Financial Support for Graduate Study in Musicology

Teaching Assistantships

We strongly believe that students are best prepared for an academic career by teaching under the supervision of an experienced professor. Therefore, the bulk of financial support for graduate students in musicology is through assistantships. The majority of entering Ph.D. students are offered full assistantships renewable for a total of three years. These assistantships carry an initial stipend of about $10,000, increasing each year to about $11,000 by the third year, plus full tuition (students must, however, pay some fees). For the first two years, each Teaching Assistant is usually assigned two sections (60 students each) of Introduction to Music for non-majors, for which they are fully responsible (with the exception of textbook selection, which is done for all sections together). In the third year, Teaching Assistants may be assigned other history courses for non-majors, such as Symphonic Music, Vocal Music, History of Jazz, or American Music. We are not usually able to award Teaching Assistantships to students in the M.A. program

University Fellowships

Entering and returning graduate students at either the M.A. or Ph.D. level are eligible to apply for several non-servivce fellowships offered by the Graduate School; some of these are competitive campus-wide (including a Dissertation Year Fellowship), and others are designated for students in the School of Music.  For application information, see UK Graduate Scholarships and Financial Assistance.

The Rey M. Longyear Dissertation Fellowship

Each year, one student with an approved Ph.D. dissertation proposal will be awarded a one-year non-service fellowship of $11,000 for research and writing of the dissertation. Students should indicate their interest, in writing, to the Coordinator of the Division of Musicology by March 15. See more information.

Farmer Scholarships

Every other year, or sometimes every year, depending on funding, we offer a partial scholarship from the Farmer Fund to a graduate student in musicology, often a first-year masters student. Awards are based on merit and need.

Part-time Instructorships

Doctoral students who have completed their three years of T.A. support, or who are not otherwise supported, may be offered the opportunity to teach additional classes for non-majors. The stipend for these is equivalent to that for the T.A., but contracts are usually for only one semester or one year at a time. They are, however, renewable indefinitely, as long as the student continues to make progress. In recent semesters, we have offered 8-10 such classes, some of them in on-line format, so nearly all students in the Ph.D. program continue to be supported.

Travel and Research Funding

Graduate students at either the M.A. or Ph.D. level may apply for research and travel support through the Rey M. Longyear Musicology Research and Travel Fund. This provides reimbursement for dissertation and thesis research and for travel to professional meetings. Students are also eligible for support from the Graduate School and from the Friends of the U.K. School of Music (PDF application form).