The information and program qualifications related to the Musicology Master of Arts Program, under the Department of Musicology and Music Theory of the Graduate School, are summarized below.
Information About The Program
Musicology is an interdisciplinary field in which musical phenomena are investigated through scientific methods; musical data are collected, analyzed, and interpreted together with their social contexts. As music is not only an aesthetic form of expression but also a reflection of societies’ historical experiences, intellectual structures, identities, and cultural values, musicology naturally intersects with various branches of the social sciences. Within this scientific framework, the field encompasses a broad range of areas including historical musicology, systematic musicology, ethnomusicology, folklore studies, and popular music research.
The Musicology Master’s Program offered by the ITU Graduate School provides a structure that enables students to conduct research within this multidimensional field, develop competence in scientific methods, and evaluate musical phenomena in their cultural, historical, and social dimensions. Accordingly, the program offers research environments that engage with disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, political science, linguistics, physics, and mathematics, allowing students to examine the relationships between music, culture, and society from diverse perspectives.
The curriculum covers a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from historical subjects and cultural performance theories to music-theory relations, identity, gender, and popular music studies. Through the Scientific Research, Ethic and Seminar courses, as well as the Thesis, students actively participate in academic production processes and gain experience in the practical application of musicological research methods. Throughout their studies, students may also benefit from the specialized music libraries, archives, and research infrastructure available within ITU.
With the approval of their advisors, students may take courses from other graduate programs to broaden their academic interests. For candidates coming from different disciplinary backgrounds, the scientific preparatory courses provide a foundational learning environment that supports their transition into the field of musicology. The program offers a comprehensive graduate education for students who are interested in the scientific study of music, value interdisciplinary thinking, and aim to develop original academic work.
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Program Profile
The Musicology Master’s Program aims to educate researchers who are competent in various areas of music scholarship, capable of interdisciplinary thinking, and able to evaluate cultural diversity within a scientific framework. The program seeks to equip students with the theoretical and methodological foundation necessary to examine musical phenomena in their historical, cultural, and social dimensions. In this direction, it supports the development of essential research skills such as designing studies, employing scientific methods, and collecting and analyzing data. Its interdisciplinary orientation enables students to interpret the social and cultural processes related to music with the contributions of different academic fields. The program provides a structure that allows students from diverse backgrounds to deepen their knowledge, develop original research, and attain the level of scholarly maturity required to participate in national or international academic environments.
Registration Requirements
Application Term : 2025-2026 Spring Semester
Application Dates : 10.11.2025 09:00:00 - 26.01.2026 17:00:00 ( UTC/GMT+3 )
Application Requirements (For T.C Nationality) ALES is not required. Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 2.75/4 (70.83/100). (1) Portfolio: Candidates must prepare a portfolio introducing their academic work and upload it to the system during the application. The portfolio should include the candidate’s CV, academic texts prepared during or after undergraduate education (such as graduation project, homework, thesis, project output, article, essay, blog post), links to audio recordings or videos containing scientific or artistic works, if any, and achievement/appreciation/participation certificates. (The portfolio can be uploaded as a file to the required document section in the application system or can be forwarded by providing an accessible link.) (2) Letter of Intent: Candidates must prepare a letter of intent containing their expectations from graduate education and their thoughts about the field they want to work in and upload it to the system during the application. (3) Reference Letter: At least 2 (two) reference letters are required for application. Reference letters must be completed online through the application system.
Quota (For T.C Nationality): 15
Application Requirements (For International Students) ALES is not required. Undergraduate GPA must be minimum 2.75/4 (70.83/100). (1) Portfolio: Candidates must prepare a portfolio introducing their academic work and upload it to the system during the application. The portfolio should include the candidate’s CV, academic texts prepared during or after undergraduate education (such as graduation project, homework, thesis, project output, article, essay, blog post), links to audio recordings or videos containing scientific or artistic works, if any, and achievement/appreciation/participation certificates. (The portfolio can be uploaded as a file to the required document section in the application system or can be forwarded by providing an accessible link.) (2) Letter of Intent: Candidates must prepare a letter of intent containing their expectations from graduate education and their thoughts about the field they want to work in and upload it to the system during the application. (3) Reference Letter: At least 2 (two) reference letters are required for application. Reference letters must be completed online through the application system.
Quota (For International Students): 5
Transfer Quota : 2
Click here for quotas and conditions for all semesters. Application Page Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles
Application requirements, application dates, and quotas are updated in real-time from the Application System.
Program Learning Environments
Classroom and Academic Learning Environment: Program courses are conducted by the faculty members of the ITU Turkish Music State Conservatory in the conservatory’s classrooms. Students have the opportunity to work directly with instructors who specialize in different areas, benefiting from a structured and interactive academic learning environment.
Research, Seminar, and Thesis Work: In addition to program courses, students gain experience in conducting research, evaluating data, and engaging in academic production through the Scientific Research, Ethics and Seminar course and the thesis process. These components constitute the program’s applied learning environment and support the development of students’ independent research skills.
Library and Archive Resources: Throughout the program, students have access to ITU libraries and archive collections, which provide materials for both historical and contemporary music studies. This infrastructure offers an important learning environment that supports students’ research processes.
Interdisciplinary Course Opportunities: With the approval of their advisors, students may take courses from other graduate programs, thereby expanding their learning environments. This flexibility allows them to build an interdisciplinary academic foundation aligned with their interests.
Scientific Preparatory Courses: For students coming from outside the field, the Scientific Preparatory Program - including the courses “Makam Theory,” “Music History,” “Music Theory,” and “Research Methods in Music” - provides an additional learning environment that facilitates adaptation to the program.
MasterBee
English Proficiency
Regulations and Guidelines
Academic Calendar
Course Plans
Course Schedules
Course Adjustment and Exemption Procedures
Program Educational Objectives
1. Graduates of the program are preferred in area of musicological knowledge.
2. Graduates have many opportunities to do a career in the sub-fields of musicology, such as historical musicology, systematic musicology, and ethnomusicology.
3. Graduates work at the universities and institutions which realize the applying musicological theories in.
4. Graduates take charge in technical or consultant ship status, such as collection and analyzing of datas via musicological and ethnomusicological view.
5. Graduates have a chance the cultural wealth of our country via their own scientific newly projects.
6. Graduates study on the methods and researches for the musicological repertoire of Turkey, and try to reveal new approaches for that area.
7. Graduates are able to translate the international works to Turkish.
Measurement and Evaluation
Evaluating Student Success
The student success is evaluated considering Articles 56, 57, 58, and 59 of the Istanbul Technical University Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles.
ARTICLE 56 - Before the enrollment for the courses begins, the faculty member who offers the course informs the Program Executive Committee about the types, number and contribution percentage to the final grade of the studies within the semester, as well as requirements for a right to take the semester final exam. These requirements shall be finalized by approval of the Program Executive Committee and approval of the chair of the department, who declares them to the student and informs the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 57 - A student may appeal the final grade of a course within one week following the announcement of the grades. Appeals must be submitted to the Graduate School in writing. The relevant faculty member shall re-evaluate the student's success status and submit the result to the Graduate School within one week. Appeals not submitted within the prescribed time frame shall not be considered by the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 58 - Courses in graduate programs shall be evaluated according to the following grading system.
| Grade Description |
Grade |
Scale |
| Excellent |
AA |
4.00 |
| Very good plus |
BA+ |
3.75 |
| Very good |
BA |
3.50 |
| Good plus |
BB+ |
3.25 |
| Good |
BB |
3.00 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB+ |
2.75 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB |
2.50 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC+ |
2.25 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC |
2.00 |
| Fail |
FF |
0.00 |
| Fail(No Exam) |
VF |
0.00 |
ARTICLE 59 - Students who wish to improve their cumulative grade point average may retake courses during the course-taking period. The most recent grade will be counted for the repeated courses.
Internship
There is no internship in this program.
Graduation Requirements
The student accomplish 24 credits in total (compulsory 12 credits, elective 12 credits), seminar and graduation project.
The Awarded Degree and Title
Degree : Master of Arts Title : -
Program Employment Opportunities
Graduates of the program are musicologist who work as a researcher, academician, lecturer, musicographe, music reviewer, program productor, consultant.
Number of Graduates
Graduate Statistics (Last Five Years)
| Year | Number of Graduates |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 |
Program Outcomes
P.O.1 To develop his/her own musicological knowledge in line with this and conceive the interaction with other disciplines.
P.O.2 As a professional, to apply academicals knowledge, to interpret the different datas from other disciplines, to compose newly approaches, to solve the problems in the field by means of the research methods.
P.O.3 To perform a musicological work individually, to be leader for the solving problems during the process, to develop newly strategical approaches and taking the charge for the solutions.
P.O.4 To transfer his/her own studies to the national or international groups of people by supporting with the recent trends in musicology and technological abilities by speaking an European language at least B2 level.
P.O.5 To investigate and develop the social relations and the norms of this relations via critical approaches, and move for changes if need be.
P.O.6 To inspect and teach in the process of collection, interpretation, application and publishing musicological datas, with respect to the social, scientific, cultural and ethical values.
Program Coordinator
Head of the Department
Links