Well-rounded Degree, Superior Career Training
Our Doctor of Arts in Music with Music History and Literature emphasis provides you with first-rate preparation for faculty positions—and makes a strong impression on hiring committees. UNC gives you the opportunity to work with preeminent music historians and educators who offer strong guidance and mentorship. You’ll get exceptional professional training for a faculty career, including hands-on experience as a college teacher.
UNC’s Music History and Literature D.A. program stands out for its high standards of scholarship and rigor. You’ll have wide latitude to focus your research on topics that meet your academic interests and advance your career goals. And you’ll belong to vibrant community of nearly 500 extraordinary young musicians, with the ability to perform compositions from almost any period of music history, anywhere in the world.
Degree Option
D.A. in Music: Music History and Literature Concentration
The D.A. in Music: Music History and Literature requires 67 to 71 credits. Work closely with a faculty advisor to select a course program and research focus, with wide latitude to specialize in areas that fit your interests. You’ll take coursework in college pedagogy and complete a supervised practicum in college teaching. The degree concludes with a doctoral dissertation based on original research.
Take the next step! Explore courses, contact information and admission requirements.
Your Future in Music History and Literature
UNC graduates enter the faculty job market with an extremely well-rounded set of professional skills. You’ll excel as a researcher, writer, performer and college-level education, with strong teaching skills that few faculty candidates possess. UNC’s School of Music has a national reputation as training ground for music teachers and scholars, so you’ll approach employers with a highly regarded credential that can open doors for your career.
Consider UNC's Music History and Literature D.A. if you want to:
- Teach music history and literature at a university or college
- Produce first-rate research and writing
- Integrate scholarship with live performance
- Train with some of the nation’s preeminent music historians
You’ll learn:
- College-level teaching
- Research
- Music history and literature from multiple cultural periods
Sample courses:
- College Teaching
- Analytical Studies in Music
- Music in the Renaissance
- Introduction to Doctoral Research
Beyond the Classroom
UNC's Music History and Literature D.A. program offers a wide range of opportunities to share your research beyond the UNC campus. Our doctoral students have an excellent record of academic publishing, with articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Early Music,Pendragon Review, Journal of Musicological Research, Choral Journal, and ITA Journal. You can also attend meetings and make presentations at conferences and meetings, including the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Musicological Society.
Where can your degree take you?
- College or university faculty in music history and literature
- Performing or conducting, with focus on historical composers and genres
- Research and writing
Ready for what's next? Here's what you need to know.
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