The M.A. or M.M. degree is not a requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program, but it is assumed that most candidates for the Ph.D. degree will have successfully completed equivalent work.

There is no stipulated number of hours required. The major requirement is the official advancement to candidacy, after the successful completion of qualifying doctoral examinations, and examination in two foreign languages.

A typical course work program (beyond the Bachelor's degree) would include the following:

Credit Hours	Course Number	Course Name
6	MUS 381J.1 MUS 381J.2	Foundations of Musicology Foundations of Ethnomusicology
3	MUS 385J	Ethnographic and Analytical Methods
9		Three courses for the area of specialization (from music and/or other relevant departments such as anthropology, history, sociology, etc.)
24	MUS 385 MUS 385J	Eight graduate seminars on specific topics in musicology, at least two primarily historical. Graduate seminars on issues of music theory/analysis (MUS 688) may be elected with the Division's approval.
6	ANT	Two courses in anthropology / folklore chosen from ANT 389K, ANT 391, ANT 392M, ANT 392N, ANT 392P, ANT 393, ANT 394M; may include one appropriate upper-division undergraduate anthropology course
12		Four elective courses approved by the Division (based on the area counselor's recommendations), of which at least two will be in anthropology; may include one appropriate upper-division anthropology or area studies course.
6	MUS 698R	Doctoral Dissertation
66	Hours total

Ethnomusicology students are required to pass a language proficiency examination in one major world language (e.g. Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic) and a second foreign language related to the area of research, both to be approved by petition to the Division. Additional language study may be necessary, depending on the focus of the student's research.

The first language requirement should ideally be fulfilled by the end of the second semester of residence. The second language requirement must be fulfilled before advancement to candidacy for the doctoral degree, and ideally by the end of the fourth semester of residence.

Students are required to pass a comprehensive examination before being advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D.