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. Students in this integrated program design a course of study incorporating their individual interests and a broad-based approach to contemporary music research. Specializations are offered in composition, music theory and cognition, music education, and musicology.
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.