Graduate Programs
Graduate Programs
The Department of Music at UCI is a leading center for graduate musical study. Our graduate programs give students the opportunity to work with scholars, performers, and creative practitioners of national and international standing in the Department’s three core graduate programs
- MFA in Performance (Instrumental and Vocal Arts)
- PhD in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT)
- PhD in the History and Theory of Music (HTM). NOTE: Application to the HTM PhD program is temporarily suspended for the 2024-2025 academic year.
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.
UCI provides its graduate students with a culture of intellectual support and exchange, through the faculty and the graduate student community. All three graduate programs at the Department of Music offer two years of course work, as well as providing Teaching Assistantships and access to Professional Development Training. In addition to the main dissertation or project advisor, students are taught and assessed by a panel of experts composed of representatives of Music and cognate disciplines. 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. Three department series are run throughout the academic year that showcase examples of the excellent work and the latest developments in music research and practice being undertaken at the UCI Department of Music:
- Faculty Artist Series
- Gassmann Electronic Music Series
- Music History and Music Theory Guest Lecture Series
View the UCI Department of Music Graduate Handbook, which contains a wealth of useful information and advice.
If you have a question on any of our graduate programs, please email the Department of Music Office at music@uci.edu.
Department Supports and Resources
Department Chair
Michael Dessen, mdessen@uci.edu
Department Graduate Director
Kojiro Umezaki, kumezaki@uci.edu
Department Manager
Peter Chang, pechang@uci.edu
Department Analyst
Esther Chae, eschae@uci.edu
CTSA Student Affairs, ArtsCounselor@uci.edu
Academic Counseling & Orientation
School Supports and Resources
CTSA Graduate Research Colloquium
University Supports
UCI Office of Inclusive Excellence
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services
Associated Students of UCI (ASUCI)
Associated Graduate Students of UCI (AGS)