A Program towards a Ph.D. in Music Composition In collaboration with the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance

At the Hebrew University in Jerusalem: The Faculty of Humanities, The Department of Musicology, The Authority for Research Students / Committee for non- experimental Sciences 
At the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance: The Faculty of Composition, Conducting and Music Education, The Department of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory. 
The creative content and materials and seminars in composition will be under the responsibility of JAMD's senior faculty. All subjects pertinent to the writing of the theoretical paper and the relevant courses and seminars will be the responsibility of the Hebrew University.
The final degree of Ph.D. will be given by the Hebrew University in collaboration with the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Throughout his/her studies, each candidate will be accompanied by an individual composition tutor at JAMD and a senior faculty member at the Hebrew University in addition to the committees listed below. The two tutors will be approved by the HUJI.
The Ph.D. program is intended for outstanding graduates of MA or M.Mus. programs in composition at recognized Israeli and international institutions. The Ph.D. program will provide an academic and artistic environment of international level, attractive to a multi-national student population.

The program's structure: obligatory and elective courses, seminars, with regard to second-degree studies with or without thesis.
As practiced in theoretical sciences doctoral studies, the study program is to be designed ad hoc, to match the candidate's work. 6 credits in each institution. 

Specialization programs (if any)
The advising of the combined dissertation proposal is divided between the two institutions according to areas of specialty.

Conditions for passing from one year to another
Supervision of the candidate's passing from one year to another will be conducted by the Supervising Committee.

Definition of requirements - the sum of all learning hours and credits, including exams and additional requirements (such as languages, etc.) 
The overall frame of the program's courses is of 12 credits, to be equally divided between the two institutions. This frame is fixed. Any suggested qualitative adjustments are to be included in this quantitative frame, and according to her/his Combined Dissertation Proposal for the composition and essay.
The first two years during which the individual composition instructor works with the Ph.D. student, which normally yield 8 credits, will be counted in the doctoral program as 2 credits only, out of the 12 required credits. At the third year the individual composition instructor will continue to accompany the student until the completion of the dissertation compositional work (paralleling the practice of doctoral supervision at the university which is not recorded as credits) . The essay advisor at the Hebrew University will accompany the student until the completion of the task.

Qualifying Examination and dissertation proposal
At the end of the first year the student will take a comprehensive examination (part 1 below). Successful completion of this examination will allow the student to advance to the Composition and Dissertation Essay proposals (part 2 below).

Part 1: Comprehensive Examination
The comprehensive examination (combined written and oral) will focus on varied repertoire and analytical skills. Works selected for examination should include pieces from multiple periods, some selected by the student and some by the advisors, with an emphasis on recent works and current compositional aspects. The exam committee consists of the two advisors and a member of either faculty, selected by the student in consultation with the advisors. 

Part 2: Final Composition/thesis proposals: Combined dissertation proposal
Within a year following successful completion of the comprehensive examination, the JAMD Co-Director and both advisors, will form the dissertation committee. This committee will comprise the two advisors, an additional faculty member from each school and an additional faculty, all in accordance with the requirements and under the approval of the Hebrew University's Authority for Research Students. The dissertation committee will oversee the progress toward completion of both the composition and the dissertation thesis.

By the end of the second year the student will present the combined dissertation proposal – the dissertation composition proposal and the dissertation thesis proposal, to the dissertation committee. 

The Ph.D. dissertation
The dissertation will include an original musical composition of a wide scope, according to the highest criteria. It may be a single major work- a symphony, a concerto, an opera act, etc. Alternatively, it could comprise two significant works, such as works for canonic or mixed chamber ensembles, and/or works involving digital technology, multimedia and other art forms.
Alongside the musical composition, the dissertation will include an essay of 10,000 to 15,000 words, the quality of which would be that of a publishable scholarly essay. Alternatively, the essay could fulfill the needs of another type of scholarly work (for example, text for a museum catalogue).

The judging process
Judging of the dissertation will be conducted in accordance with the practice at the Hebrew University Authority for Research Students.
The Essay will be examined by the essay advisor and two additional readers, one of which must be from an institution other than the Hebrew University. The Composition will be examined by the individual composition instructor and two additional readers, one of which must be from an institution other than the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Thus, the Ph.D. dissertation in its two parts will be read by six judges, divided into two groups. 
The proposed PhD program is designed to be completed in at least three years (from the year of admission to the program) – with the possibility of extension to five years. 

Weighing the components of the final grade
During the program courses and seminars the students' achievements (papers, presentations, etc.) will be graded and noted, but will not be weighted onto a final grade. 

Encouraging collaboration between Ph.D. students in Musicology and Ph.D. students in Composition
In order to enhance the impact of the new Ph.D. program, a platform will be created for a yearly series of workshop sessions, coordinated by the program’s Co-Director at the Musicology Department and led by advanced Ph.D. students in musicology, to introduce students in both programs to the sub-disciplines of musicology (e.g., ethnomusicology, sound studies, Jewish music research), through discussions of important articles or seminal theories. Participation in this non-credit activity will be strongly encouraged.