Our Curriculum

The undergraduate curriculum in the department is taught as a dual-major track, and starting from the second year, students may be admitted to a single-major track.

The undergraduate curriculum emphasizes the study of music as a cultural, emotional, national, political, religious, cognitive, and other forms of expression. In this spirit, a wide variety of courses are offered in the history of Western music, musical anthropology, and music theory—from ancient Greece to the early 21st century.

During the course of study, the dynamics of musical change over time are examined: Does music evolve in an evolutionary manner, or in relation to broader historical processes? What are the syntactic principles of music? How do sounds, chords, or rhythmic values work together? How do we perceive music, and why does it move us emotionally? How can music reflect emotional states or socio-political realities? Is there such a thing as distinctively Jewish or Israeli music, or is it more accurate to speak of "music in Jewish culture or in Israel"? What is the relationship between different types of music such as popular music, folk music, and art music? What is the connection between gender and music? What tools can help us interpret music today?

In addition, students in the department will study non-Western music, Jewish musical traditions, Israeli art and popular music, psychoacoustics and organology, issues in musical aesthetics and semiotics, ideological foundations and political aspects of music, music cognition, and more. The wide range of topics offered to students will not only help them understand the place of music in society and culture but will also equip them with tools for writing in the field, engaging in cultural criticism, pursuing future research, as well as for careers in cultural management and in both electronic and print media.
Information for prospective students can be found here. For further details please see our shnaton. 

We offer a dedicated track for undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Musicology, within the Faculty of Humanities, which allows them to combine music education studies during their degree.

The dedicated track is based on the following principles:

Students wishing to join the dedicated track must pass an admission interview and meet the acceptance criteria of the Department of Teacher Education. Only those approved jointly by the Department of Musicology and the Department of Teacher Education will be eligible for the benefits detailed below.

Program Scope:

• For students studying during or after their undergraduate degree: 48 credit points (CP); Outstanding students (with an average above 90): 44 CP. Note: A significant portion of the credit load involves practical training hours.
• The program can be spread over a period of 2 to 4 semesters, depending on the student’s capacity.
• As part of the “Cornerstone Courses” (general education) required of all BA students in the Department of Musicology, participants in the dedicated track can count 2 CP in education studies: either Development and Adolescence or Education and Society (which are considered social sciences courses).

The track will follow a “personalized program” format as part of the Ministry of Education’s “Academia-Classroom” program. In this framework, students spend 10 hours per week throughout the year in a school alongside a mentor teacher, allowing for meaningful hands-on experience and practical learning in the educational field.

Teaching studies may be taken concurrently with or after the degree. The teaching certificate can only be awarded once confirmation of completing the BA has been received.

Students from the Department of Musicology who study in the program during their degree will be eligible for a 60% tuition scholarship (for the teaching certificate tuition), granted by the Department of Musicology. The scholarship will be awarded after one semester of education studies.

Applicants from outside the Department of Musicology who meet the admission requirements may also participate in the program, but without the designated scholarship.

For further details, contact Dr. Boaz Tzabar, Humanities Education Coordinator in the Department of Teacher Education.

Details about the registration process can be found on the Department of Teacher Education website.

The structure of the music teaching program for BA graduates can be found at [this link].

Teaching studies are in addition to the undergraduate degree.

The cost of the teaching certificate is subsidized by the department at 60%.

The Department of Musicology admits outstanding students to its graduate programs. The Master’s degree is offered in two tracks:

• Art Music
• Ethnomusicology and Jewish Music Traditions

The track focused on Western art music is grounded in the historical development of Western art music in relation to cultural and social history. Its main areas of emphasis include historical, theoretical, analytical, aesthetic-cultural, and cognitive approaches. The Ethnomusicology and Jewish Music track emphasizes research methods for oral musical traditions, particularly Jewish music and music from the Middle East and North Africa.

There are two tracks for the Master’s degree—Research-Oriented and Non-Research (Theoretical). The research-oriented Master’s requires the writing of an original, research-based thesis and is suited for students aiming to pursue academic research and continue to a doctoral degree. Admission to the Master’s program requires an undergraduate GPA of 90 or above for the research track, or 80 or above for the theoretical track.

The research track may require proficiency in a second foreign language at an advanced level, depending on the student's research topic (e.g., German, French, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, etc.). It is recommended that students intending to pursue a Master’s degree begin studying a second foreign language at the beginner level during their undergraduate studies.

The theoretical Master’s track does not require a second foreign language and is suitable for students aiming to work in education, musical performance, cultural management, music production, or music journalism.

Applicants with undergraduate degrees from non-university institutions or in fields adjacent to musicology will be required to complete a set amount of “supplementary studies,” as determined based on their undergraduate transcripts and a writing sample

Admission Requirements for the Research-Oriented Master’s Track:

• A final grade of 90 or above in the relevant undergraduate major and overall undergraduate GPA.
• For students in a supplementary studies year: an undergraduate GPA above 90, and a GPA of at least 90 in a minimum of 16 credit points of supplementary coursework.

Continuing in the research track requires securing an academic advisor by the end of the first semester of the Master’s program. Students who do not find an advisor will be transferred to the theoretical track.

University Registration:

Students who studied in Israel register through the Registration and Admissions Department of the Hebrew University using the university’s online registration system.

Faculty of Humanities Registration:

• After applying through the Hebrew University registration portal, applicants will receive an email with account details (username and password) and a direct link to the Faculty of Humanities registration site.
• In the internal registration form for the Faculty of Humanities, applicants may apply to up to three departments, in order of preference. Applications are processed in that order.
• All details must be completed, and documents must be attached according to the requirements listed in the registration system.

Please Note: Applications will not be processed if either of the two registration steps is incomplete or if required documents are missing.

Applicants who studied abroad must register through the International Student Admissions Office – 02-5882607.

The PhD program in Musicology is intended for students who wish to become part of the research community and contribute to the creation of knowledge across the various branches of musicology—historical musicology and cultural studies, ethnomusicology, music cognition, art music, popular music, music and technology, pedagogy, and more. The program also aims to cultivate leadership at the local, regional, national, and international levels in the field of musicology.

With an emphasis on research and broad exposure to diverse approaches to analyzing and understanding musical practices within human society, along with hands-on teaching experience, the program is designed to prepare students for a wide range of roles in musicology, both in research and education.

To apply, candidates must contact the Authority for Research Students at the university.

Joint PhD in Musicology–Composition

To apply, please write to: JlmPhDComposition@jamd.ac.il

Essential information about the program can be found [here].

Admission:

1. A portfolio will be considered equivalent to a Master’s thesis in this program. Applicants must present either a thesis or a composition portfolio and must meet the same academic requirements as in the Department of Musicology: a Master’s GPA of 85 and a thesis/portfolio grade of 90.
2. The application process will go through the Hebrew University via the Authority for Research Students. Candidates meeting the program's criteria will be reviewed by a departmental committee in the Musicology Department. This committee will include a representative from the Academy of Music, specifically for evaluating candidates to the joint program. The committee will forward its recommendation to the Authority for Research Students, which will decide whether to approve and admit the candidate, as it does for all PhD applicants.
3. The requirement to find a supervisor before admission will be waived for this program. Applicants may be accepted before securing a supervisor, but must find two supervisors—one from the Academy of Music and one from the Musicology Department—by the end of the first semester of their studies. It is agreed that failure to secure supervisors by this time will result in termination of the student’s enrollment. This policy may be reconsidered after a few students are admitted under these conditions.
4. The transition from Stage A to Stage B of the PhD must occur within two years from the date of admission, as is standard in all PhD tracks. In this program, the transition is also subject to approval by the program heads and requires that the student has passed the candidacy examination, completed required coursework, and submitted both a research proposal and a composition proposal.
5. As with all PhD students, those in this program will undergo a second committee review at the end of two years following their transition to Stage B.

Duration and Evaluation of the Doctorate:

1. The duration of the doctorate in this program will follow the standard at the Hebrew University—up to five years of study.
2. The evaluation process will be handled entirely by the Authority for Research Students, in coordination with the Department of Musicology and the Academy of Music. The dissertation will be reviewed by two evaluators for the composition and two for the written thesis. A single evaluator may assess both components. A list of potential reviewers will be provided to the Authority.

The PhD will be awarded only if both components—the composition and the theoretical/research paper—are deemed by the reviewers to be of doctoral quality.