PhD Admission

Welcome to the Bienen School of Music!

The Bienen School of Music's distinctive PhD program is structured to take full advantage of the many and varied academic opportunities available at Northwestern University. Specializations are offered in composition and music technology, music theory and cognition, music education, and musicology.

Students in this integrated program design a course of study incorporating their individual interests and a broad-based approach to contemporary music research. A unique aspect of this program is a cognate area requirement in a non-music field such as cultural studies, social sciences, learning sciences, humanities, arts, or communication studies.

Each student pursues a major field of study in close consultation with a faculty advisor. Faculty coordinators who assist with assignment of advisors are:

Jay Alan Yim, Composition and Music Technology
Sarah Bartolome, Music Education
Daniel Shanahan, Music Theory and Cognition
Andrew Talle, Musicology

Financial Aid

All students who enroll in one of the PhD degree programs in music will receive a full tuition waiver for five years, a monthly living stipend and a subsidy for Northwestern student health insurance.

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Renowned Faculty

At the core of the Bienen School’s outstanding musical education is its faculty, consisting of more than 120 performers, composers and scholars.

Meet the Faculty