Music Theory PhD Statistics?

mamenyu
Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:30:18 +0000

Oberlin has a recent theory prof. with tenure from CUNY but she was an Oberlin grad and I think her husband also teaches at Oberlin. Oberlin also has an arrangement with CUNY to hire new grads to teach at Oberlin in the theory department - aural skills and the 4 part theory sequence; most do not get hired onto the tenure track.
Although Oberlin is an undergraduate institution and the conservatory is mostly for performers, it has an unusually large theory department and its tenured professors have published - you can’t get tenure at Oberlin without being pretty much a superstar these days.
At most schools, an assistant professor does not have tenure; at most schools, associate professors do have tenure, but there are exceptions. I believe at Columbia you can be an “associate professor” but not get tenure.
There are more than 3 jobs in musicology in any one year. There are more jobs overall in musicology/ethno than in theory for tenure track positions - there are simply more schools with musicology departments, by a longshot. But the job market, in a word, sucks. In recent years, there has been an increased use of adjuncts.
At some schools, theory is taught by composers (hence composition/theory); for example, at UC Berkeley, the undergraduate aural skills and musicianship courses are taught by lecturers and composers; courses like Counterpoint are taught by composers.
If you/your kid want to go to grad school, it is imperative to do a lot of research about the programs, read the admissions requirements and the descriptions of the degree requirements, and if possible, try to talk to professors at the schools you are interested in.