Graduate Programs
Update on graduate admissions:
- For the fall 2025 application cycle, admissions for the MFA (all emphases) and for the PhD in History and Theory of Music (HTM) are suspended.
- In fall 2025, we will only be accepting graduate program applications for the PhD in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT).
Graduate Programs
The Department of Music's graduate programs give students the opportunity to work with scholars, performers, and creative practitioners of national and international standing, in three core graduate programs:
- MFA in Performance
- PhD in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT)
- PhD in the History and Theory of Music (HTM)
Each of these graduate degrees furnishes students with the core intellectual, performance, and creative tools for pursuing musical research, while also encouraging independent research and practice. More information is available on the pages linked above, as well as the corresponding degree pages in the Music Department section of the UCI Catalogue.
All Music graduate students receive funding support and opportunities to be employed as a Teaching Assistant. In addition, through the Decade Mentor Program—an arm of the Office of Inclusive Excellence—the Department of Music is committed to fostering an inclusive environment within our graduate programs to promote diversity within the graduate student population campuswide.
Newly admitted and current graduate students should consult the UCI Department of Music Graduate Handbook for detailed information on policies and resources.
Contacts:
- Department Chair: Professor Michael Dessen, mdessen@uci.edu
- Graduate Director: Professor Kojiro Umezaki, kumezaki@uci.edu
- Department Manager: Peter Chang, pechang@uci.edu
- Department Analyst: Esther Chae, eschae@uci.edu
- CTSA Student Affairs and Academic Advising: https://www.arts.uci.edu/student-affairs-office
