All faculty are available to work with graduate students, and students can select any faculty that can help with their research goals. We aim to create an environment for scholarship and creative practice in which there are many avenues for guidance, feedback, and exchange. It is often the case that students work closely with several faculty members in addition to their officially designated advisor. Many of our PhD students include faculty from outside the department and outside the University on their preliminary exam committees and on their dissertation committees.

View music faculty profiles

We admit students with the expectation that they will complete the PhD. However, it is technically possible to leave Brown after completing the MA (and in rare cases this may be the recommendation of the faculty).

Visits to the Department are welcome, but the two programs vary on how visits can be arranged. Please note that visits are not required and do not increase your chances of admission. Admitted candidates will have an opportunity to visit campus before making a decision on whether to join us at Brown. If you just want to get a feel for the campus and/or you are visiting at a time when classes are not in session, you may participate in a general campus tour without arranging appointments in our department.

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

The program in Musicology and Ethnomusicology welcomes individual visits. You should schedule your visit for a time when classes are in session (see the university calendar). To increase your chances of meeting with a particular faculty member, you should visit campus on a day when s/he is teaching a graduate seminar and/or holding office hours. Contact the current Director of Graduate Studies for Musicology and Ethnomusicology if you would like to propose a date to visit.

Music and Multimedia Composition

The Music and Multimedia Composition program will host two virtual Open House events in Fall 2021, on October 22nd and November 12th. Prospective applicants can meet with program faculty and current students to get a more complete picture of the MMC program. We strongly encourage attendance at one of the Open Houses instead of a separate visit. Given the number of inquiries we receive and the need to be as equitable as possible in the application process, we do not schedule individual meetings with faculty. You can register for one of the Open House events here.