Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Master's: 44
Required Courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| MUED 8622 | Res Mus Psychotherapy | 3 |
| MUED 8624 | Research in Music Medicine | 3 |
| MUED 9611 | Theory Development in Music Therapy | 3 |
| MUED 9641 | Music Therapy Doctoral Seminar | 3 |
| Electives 1 | ||
| Music, Music Therapy, and/or Non-Music Courses | 14 | |
| Research, including 6 credits in Statistics | 12 | |
| Research Course | ||
| MUED 9999 | Doctoral Dissertation | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 44 | |
- 1
Advisor approval required.
Additional Requirements:
Grading:
For doctoral degrees, only grades of "B-" and higher may be counted toward degree requirements.
Tuition and Fee Payments:
All tuition and fees must be paid according to the deadlines given by the Bursar's Office at the time of registration. This means that all payments must be received prior to the first day of the term in which the course is offered—not prior to the first day of the course, which in Music Therapy may be very late in the term. When payments are not received by the University deadlines for each term, registrations are automatically canceled, and late fees are imposed for reregistering. Often students do not receive written notification of this until well into the term. Students are encouraged to be punctual in meeting all registration deadlines, as failure to do so is very costly in time, effort and money.
Professional Development Policy:
In addition to taking the required subjects for their degrees, all students in the Boyer College of Music and Dance are obligated to serve in a number of capacities in order to enrich their academic and musical expertise. Boyer College of Music and Dance believes that such experiences give impetus to successful professional careers. Among the duties that may be required are conducting laboratory classes; tutoring; teaching private lessons; coaching; participating in the distribution and inventory control of Temple University-owned musical instruments and instructional materials; participating in ensembles; accompanying; performing at admissions and open house events; supervising performance classes; and engaging in other academic activities.
Acceptable English:
All students, including those for whom English is not the native language, are expected to present all written work in acceptable English. No double standard exists to differentiate students on the basis of proficiency in the use of the English language. Students are also responsible for becoming familiar with the College's statement on plagiarism and academic honesty.
Applied Music Study:
- Graduate students in non-performing curricula may take up to 6 credits of applied study toward the degree with the permission of the major advisor. Such non-required lessons may be taken only if the student can pass the normal graduate-level performing audition expected of performance majors. In this event, a fee of $200, not covered by tuition remission, is charged.
- Regardless of major, graduate students with a demonstrable performing proficiency that may not meet the more rigorous requirements of a graduate-level audition may, by audition, qualify to take 2 credits of applied study per term for graduate credit. These courses carry a fee of $400 plus tuition and may be applied to the non-performing curriculum for degree credit. Up to 6 credits may be taken with the approval of the major advisor.
- Graduate assistantships and other forms of University-sponsored financial aid do not cover private lesson or Recital Extension fees.
Incompletes:
All incomplete grades must be fulfilled by the first day of the month in which the student expects to graduate.
Culminating Events:
Preliminary Examination:
The preliminary examination is designed to test the student's knowledge of the literature; research competence in both quantitative and qualitative paradigms; ability to integrate theory, research and practice; ability to contextualize one's own work within the field; ability to project solutions to disciplinary and professional issues; and ability to synthesize and evaluate one's own learning. It has two components: scholarly projects and the oral defense.
- Scholarly projects originate from specific assignments given in required doctoral courses and, depending on the project, may be completed with additional faculty supervision through other elective courses (e.g., research apprenticeship). Ultimately, the project must go significantly beyond any course assignment, and it may not duplicate any previous projects completed by the student outside of the degree program. At least three Music Therapy faculty independently grade each preliminary examination project using a 5-point rating scale. A passing average grade for each question is 3.
- The oral defense covers any of the topics addressed in the written projects. The oral examiners are the same Music Therapy faculty members who scored the scholarly projects. Upon completion of the oral defense, the examining committee determines whether the student passed or failed. If any portion is failed, the committee specifies in writing whether permission is granted to retake various portions of the examination, and the conditions under which such permission is granted. Students are given only one opportunity to retake the examination or portion thereof. Students should contact the Doctoral Coordinator of the Music Therapy PhD program for more details regarding the nature of the examination questions.
Upon completion of 30 credits, the student requests permission from the Doctoral Coordinator to take the examination. Upon consultation with the Music Therapy faculty, the Doctoral Coordinator schedules the exam. The oral part can be scheduled three weeks after the student submits the written part.
Proposal:
The proposal must include the student's background and experience with the research topic; an articulate and comprehensive review of the literature; a clear statement of the research problem and questions to be answered; and a proposed methodology. Upon approval of a Doctoral Advisory Committee, the student works with the major advisor to prepare the proposal. In the process, the student consults other members of the committee. Each member of the Doctoral Advisory Committee must approve and sign the final proposal. Once all members have signed the title page, the student copies the final proposal and delivers within 30 days one copy to each member of the Doctoral Advisory Committee, the department chair, the Associate Dean, and the Graduate School. The dissertation proposal must be approved before the student may register for MUED 9999 Doctoral Dissertation.
Dissertation:
The purpose of the dissertation is to contribute new knowledge or insight to any aspect of Music Therapy. The dissertation is overseen by the Doctoral Advisory Committee, which consists of at least three members, two from the department and one from outside the department. The committee works together to guide the student toward completion of dissertation research, with the chair coordinating these efforts. In addition to the Doctoral Advisory Committee, one or two graduate faculty may serve as examiners for the defense. These examiners are expected to read and evaluate the student's dissertation and, with the Doctoral Advisory Committee, determine whether it is acceptable, needs revision, or is unacceptable. The dissertation must meet the various expectations of quality from each member of the Doctoral Advisory Committee. A major criterion shall be whether the student has demonstrated scholastic excellence in carrying out the research project as proposed.
The Doctoral Advisory Committee determines when the dissertation is ready for defense. Upon obtaining approval to defend, the major advisor asks the Associate Dean to assign outside readers. The advisor makes all the necessary arrangements for scheduling the defense. The "Announcement of Oral Defense" form bearing signatures of all of the Dissertation Examining Committee members must be submitted to the Associate Dean at least one month prior to the requested defense date. Upon receiving approval to defend, the Associate Dean announces the dissertation defense to the academic community.
To make a change in a committee, the student petitions the Doctoral Coordinator of the program or the Associate Dean. Upon appropriate consultation with all parties pertinent to the petition, the Associate Dean makes the final determination. The change also must be communicated to the Graduate School.