The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia unanimously approved a proposal yesterday to establish a Ph.D. program in music at the University.
In 2001 the McIntire Department of Music will admit its first doctoral candidates, who will complete their degrees in 2006.
Scott Goodman, chairman of SCHEV's Planning Committee, said the proposal met all the criteria for approval including quality of faculty and student demand. Goodman said the overall quality of the program is unsurpassed.
SCHEV spokesman Paul Nardo said the Council was impressed by the uniqueness of the program. "The program will be the only Ph.D. program for music in the Commonwealth, so it was extremely attractive to the Council," Nardo said.
Virginia is the only southeastern state that does not have a Ph.D program in music.
Suzanne Cusick, director of graduate studies for the music department, said the curriculum includes two main programs: Critical and Comparative Studies and Composition Studies.
The composition program will emphasize using new computer technology to compose classical and modern music.
"The program will produce people that will be involved in production of computer and Web-based music," Cusick said. "We hope to train students in this novel type of music [as well as] traditional types."
She said the Critical and Comparative Studies Program will train Ph.D. candidates who most likely will become college professors.
She added that the greatest strengths of the music department are gender studies and a focus on African and Diaspora music.
In gender studies and African music "the music faculty in Critical and Comparative Studies and Composition Studies are widely considered the best in the country," Cusick said. "In those areas, Music Studies is widely considered to be a cutting edge institution of the Ph.D. program."
She said the new Ph.D. program will benefit the University in many ways.
"We assume that we will attract more graduate students that will be involved in musical programming [and] enhancing musical life at the University," Cusick said.
The Music Department has been drafting a proposal for a Ph.D. program for the past eight years and working to raise funds for the past two years.
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