completion of the oral exam (and regardless of the outcome), committee members must obtain a
Qualifying Examination Report from the graduate administrator, sign the form, and return it to the
graduate administrator. Should the adviser choose to provide a letter to the student, a copy should be sent
to the Graduate Student Services Office (GSSO).
Format
1. Section A: Essays and problem-solving on a choice of topics representing the core curriculum for 1st-year
students in the CCRMA doctoral program: 220A, B, and possibly C. Additional material could be included
to reflect the particular background and interests of individual students, at the discretion of the exam
committee. 3 hours
2. Section B: Written identification/discussion of 6 score examples representing a range of historical styles,
medieval through 20th century: 3 hours
3. Section C: Written analysis of a short composition from the 18th/19th-c. repertoire (e.g., a minuet or
scherzo movement; a Beethoven bagatelle; a small-form piano work by Schumann, Chopin, or Brahms; a
Lied by Schubert, Schumann, Fauré, Wolf): 2 hours
4. Section D: 1-hour oral exam. The oral exam will entail further discussion of the material on the written
exam (the essays the candidate chose to write, score examples, analysis); questioning should be limited to
the specific questions and examples of the exam, or extend only to closely related material, including
important scholarship in the area.
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
45
Sample Questions
Section A
 What sampling rate should be used for digital audio and why?

What is the correct increment, in samples, for a wavetable oscillator to make it produce a fundamental
frequency of 100 Hz, given that the sampling rate is fs = 10,000 Hz, and the wavetable length is N = 1000
samples?

Describe the principle behind the “auditory streaming” illusion and propose computer-generated examples
illustrating the effect for a) register and b) timbre.

“Spatialization” involves several auditory cues and underlying percepts. Discuss the requirements of a
spatialization system and its control from the point of view of a composer. Cite works that incorporate
such techniques.
Section B
Score identification and discussion: Discuss the score excerpts given here in a few brief paragraphs (1–2
handwritten pages, 8”x11” format) for each example. Begin by identifying the period, style, probable date and
composer, genre, and (perhaps) musical form represented by each excerpt. Point to a few salient features of
melody, counterpoint, motive, phrase structure, harmony, scoring (instrumental or vocal), etc. that might serve
as significant indicators of the historical style, composer, formal design or process of the larger work or
movement, and that contribute in some way to the expressive or (more generally) aesthetic effect of the work.
Allow about a half-hour for each.
In addition to your general commentary, address the specific questions for each example, where indicated.
Sample questions for the sample pieces available at the URLs below:
Example B–1. What is the nature of dissonance treatment in these two short pieces? What is the nature of the
contrapuntal relation of voices?
Example B–2. Indicate the tonality at the beginning and at the end of the excerpt. Although the sforzando
markings in mm. 398–403 fall on the accented beats of the measure, what generates a feeling of metrical
syncopation (hemiola) across this passage?
See the following downloadable files for the corresponding sample scores:
Ex. B–1
Ex. B–2
https://stanford.box.com/s/ameivr5sq9ydt9ko7akubwo05l21i08l
https://stanford.box.com/s/432d7sxtla9039uq66anvcwkdmipec2q
Section C
Analysis: Begin by identifying the period (approximate date), possible composer, genre, and overall form
represented by this movement.
Provide a written (prose) analysis of the movement, which you may supplement by any diagrammatic means
you find useful (letter schemes, harmonic outline, etc.).
Your analytical remarks should include some mention of the following:
 overall tonal design of the movement
 identification of the basic melodic/thematic material and its motivic components
46
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics

aspects of meter and phrase structure, noting in particular any striking divergences from expected
norms
In addition, comment specifically on the following points:
 the harmonic progression from m. 49 through m. 66
 the function of the “Coda” (mm. 119–27) and the use of that term in this context
See the following downloadable file for the corresponding sample scores:
Section C
https://stanford.box.com/s/066hdmr1agiqpcjg886m0lbtxvht98s5
SPECIAL AREA EXAMINATION
Doctoral candidates in computer-based music theory and acoustics must pass the Special Area Examination no
later than the end of autumn quarter in Year IV.
Format
Part 1. Essays on special topics in the candidate’s chose dissertation field (written: 3 hours).
Part 2. A take-home problem in the candidate’s field: may be analysis of a specific work or research on a
given topic (written: 24 hours).
Part 3. An oral defense of the dissertation-proposal draft in the following steps:
a. Appointment of committee, normally three members, potentially the readers of the dissertation
b. Submission of a proposal draft to committee members in advance of the exam
c. One-hour oral exam
d. Revision of the proposal, taking into account suggestions made during and after the examination
process
e. Submission of revised draft to the committee members. The final, approved proposal should be sent to
the graduate administrator directly by the adviser indicating his/her approval of same.
PHD DISSERTATION
After the first two years of graduate study, the student concentrates on research and writing of the dissertation.
The dissertation demonstrates the student’s ability to work systematically and independently to produce an
essay of competent scholarship.
Scope of the Dissertation
Topics for the dissertation may be drawn from one of the following areas:
 study of one or more major works or a composer;
 translation of and commentary upon a theoretical treatise;
 studies of performance practice;
 historical aspects of music theory;
 an examination of style trends.
Preparing and Submitting the PhD Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal for the PhD is part of the Special-Area Exam and must be approved by the student’s
special-area examination committee. See “Special Area Examination, Procedures, Step 3” above.
Recommended Guidelines for PhD Dissertation Proposals
Passed by the Academic Council Teaching Faculty, February, 1997
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
47
A preliminary [draft] of the dissertation proposal should be finished by the end of the spring quarter of the
third year. The final proposal should be submitted as part of the Special-Area Exams so that it may be
approved no later than the end of the first quarter of the fourth year.
Recommended length for the dissertation proposal is between 3,000–6,000 words (10–20 [+] pp.), including
(additionally) a full bibliography. The precise format is open, but the proposal should cover the following
areas:
1. Working title
2. Brief description (in abstract form) of project (c. 2 pp.), including a provisional justification of its
significance and relation to existing work in the field, some indication of methodology(ies) informing this
work, whether historical/ documentary, theoretical, experimental, analytical, critical, cross-disciplinary etc.
3. A more detailed summary of existing scholarship in the field (and closely related fields, as applicable).
Give as clear as possible an idea which prior work will be most important for the present study, and ways
in which this study will constitute a significant contribution to the field (5–15 pp.). An annotated
bibliography might serve this purpose, up to a point; however, some contextualized discussion of the
literature and its relation to the proposed topic is desirable.
4. Detail as closely as is possible, at this stage, your plans for proceeding: general methodological premises
(starting point); anticipated stages of research; anticipated structure of dissertation; structure of the
underlying argument/thesis (as far as this applies); order in which material will be presented, discussed,
analyzed, with reference to specific compositions, primary sources, research, or other types of material to
be considered. To the extent that results and conclusions remain contingent on findings of research, try to
set out the nature of these contingencies, and the nature and variety of possible or foreseen results (5–15
pp.). If possible, include an outline of proposed sections, chapters, and subheadings for the dissertation.
5. Bibliography (with optional annotations)
Appointment of a Reading Committee for the PhD Dissertation
The notice of appointment of a Reading Committee should be submitted to the department at the same time as
the approved dissertation proposal and the completion of the Special-Area Exam. It is the responsibility of the
student, with the advice of his or her adviser, to approach appropriate faculty members and obtain their
consent to serve on the reading committee.
✯
Obtain the form; obtain committee members’ signatures; return to the department office.
Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee Form:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/doc_diss_rdg_ctte.pdf
Doctoral Degrees: Dissertations and Dissertation Reading Committees (GAP 4.8)
http://gap.stanford.edu/4-8.html
48
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
UNIVERSITY ORAL EXAMINATION
The University Oral Exam is generally taken near the completion of the dissertation. The student proposes
four (or more) department faculty members to serve as examiners using the University Oral Examination
Schedule. [These four (or more) faculty members will ordinarily include the members of the reading
committee.] The Department chair must approve all examination committee members by signing off on the
form.
The University Orals Chair (a member of the Academic Council Teaching Faculty) is selected from another
department, in consultation with the student, the student’s adviser and the music department chair. Unless the
student or adviser is more comfortable with the role, the graduate administrator will contact the candidate for
Orals Chair.
It should be noted that the student, in consultation with the major adviser, is responsible 1) for determining the
availability and willingness to serve of all necessary committee members, and 2) for arranging an examination
time convenient to all. [Allow time for this — at least a month! It can be difficult to coordinate the schedules
of five busy people.]. The examination may not be scheduled during the first two weeks of the quarter nor
after the last day of instruction in any quarter. Students are strongly urged to schedule these exams in some
quarter other than the summer quarter!
Candidates for the PhD degree must be registered at the time the PhD oral exams are taken and
University “holds” must be cleared before registration for the orals can be completed.
When a suitable examination time has been found, fill out the University Oral Examination Schedule,
including a list of the examiners’ names; give the form to the graduate administrator, along with an abstract
(described below). You will receive a packet confirming date, time and location. Again, this process should
commence at least a month before the proposed date of the exam!
A one- or two-page abstract should be submitted to the Department when submitting the request for University
Oral Examination. The abstract will be attached to the Orals Committee form and given to the Exam
Committee as a briefing of the topic of the exam.
✯
University Oral Examination Schedule:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/doc_orals.pdf
An announcement of your University Oral Exam is sent to Public Events for publication in the Stanford
Report. The topic listed on this announcement is the dissertation title shown on your University Oral
Examination Schedule, unless you have advised the Music Department office in writing of a change. To assure
that the announcement copy is accurate, please check with the graduate administrator three weeks before your
exam.
Schedule of the Dissertation Oral Examination
1. Open Session
a. Formal presentation by the candidate (1 hour)
b. Questions (30 min.)
c. Intermission (15 min.)
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
49
2. Closed session
a. Questions from the committee (30 min.)
b. Voting by the committee (15 min.)
c. Notification of the student
3. Adjournment
Preparing the PhD Dissertation for Submission to the University
Before beginning preparation of the final project for submission to the Registrar, students should familiarize
themselves with the Registrar’s instructions for electronic and/or hard copy paper dissertation submissions.
✯
Instructions for Submission of the Dissertation (both hard and electronic processes):
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/dissertation-thesis
Please follow all instructions carefully, or the Registrar may not accept your submission!
✯
50
Video for Electronic Submission (very helpful!):
http://www.stanford.edu/group/studentservicescenter/demos_stu/eDissertation/index.html
Section Five: Requirements for the PhD in Computer-Based Music Theory and Acoustics
SECTION SIX:
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PHD IN MUSICOLOGY
In this section you will find…
 Expectations of Ph.D Students in Musicology
 Suggested Schedule of Coursework; PhD Milestones
 Musicology Qualifying Examination
 Special Area Examination
 Appointment of a Dissertation Reading Committee
 University Oral Dissertation Defense
 Dissertation Preparation and Submission to the University
EXPECTATIONS OF PH.D. STUDENTS IN MUSICOLOGY
The success of our program depends on students’ involvement in departmental life. We’ve laid out several
expectations below with the aim of encouraging a culture of participation and engagement.
Colloquia. Attend all musicology colloquia and a majority of post-colloquium dinners, plus on-campus
presentations by department faculty, your fellow students, guest faculty, and other visitors.
Courses. Treat each course as an opportunity to delve deeply into a literature and/or repertory. Embrace
unfamiliar materials and methods by reading at least what’s assigned, making presentations (large or small)
professional and rigorous, and bringing final papers up to a publishable standard (or close to it). In seminars
try to choose a topic early (ten weeks pass quickly). Use Independent Studies to pursue topics not covered in
seminars and to shore up repertorial knowledge and analytical skills.
Advising. Be an active advisee. Don’t wait for your advisor to email you: arrange for meetings to discuss your
coursework, summer plans, Quals preparation, language study, and, later, your dissertation topic, fellowship
applications, and other aspects of professional development. Prepare for these meetings carefully, recognizing
that your advisor’s time is limited.
Teaching. Make the most of teaching assignments. Aim to TA at least one course in the Music 40 series as
part of a varied teaching portfolio. Doing so will make you a better teacher, a more attractive job candidate,
and a better scholar. Take advantage of the Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning.
Exams. Take Quals and Special Area preparations seriously. Start early. Be organized. Beat deadlines.
Public presentations. Remember that each public appearance, however minor, shapes your reputation and
reflects on our program as a whole. Get feedback from faculty and colleagues before submitting conference
abstracts. If possible, practice presentations here before taking them on the road.
Reactions to your work. Treat critical feedback from faculty and colleagues as an opportunity. When editing
your work, strive not only to address concerns raised explicitly, but also to anticipate objections.
Enrichment. Use your time wisely, not least to…
…read widely in both your main area and other (sub)fields.
…hone your musicianship skills, beyond what’s required in coursework and on exams.
…attend AMS chapter and national meetings, as well as other conferences, funding permitting.
…develop expertise in foreign languages, above and beyond what’s required to pass exams.
…attend concerts, listen to recordings, and study scores from a range of periods and traditions.
Performance is central to the life of our department. We encourage you to find opportunities to perform while
recognizing that a rehearsal should not cause you to miss a colloquium or class.
A few things that should go without saying:



52
Maintain an attitude of respect toward your colleagues and their research areas.
Take an active role in enriching the departmental culture by showing up regularly and volunteering for
departmental service (e.g., hosting visiting prospective students).
Our department wouldn’t survive a day without our staff. Be respectful of department and library staff
members.
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology
SUGGESTED SCHEDULE OF COURSEWORK; PHD MILESTONES

Courses in bold type must be taken in the quarter indicated below. Other requirements can be juggled around within this framework.1 *Asterisks
indicate courses generally offered every year.
 Register for all courses for the maximum number of units allowed (unless your desired course load exceeds the limit). Plan on 15–18 units per quarter
in Year 1 and exactly 10 units per quarter in Years 2–5 and in Summers 2–3. Total required units by the end of Year 4, Fall Quarter: 135. All courses
must be taken at the 100 level or higher and for a grade, unless the course has been designated Pass/Fail.
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
*Mus 310 (Musicology seminar)2 *Mus 310
*Mus 310
[Language study]
Yr. 1
*Mus 200A (Musicology Prosem.) Music 200B (Ethno. Prosem.)
Mus 300A (Medieval Notation)
*Mus 305A (Repertory/Analysis) *Mus 305B
*Mus 305C
Language I
Language I
*Mus 280 (T.A. training)
*Mus 310
*Mus 310
*Mus 310
10 units of Mus 302:
Yr. 2
Mus 312A (Aesthetics sequence) Mus 312B
Music 300B (Renaissance Notation) Quals study
Language II
Language II
Mus 199 (Indep. Study)3
[TAship 1]
[TAship 2]
[TAship 3]
*Mus 310 (two 310s total in Yr. 3) *Mus 310 (two 310s total in Yr. 3) Optional: *Mus 330 (Diss. Colloquium) 10 units of Mus 302:
Yr. 3
[TAship 4]
[TAship 5]
[TAship 6]
Special Area Exam
CCRMA/Composition course4
Elective5
Elective
prep./diss. Work
[Mus 199: Independent studies (1–3 per quarter): use these largely to develop a dissertation prospectus]
10 units per quarter, chiefly as Mus 341 (Ph.D. research/writing)
*Mus 330 (Diss. Colloquium)
Yr. 4
*Mus 330 (every year)
Yrs. 5+
Quals-Related Deadlines (for more information download Guidelines for Musicology Quals from the Department website)
31 May, end of Year 1
In consultation with your advisor, form a Quals committee and select six fields of study. Email this
information to the graduate administrator and your committee (the same goes for subsequent deadlines).
15 September, beginning of Year 2
Create repertoire lists and bibliographies.
15 July, end of Year 2
Finalize changes to bibliographies and repertoire lists.
Other Important Milestones in Your Graduate Career
By the end of Year 1
Pass at least one language exam. If applicable, pass the keyboard, ear training, and theory exams.
By the end of Year 2
Pass both language exams (German and one other).
By 30 November, Year 4
1. Submit TGR form to grad. admin., having accumulated 135 units; 2. Complete Special Area Exam
Final year
1. Schedule Defense before (ideally well before) 30 May; 2. Submit diss. in time for Registrar deadline.
1
Students who have taken graduate-level coursework at other institutions may petition to pass out of up to two required courses.
In consultation with the advisor, students may request to substitute graduate seminars in other departments for up to two 310s.
3 Students may use this Independent Study to prepare for Quals. All Mus 199s must be registered for and agreed upon in advance with the instructor.
4 Students must enroll in at least one Music Department course outside of musicology (e.g., Music 251, 253, 323, and 324).
5 Electives can take the form of courses in other departments, additional 310s, 240-level courses in the Music Department, or Independent Studies.
2
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology __________________________________________________________________________________________ 53
MUSICOLOGY QUALIFYING EXAMINATION
Passage of both the written and oral portions of the Qualifying Examination is a precondition for
advancement to candidacy. This exam must be taken during the week before the beginning of the eighth
quarter (start of Year 3) for Musicology PhDs
Exams are normally taken electronically, via CourseWork. Students may petition, in advance of the exam, to
write their exams in hardcopy.
Students who live on campus can choose to move in early at the end of the summer leading up to the exam. To
exercise this option, email Stanford Student Housing (housingassignments@lists.stanford.edu) in May,
explaining that you need to return to campus early to fulfill departmental requirements.
For the exam format, see “Guidelines for Musicology Quals,” available at
https://music.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/mcolqualsgdlns_1415_rev093014.pdf
Procedures
1. The examining committee will normally consist of the full musicology and ethnomusicology faculty. The
committee will be chaired by the musicologist/ethnomusicologist currently serving on the Graduate
Studies Committee. (If that person is the student’s advisor, another musicologist/ethnomusicologist will be
designated as chair.) The student consults with the advisor and other members of the faculty to choose
survey and topic areas. It is the student’s responsibility to convey this information to the graduate
administrator by 31 May (Year 1).
2. The written exam is in six sections. Answers will normally be graded by the entire musicology and
ethnomusicology faculty. The student must pass at least four out of six sections of the written exam to be
admitted to the oral exam,
3. After the written exam, the student will be notified if s/he has been admitted to the oral exam. Students
who do not advance to the oral exam may be considered for the Master’s degree (see below).
4. The oral exam will take place during the second week of classes at a time determined by the faculty. It will
normally be conducted by the entire musicology and ethnomusicology faculty.
5. Students who have failed one or at most two sections of the written exam and who otherwise have
performed well on the oral exam and in the program as a whole may be permitted to retake those sections.
In such cases the committee will settle on a date, ideally sometime toward the end of fall quarter. At that
time the student will retake the relevant sections under identical conditions: a timed exam with new
questions based on the original bibliography and repertoire lists, followed by a shorter oral exam focused
only on these sections.
6. After the oral exam, the faculty will make two determinations: first, whether the student has passed all or
part of the qualifying exam; second, whether s/he should be advanced to candidacy. Advancement to
candidacy occurs only when a majority of the faculty agrees the student has: (1) passed both portions of
the qualifying exam; (2) made good overall progress in the program to date; and (3) has the potential to
successfully complete the requirements of the degree program, including writing and defending a Ph.D.
dissertation. Students who do not meet one or more of these conditions may be considered for the M.A.
7. To be considered for the M.A., the student must pass at least a substantial portion of the qualifying exam.
S/he must also have shown satisfactory progress in the program to date, including the successful passage
54 ______________________________________________________________ Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology
or completion of at least: (1) 45 units of coursework; (2) one language exam; (3) seven Music 310 courses
(or sanctioned substitutions); and (3) eight quarters’ worth of: Music 200(A, B), 300(A, B), 305(A, B, C),
and 312(A, B). Students awarded the M.A. will normally continue in the program through the end of the
fall quarter (Year 3).
8. After completion of the oral exam (and regardless of the outcome), committee members must obtain a
Qualifying Examination Report from the graduate administrator, sign the form, and return it to the
graduate administrator. Should the advisor choose to provide a letter to the student, a copy should be sent
to the Graduate Student Services Office (GSSO).
SPECIAL AREA EXAM
Doctoral candidates in musicology must pass the Special Area Examination no later than the end of autumn
quarter in Year IV.
Format
Part 1. Essays on special topics in the candidate’s chosen dissertation field (written: 3 hours).
Part 2. A take-home essay in the candidate’s field, with bibliography (written: 24 hours).
Part 3. Translation of and commentary on one or more texts in the candidate’s field; ordinarily in the
primary language of the candidate’s research, but may also include examination in the secondary
language. The exam must be in a non-native language (written: 3 hours).
Part 4. Oral defense of the dissertation-proposal draft, in the following steps:
a. Appointment of committee, normally three members, potentially the readers of the dissertation
b. Submission of a proposal draft to committee members in advance of the exam
c. One-hour oral exam
d. Revision of the proposal, taking into account suggestions made during and after the examination
process
e. Submission of revised draft to the committee members. The final, approved proposal should be
sent to the graduate administrator directly by the adviser indicating his/her approval of same.
Procedures
The examining committee will consist of the student’s graduate adviser, a chair (not the adviser) from the
student’s program, and a third faculty member. The exam committee will normally correspond to the eventual
dissertation reading committee.
Step 1. The student consults with the adviser to choose two further committee members, and asks
prospective members to serve. It is the student’s responsibility to finalize committee membership,
schedule both the written and oral portions of the exam, and convey this information to the
committee and graduate administrator.
Step 2. At least two weeks prior to the exam, the student should submit a draft of the dissertation proposal to
the committee. (The adviser should submit written questions to the graduate administrator at least 24
hours before the first scheduled written portion.)
Step 3. After completion of the oral exam (and regardless of the outcome), committee members must obtain
a Special Area Examination Report from the graduate administrator, sign the form, and return it to
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology ______________________________________________________________55
the graduate administrator. Should the adviser choose to provide a letter to the student, a copy should
be sent to the Graduate Student Services Office (GSSO).
PHD DISSERTATION
After the first two years of graduate study, the student concentrates on research and writing of the dissertation.
The dissertation demonstrates the student’s ability to work systematically and independently to produce an
essay of competent scholarship.
56
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology
Scope of the Dissertation
The dissertation should be as long as a scholarly monograph and make a significant contribution to the field.
Preparing and Submitting the PhD Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal for the PhD is part of the Special-Area Exam and must be approved by the student’s
special-area examination committee. See “Special Area Examination, Procedures, Step 3” above.
Recommended Guidelines for PhD Dissertation Proposals
Passed by the Academic Council Teaching Faculty, February, 1997
A preliminary [draft] of the dissertation proposal should be finished by the end of the spring quarter of the
third year. The final proposal should be submitted as part of the Special-Area Exams so that it may be
approved no later than the end of the first quarter of the fourth year.
Recommended length for the dissertation proposal is between 3,000–6,000 words (10–20 [+] pp.), including
(additionally) a full bibliography. The precise format is open, but the proposal should cover the following
areas:
1. Working title
2. Brief description (in abstract form) of project (c. 2 pp.), including a provisional justification of its
significance and relation to existing work in the field, some indication of methodology(ies) informing this
work, whether historical/ documentary, theoretical, experimental, analytical, critical, cross-disciplinary etc.
3. A more detailed summary of existing scholarship in the field (and closely related fields, as applicable).
Give as clear as possible an idea which prior work will be most important for the present study, and ways
in which this study will constitute a significant contribution to the field (5–15 pp.). An annotated
bibliography might serve this purpose, up to a point; however, some contextualized discussion of the
literature and its relation to the proposed topic is desirable.
4. Detail as closely as is possible, at this stage, your plans for proceeding: general methodological premises
(starting point); anticipated stages of research; anticipated structure of dissertation; structure of the
underlying argument/thesis (as far as this applies); order in which material will be presented, discussed,
analyzed, with reference to specific compositions, primary sources, research, or other types of material to
be considered. To the extent that results and conclusions remain contingent on findings of research, try to
set out the nature of these contingencies, and the nature and variety of possible or foreseen results (5–15
pp.). If possible, include an outline of proposed sections, chapters, and subheadings for the dissertation.
5. Bibliography (with optional annotations)
Appointment of a Reading Committee for the PhD Dissertation
The notice of appointment of a Reading Committee should be submitted to the department at the same time as
the approved dissertation proposal and the completion of the Special-Area Exam. It is the responsibility of the
student, with the advice of his or her adviser, to approach appropriate faculty members and obtain their
consent to serve on the reading committee.
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology ______________________________________________________________57
✯
Obtain the form; obtain committee members’ signatures; return to the department office.
Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee Form:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/doc_diss_rdg_ctte.pdf
Doctoral Degrees: Dissertations and Dissertation Reading Committees (GAP 4.8)
http://gap.stanford.edu/4-8.html
UNIVERSITY ORAL EXAMINATION
The University Oral Exam is generally taken near the completion of the dissertation. The student proposes
four (or more) department faculty members to serve as examiners using the University Oral Examination
Schedule. [These four (or more) faculty members will ordinarily include the members of the reading
committee.] The Department chair must approve all examination committee members by signing off on the
form.
The University Orals Chair (a member of the Academic Council Teaching Faculty) is selected from another
department, in consultation with the student, the student’s adviser and the music department chair. Unless the
student or adviser is more comfortable with the role, the graduate administrator will contact the candidate for
Orals Chair.
It should be noted that the student, in consultation with the major professor, is responsible 1) for determining
the availability and willingness to serve of all necessary committee members, and 2) for arranging an
examination time convenient to all. [Allow time for this — at least a month! It can be difficult to coordinate
the schedules of five busy people.]. The examination may not be scheduled during the first two weeks of the
quarter nor after the last day of instruction in any quarter. Students are strongly urged to schedule these exams
in some quarter other than the summer quarter!
Candidates for the PhD degree must be registered at the time the PhD oral exams are taken and
University “holds” must be cleared before registration for the orals can be completed.
When a suitable examination time has been found, fill out the University Oral Examination Schedule,
including a list of the examiners’ names; give the form to the graduate administrator, along with an abstract
(described below). You will receive a packet confirming date, time and location. Again, this process should
commence at least a month before the proposed date of the exam!
A one- or two-page abstract should be submitted to the Department when submitting the request for University
Oral Examination. The abstract will be attached to the Orals Committee form and given to the Exam
Committee as a briefing of the topic of the exam.
✯
University Oral Examination Schedule:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/doc_orals.pdf
An announcement of your University Oral is sent to Public Events for publication in the Stanford Report. The
topic listed on this announcement is the dissertation title shown on your University Oral Examination
Schedule, unless you have advised the Music Department office in writing of a change. To assure that the
announcement copy is accurate, please check with the graduate administrator three weeks before your exam.
58
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology
Schedule of the Dissertation Oral Examination
1. Open Session
a. Presentation of the dissertation by the candidate (50 min.)
The student should begin by explaining how the topic of the dissertation is situated within the
immediate field. Following that, the student presents a summary of the structure and content of the
individual chapters, discussing also relevant points of methodology.
b. Questions (10 min.)
c. Break (10 min.)
2. Closed session
a. Questions from the committee (50 min.)
b. Voting by the committee (10 min.)
c. Notification of the student
3. Adjournment
Preparing the PhD Dissertation for Submission to the University
Before beginning preparation of the final project for submission to the Registrar, students should familiarize
themselves with the Registrar’s instructions for electronic and/or hard copy paper dissertation submissions.
✯
Instructions for Submission of the Dissertation (both hard and electronic processes):
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/dissertation-thesis
Please follow all instructions carefully, or the Registrar may not accept your submission!
✯
Video for Electronic Submission (very helpful!):
http://www.stanford.edu/group/studentservicescenter/demos_stu/eDissertation/index.html
Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology ______________________________________________________________59
SECTION SEVEN: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU SHOULD KNOW!
In this section you will find…
 Graduation General Information
 Financial Aid Opportunities
 Student Opportunities
61 ______________________________________________________________ Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology
GRADUATION GENERAL INFORMATION
Conferral Of Degrees
Students should apply to graduate on Axess just before or early in the conferral term in order to allow
sufficient time for department and Graduate Degree Progress review of degree requirements—preferably in
the second week of the degree quarter, but definitely before the deadline published in the Stanford Academic
Calendar http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/academic-calendar-1314) as “Application deadline for
_____ Quarter degree conferral.” (Note that the deadline for spring commencement is at the end of the second
week of the quarter!) Recommending lists of students who have applied for conferral of graduate degrees are
reviewed by the Registrar and the department to verify completion of degree requirements. Students who wish
to defer their conferral date must file another application for a later quarter and withdraw the one they have
made previously. Application to graduate is made in Axess. Late applications and withdrawal of the
application to graduate are made by visiting the information windows at the Student Services Office and
completing the appropriate paper form.
✯
Applying to Graduate: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/applying-graduate
Degree certificates are sent to students who have been awarded degrees for all but Spring-quarter (see below).
Transcripts verifying conferral of degrees may also be requested on Axess and obtained from the Registrar’s
Office.
✯
Degree Certification: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/degreecert
Spring Commencement
Commencement ceremonies are held each June for students who have received degrees in the previous
Summer, Autumn, Winter, and the current Spring quarters. Students who wish to receive their diplomas at
June commencement must apply, via Axess, by the deadline printed in the Academic Calendar to allow
adequate time for preparation of the diploma. Information on commencement activities and distribution of
diplomas is sent by the Registrar’s Office in early April to the address provided in Axess. Students indicate in
Axess at the time of submitting the application to graduate whether they would like to receive their diploma at
commencement ceremonies or have it mailed to them.
Students who expect to complete their degree requirements in Summer Quarter but wish to participate in
commencement activities in advance of conferral of their degree must notify the graduate administrator via
email prior to May 31. Walk-through petitions are approved for students who are in good standing and are not
on the June degree list.
✯
✯
Late applications to graduate, withdrawal of application to graduate, and Walkthrough petitions must
be made with hard copy forms available at: http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/forms/graduation
The Official Stanford Commencement site has complete information about University commencement
activities: http://commencement.stanford.edu/
Do provide the above link to parents and friends who may wish to attend! Music’s departmental ceremony
occurs in Campbell Recital Hall at ~12:30 pm on the same Sunday as the University commencement (usually
the 3rd Sunday in June). This provides anyone interested in attending the University’s stadium ceremony
62
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
ample time to amble back up the hill to Braun for Music’s diploma-award ceremony and gala reception
immediately following in the adjacent Courtyard.
Regalia
Below is the “last word” about regalia and hoods.
MA White = Arts. However, this is usually academic arts, like musicology or theory.
Pink = Music. This is the more professional or “performer-ish” side. Usually composers, conductors,
and the MST Master’s students should get this one, unless they really want the white for whatever
reason.
DMA Pink. That’s right: pink. (Sorry, guys.)
Ph.D. ALL (Musicology, Music & Humanities, and CCRMA) should get the darkish “Philosophy blue,”
because you’re getting a Doctor of PHILOSOPHY, even though it is in Music. (Note: This is where
the bookstore often has misunderstandings.)
You may order your commencement regalia at the bookstore, if you intend to participate in the graduation
ceremony(ies) in June. Deadline for ordering regalia from the bookstore is usually April 30th.
There is also a cap and gown supplier that offers discounted regalia. Their site is: http://www.capgown.com/
Graduation Quarter
Students who meet the requirements defined by the Registrar, and described on the form (available using the
link below), may enroll in their final quarter at a special tuition rate of $100.
✯
Graduation Quarter Petition:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/grad_qtr.pdf
Financial Obligations
While you are a Stanford student, whether registered or not, you will receive a University Bill containing
information about all charges and credits on your account for a given quarter.
Most financial aid awarded for the quarter will appear as a credit on your bill. The aid included on your bill
includes scholarships, grants, and outside awards (agency support, honors). Teaching and research
assistantships are salaried positions and the monies from this employment will not appear on your University
Bill.
✯
For complete information concerning your University bill and payment procedures/options, see:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sfs
Graduate Aid Plan
1. Fellowship (1st year)
The tuition grant is automatically applied to the tuition charge on your university bill. The stipend is
paid as a quarterly check. Unless you make special arrangements with the Financial Office, the stipend
will automatically be applied to outstanding charges on your university bill, with any balance issued as
a refund check.
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
63
2. Research or Teaching Assistantships (2nd through 5th years and both summers)
International Students: Note that you will need to apply for a Social Security number as it is
required on the I-9 form. Please see Bechtel for information about where and how to apply for
the Social Security number at the start of Spring Quarter in your first year!
http://icenter.stanford.edu/quick_reference/soc_sec.html
Students will not receive any funding for paid summers and Years II, III, IV or V without first
submitting:
INS I-9, plus enclosures
Complete in late spring or summer of your first year;
(You must complete this form in person with the appropriate form(s) of identification.
See Velda Williams, Financial Officer, in the central Braun office for further information.)
IRS W-4
File on-line in Axess under the employee tab (which will appear in your Axess tabs just prior to
the start of your first term as a Teaching Assistant),
LA-6, for international students/non-residents
Complete in late spring or summer of your first year; see the Financial Officer for this form.
Note: It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that you sign up for Direct Deposit in Axess at your earliest
opportunity. See http://fingate.stanford.edu/students/universbill/quick_steps/enroll_direct_deposit.shtml
for instructions.
The tuition grant associated with your assistantship is automatically applied to the tuition charge on
your university bill.
Your TA or RA salary is paid semi-monthly on the 7th and 22nd of each month. If those dates fall on a
weekend, the checks come to the department on the preceding Friday (and will be available from the
Financial Officer), or are directly deposited to your bank account (if you have made arrangements for
direct deposit: see above).
There are six pay periods (hence, six paychecks) in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters. Summer
quarters are two weeks shorter than the AWS quarters, and there are only four pay periods in summer
quarter.
Note that for any “pay period” (i.e. 9/16-9/30) the paycheck for that period will be received by the
student on the next scheduled pay day (i.e. 10/7).
64
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
Teaching Assistantships are entered on an “alternate quarter” schedule and pay periods for each
quarter correspond to the following calendar:
Pay Period for Teaching Assistants:
Corresponding Pay Dates
on the 7th and 22nd of each month beginning:
Autumn Quarter: 9/16 to 12/15
10/7 and running through 12/22 (6 paychecks)
Winter Quarter: 12/16 to 3/15
1/7 and running through 3/22 (6 paychecks)
Spring Quarter: 3/16 to 6/15
4/7 and running through 6/22 (6 paychecks)
Summer Qtr for TAs on Alt Sched: 6/16 to 8/15
7/7 and running through 8/22 (4 paychecks)
Research Assistantships (which include years 4 and 5, and the two summers of graduate aid) are
entered on a “standard quarter” schedule that corresponds to the following calendar:
Pay Period for Research Assistants:
Corresponding Pay Dates
on the 7th and 22nd of each month beginning:
Autumn Quarter: 10/1 to 12/31
10/22 and running through 1/7 (6 paychecks)
Winter Quarter: 1/1 to 3/31
1/22 and running through 4/7 (6 paychecks)
Spring Quarter: 4/1 to 6/30
4/22 and running through 7/7 (6 paychecks)
Summer Quarter for AWS RAs: 7/1 to 8/31
7/22 and running through 9/7 (4 paychecks)
Summer Qtr for TAs on Alt Sched: 6/16 to 8/15
7/7 and running through 8/22 (4 paychecks)
Please visit the financial folks at the Student Services Center upstairs in Tresidder Memorial Union
[http://www.stanford.edu/group/studentservicescenter/] with questions you may have about your stipend
checks or university bills. [N.B. If you have questions you’d like to run by music administration prior to
visiting the Student Services Center, know that the graduate and department administrators have the ability to
see your student bill online (as you do).]
Format
1. Year I: Full fellowship and full tuition (12–18 units tuition per quarter; living stipend)
2. Years II and III: Half-time TA responsibility and half-time tuition (8–10 units tuition per quarter;
teaching assistant salary)
3. Years IV and V: Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow (8–10 units tuition in the first quarter of the 4th year
and TGR tuition thereafter; research salary)
4. Summer: Support is provided for two summers during the student’s aid tenure. PhD CCRMA and
DMAs take their first summer of aid between years I and II; PhD Musicologists, between years II and
III, both in preparation for Quals (8–10 units of tuition; research salary). The second summer of aid for
all doctoral students is taken between years III and IV in preparation for the Special-Area Examination.
Summer funds not taken during these specified times will be forfeited.
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
65
Monies
1. First-year fellowship students on full awards in 2013–14 will receive full tuition $42,690 per year, paid
directly to Stanford, and a stipend of $24,879 for the academic year; that is, a check (or a direct deposit
to your bank account arranged through Axess) for $8,293 (less any deductions made for housing and
student fees) available to enrolled students from Student Financial Services, on the first day of each
Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters.
2. Students in their second through fifth years will receive either 50% TA, or 50% RA salaries. The
Teaching Assistantship salary amount for 2013–14 is $25,794 paid in 18 semi-monthly installments
(i.e. 6 pay periods per quarter), plus half-time tuition (8–10 units = $27,750 or $9,250 per enrolled
quarter).
Research Assistantship salary amount for 2013–14 is $24,879, and TGR tuition is $8,328.
All doctoral students in music are expected to achieve Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status by
the end of the first quarter of the fourth year (12th enrolled quarter). For the final two quarters of the
fourth year and all of year five graduates will receive TGR fees of $2,775 per quarter (up to 3 units;
must register in Music 801 or Music 802), and an annual salary of $24,879 ($8,293/qtr).
The teaching component of your graduate work: Privileges and responsibilities
Teaching is an integral part of the graduate academic program. Your dedication and commitment as a
Teaching Assistant is important to your own future career path, as well as to Stanford’s core teaching mission.
Your success as a Teaching Assistant is crucial to completing a doctoral course of study at Stanford
University. All students in the doctoral programs will spend at least two years (six quarters) working half-time
(20 hours/week) as Teaching Assistants (figured as an obligation of 20 hours per week for each quarterly
course). In the event of departmental need, the School of Humanities and Sciences has directed departments to
require students in their fourth or fifth years to serve as TAs. In the event of such an occurrence, the fifth year
student would be compensated at the TA rate, rather than the RA rate, for her/his stipend; such substitutions of
type of quarter are not reversible (i.e., “losing” a quarter of RA to TA is not compensated by an additional RA
quarter later in time).
TAing must be taken seriously. This includes complete collaboration with the faculty member teaching the
course, course preparation, assignment and examination preparation and grading, holding regular office hours,
and making yourself available to assist both the professor and all the students as needed. Each TA is required
to be trained (by taking and passing both the Diagnostic Examination and the Music 280 course in the first
year), and (for students whose first language is not English) to demonstrate proficiency in English sufficient to
teach. Failure to pass the English proficiency exam could lead to loss of funding. (See, “International-StudentTA English Screening”, below.)
Graduate-Student Teaching
Graduate-student teaching assignments are made based on enrollment size of the course and the need for
additional qualified teaching assistance to the faculty charged with teaching the course. The graduate
administrator in consultation with the Music Theory Coordinator and course instructors allocates assignments.
In keeping with the nature of the academic job market, the department ideally tries to designate TA
assignments such that at least half the courses are in the student’s main area of study with the other half in
either related fields or as “general music” courses. Thus, for example, a PhD in Musicology will have a core of
66
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
courses in the 40 or 140 series and/or the general music courses; a PhD at CCRMA would be assigned to 251,
the 220 or 250 series, 320, etc.; a DMA would work in the theory/analysis sequence (21–23; 121–122C).
Graduate-student teaching is both supervised and evaluated. By “supervision,” we mean faculty providing
advice and suggestions on planning of teaching, as well clear direction on what materials need to be covered
over what period of time. By “evaluation,” we mean a series of conferences and/or one or two classroom
observations by a faculty member of the graduate student currently engaged in teaching, as well as the formal
University evaluation provided to the students about the TA’s teaching.
A copy of the official course evaluations (completed by the students from the class via Axess) is available to
each TA under the “Instructor” tab in Axess. The most important purpose of such evaluations is to help the
graduate student improve his or her teaching effectiveness. Teaching, as a professional communication
process, should not be viewed as a private activity exempt from professional criticism. Another purpose of
evaluation is to enable faculty members, when writing recommendations to possible employers, to comment
usefully on the graduate student’s teaching qualities.
Teaching Stanford undergraduates is a privilege and not a right. In the event that your work as a Teaching
Assistant is deemed unacceptable you may be removed from the position and forfeit the Teaching part of your
graduate stipend.
Teaching is extremely rewarding when done with devotion and commitment.
TA Training Course: Music 280, Spring Quarter
Course Description: TA Training Course [Music 280] Instructors: Alex Hay and Victoria Chang; Fridays,
12:00 noon/1 unit-S/NC grading only.
TA training is required for doctoral students serving as Teaching Assistants. The course includes orientation to
resources at Stanford, guest presentations on principles of common teaching activities, and supervised
teaching experience, among other topics.
Note: Students entering in Autumn 2013 must take Music 280 in the Spring quarter 2014.
Music graduate students teach undergraduate students and other graduate students. It is not uncommon for our
graduate students to have relationships with other students (both at the graduate and undergraduate level).
Given this situation, Lauren Schoenthaler, staff attorney in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and
Susan Weersing, Associate Dean, Graduate and Undergraduate Studies, request that you become familiar with
Stanford’s Policy on Sexual Harassment and Consensual Sexual or Romantic Relationships (Bulletin,
http://exploredegrees.stanford.edu/nonacademicregulations/ - text-sexuharaconssexuromarela. Graduate
students teaching a class that includes another student with whom the student has a relationship should not be
evaluating that student. The key language is as follows:
Where such a relationship exists, the person in the position of greater authority or power will
bear the primary burden of accountability, and must ensure that he or she—and this is
particularly important for teachers—does not exercise any supervisory or evaluative function
over the other person in the relationship. Where such recusal is required, the recusing party
must also notify his or her supervisor, department chair or dean, so that such chair, dean or
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
67
supervisor can exercise his or her responsibility to evaluate the adequacy of the alternative
supervisory or evaluative arrangements to be put in place.
✯
Sexual Harassment Policy Office: http://harass.stanford.edu/
The Center for Teaching and Learning–Teaching Commons is an especially valuable resource for TAs,
offering workshops on techniques, etc. Notification is disseminated via e-mail to all grad students. CTL has
developed some really useful tools to assist faculty, graduate students and other instructors in creating a
syllabus. This information may be found at https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/coursepreparation-resources/creating-syllabus.
✯
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL): https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/ctl
International-Student-TA English Screening
Before non-native-English-speakers can TA, they must be tested for English proficiency. Non-native-Englishspeaking permanent residents are NOT necessarily nor automatically exempted. Such students should check
with Tracey Riesen in the English for Foreign Students office (EFS—contact info below). If it is required and
not done, the student cannot be paid as a Teaching Assistant, so this is not a “soft” requirement!
Screening must be done well before TAing begins—preferably in the winter quarter of the first year of study
at Stanford, since summer is iffy and TAing starts in the fall. If the student does not pass the screening, the
course(s) he or she will be required to take is (are) offered in Spring quarter. Students do NOT need to prepare
for this screening, which consists of a simulated office-hour situation in which a student asks questions of the
TA. The EFS office in Axess will note “OK to TA” certification).
Students are asked to bring a textbook on the subject matter they will be teaching: since assignments may not
be made by the time this should be done, an undergraduate text from the student’s specialty will do. If you’re a
composer, for instance, see a professor who’s teaching Music 19, 21, 22, 23, or any of the 122 series; if you’re
a musicologist, see someone who teaches 40, 41, or 42; if you’re a CCRMAlite, see the instructor of Music
251, 220A/B/C, 250A/B, or 320.
✯
English for Foreign Students (EFS): http://www.stanford.edu/group/efs/
Work In Addition To Assistantship Appointment
As opportunities come up to make extra money (e.g., reading and grading papers and/or exams), please note
the university policies on hours:
 Students on a 50%-time assistantship (i.e. working 20 hours per week) may not be employed more
than an additional eight hours a week: those eight hours cannot be in another assistantship position.

International students on F-1 and J-1 visas are limited to a total of 20 hours of employment per
week, including their assistantship appointment. (TAships are considered to be 20 hours per week
(half-time)) [N.B. International students: Please check with the I-Center for up-to-date information
regarding summer work. http://icenter.stanford.edu/students/current/employment_oncampus.html]
Applied Music Lessons & Scholarship Support
Applied music lessons for music majors and music graduate students, are currently available at the cost of
$325 per quarter (these costs are in addition to fees for tuition credits). There are minimum-proficiency
68
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
requirements for private study, which may be found on the Music web site; acceptance into an instructor’s
studio is by audition. Audition signups are done online via the Music web site.
✯
Audition and Lesson Information: http://music.stanford.edu/Academics/LessonSignups.html
If you sign up for lessons, either in Axess or directly with an instructor, and THEN decide that
you do NOT wish to take lessons that quarter, you MUST drop the course in Axess prior to the
add/drop deadline – 5:00 PM on the third Friday of each quarter.
Failure to comply will result in your being billed for lessons!
The Friends of Music (FoM) at Stanford provides both full (to music majors and grads) and partial (to nonmajors) scholarship support to students who would be unable to take private lessons without financial
assistance. Funds to support these scholarships are raised by Friends members through fundraising activities
and private contributions. Each scholarship recipient is required to send a thank-you note to his or her patron,
to invite the patron to concerts in which he or she is performing, and to attend an orientation meeting and
scholarship reception (if you are sent an invitation).
Failure to do any of these things will result in the forfeiture of the scholarship: PLEASE read
the instructions accompanying the application completely to avoid heartache later!
✯
Music Lesson Scholarships: http://music.stanford.edu/Academics/ugradStudies.html - lessSchol
Musician-Referral Service for Off-Campus Teaching and Performing
The Department receives frequent requests for musicians to perform and/or teach off-campus. If you need the
income or the experience, please get your teacher’s written recommendation, and have your name entered in
the departmental list of Recommended Students.
The department keeps a “gig list” – an email list of students wishing to be informed of possible performance
opportunities on and off campus. If you’re interested in picking up some extra spending money and are happy
to perform for dinners, weddings, mall extravaganzas etc., contact the Receptionist, Ardis Walling about how
to get on the email gig list!
NOTE: Department facilities and instruments may NOT be used for private teaching [it is
Stanford University policy that no university facilities may be used for private gain]: all such
activity must take place outside the Music building!
Outside Fellowships, Post-Degree Plans, Career Planning And Placement
The department and the university encourage matriculated graduate students to apply for outside fellowships.
Registers of sources of outside fellowships, including brief descriptions and application deadlines, are
available in the Financial Aid Office, [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/finaid/grad/apply/index.html], and in the
Bechtel International Center (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter/orc/index.html) [for international
fellowships]. Current flyers are posted on the bulletin board in the back hallway, and any announcements
received from H&S or faculty are forwarded via e-mail to all grad students.
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
69
Information about Dissertation Fellowships in the Humanities is available at the Stanford Humanities Center
http://shc.stanford.edu/fellowships/stanford-graduate-students/.
Well in advance of his/her expected graduation, each student should consult with the major adviser and with
members of the reading committee concerning career plans and the strategies and conventions for obtaining
either outside fellowships or faculty positions. Announcements of faculty job openings are posted on the back
bulletin board and/or emailed to students (depending on how the information is sent to the department). A
completed placement folder should be on file at Career Development Center (CDC)
(http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/cdc). The CDC also offers group seminars and individual counseling for job
seekers.
Exchange Scholar Program
Open to matriculated graduate students, this program enables students to take courses not offered at Stanford.
Participating institutions include the University of California (Berkeley and San Francisco campuses), Brown
University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, and Yale University.
✯
Exchange Scholar Program (GAP 5.8): http://gap.stanford.edu/5-8.html
Please contact Sue Emory (emory@stanford.edu) for details about the exchange scholar program. Application for
Exchange Program at UC Berkeley or UC San Francisco:
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/registrar/files/exchange_stf-cal-ucsf.pdf
Support Services at Stanford
Stanford has a well established network of support services that includes: Counseling and Psychological
Services (CAPS), The Bridge Peer Counseling Center, graduate residence staff, the Office for Religious Life,
the Dean of Students Office, and the Graduate Life Office. To meet the needs of a diverse student body,
Stanford provides many points of contact for students seeking help. (A list of many of these resources, in no
particular order, is below.) Please know that you are always welcome to ask the office staff or faculty advisers
for assistance.
Graduate Life Office
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Vaden Health Center
CAPS
Office of Accessible Education
Diversity & Access Office
Bechtel International Center
Student Affairs
Office for Religious Life
Asian American Activities Center
Black Community Services Center
El Centro Chicano
Native American Cultural Program
LGBT Community Resources Center
Women’s Center
70
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/glo
http://vpge.stanford.edu/
http://vaden.stanford.edu/
http://vaden.stanford.edu/caps/
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/oae
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/diversityaccess/index.html
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/icenter/
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/
http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/cgi-bin/wordpress/
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/a3c
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/bcsc
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/elcentro
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/nacc
http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/lgbtcrc
http://www.stanford.edu/group/womenscntr/
Section Seven: Additional Information You Should Know!
Stanford University
94305-3076
Department of Music
(650) 725-3101
DMA Final Project Reading Committee Form
This form is used to appoint a DMA Reading Committee. The notice of appointment of a D.M.A. Final Project
Reading Committee should be submitted to the department at the same time as the approved final project proposal
and the completion of the special area exam. [NOTE: The University requires submission of the Reading Committee
Form prior to a student going TGR.] It is the responsibility of the student, with the advice of his or her adviser, to
approach appropriate faculty members and obtain their consent to serve on the reading committee.
The membership of the reading committee is the principal final project adviser and a minimum of two additional
members. [N.B. At least two (2) committee members will be Academic Council (i.e., Assistant, Associate, or Full
Professor, or other rank designated by the University). The third member may be someone with relevant expertise in
some aspect of the material of the defense and will be agreed to by both the candidate and the Doctoral Final Project
Adviser. A fourth member is optional.]
Each member of the final project reading committee will certify on the signature page for the final copy of the
project submitted to the University that the work is of acceptable scope and quality.
NAME: ______________________________________ Student No.: ________________________
Working Project Title: ________________________________________________________
The DMA Final Project reading committee will consist of:
Principal
Adviser
Second
Reader
Third
Reader
Other
(Optional)
Reader
Printed Name
Signature
Date
Printed Name
Signature
Date
Printed Name
Signature
Date
Printed Name
Signature
Date
Departmental Approval:
Department
Chair
Printed Name
Signature
Date
Dept Admin. Verification/PS Input:
Name
Date
71 ______________________________________________________________ Section Six: Requirements for the PhD in Musicology