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Critical Studies in Music, the study of music and music literature in historical and cultural contexts, engages a broad range of disciplines in order to examine the art of music as an integral part of the human experience. Drawing from such fields as history, cultural studies, sociology, psychology, aesthetics, and many others, musicologists conduct research on a comprehensive array of topics – from theories of ancient music to contemporary trends in popular music – and share their discoveries through writing and teaching. Musicologists pursue varied careers in the music profession primarily as researchers, writers, and teachers.
At San Diego State University, candidates of the Master of Arts degree in Critical Studies in Music will have an opportunity to explore diverse musical topics in graduate seminars in music research, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music theory. After receiving training in research principles and techniques, and with the guidance of a faculty musicologist, each student in the program will embark on an individual research project on a topic of his or her own choice that will culminate in an original thesis. Students who graduate with the M.A. in Critical Studies in Music from SDSU will be prepared either to teach music history at the community college level or to apply for Ph.D. programs at high-ranking institutions.
