Guide for Applying to Graduate Schools in Ethnomusicology

Created by Jan Koplow Villavicencio and edited by the Rising Voices Editorial Team. Last updated August 2023.

We are excited you are interested in applying to graduate school in ethnomusicology! The process for applying to graduate school can be stressful, particularly as many processes are new and students sometimes have little support. Here is a guide that we hope will help you to make this process more manageable. Please keep in mind that the application process varies across universities and for each student. There are many ways to apply for graduate school; this guide is intended to offer suggestions and methods that have worked for successful applicants in the past. 

Securing a place in graduate school, and an academic position afterwards, is admittedly challenging. We encourage all potential applicants to think about their career goals and objectives from the beginning of the application process. We’d also like to acknowledge that ethnomusicological knowledge can be learned and created in spaces outside of graduate programs. Ethnomusicologists thrive in a variety of environments, including community organizations, nonprofits, musical archives, ensembles, and libraries. Exploring these options in your areas of interest is a fantastic alternative or addition to graduate studies! 

Please note that this document is created by graduate students and is not an official statement of SEM. We recommend that you begin with the sample step-by-step application checklist that Jan Koplow, a current first year at Duke University, created after successfully applying for graduate school in 2022. Next, navigate through Jan’s tips for the various types of documents you will likely need to submit:

Resumé/CV
Personal Statement
Statement of Purpose
Asking for Letters of Recommendation
Contacting Current Graduate Students
Contacting Potential Advisors

Finally, read through advice from Rising Voices Staff for general tips and tricks for applying. Best of luck!