[OT] PhD in ICIT @ UCI

The Department of Music at the University of California, Irvine invites applications to the PhD program in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (ICIT).

ICIT is an innovative PhD program in practice-based research focusing on contemporary modes of creative music making and the critical discourses surrounding them. The program challenges traditional binaries such as jazz/classical, composer/performer, electronic/acoustic, and Western/non-Western, exploring a wide range of contemporary musical practices. This calls for a new generation of thinkers and artists.

ICIT embraces all types of original music makers—composers, improvisers, technologists, critical thinkers, and experimenters—drawing on classical, jazz, experimental, and world music traditions. We seek students with a strong foundation who wish to develop new creative work integrating a variety of contemporary music and ideas.

Students receive close personal attention from faculty, and are encouraged to work on interdisciplinary projects. Courses are taught by a core faculty whose own work spans diverse forms of music, merging conventional distinctions between classical composition, jazz, computer music, improvisation, and non-Western traditions.

In addition to the five core ICIT faculty, the Music Department includes many other composers, performers, musicologists, theorists and historians, making for a rich environment in which to develop critical skills that are essential for today’s musician. The Claire Trevor School of the Arts is home to excellent graduate programs in Music, Dance, Drama, and Studio Art. UC Irvine is a highly ranked campus, with a demonstrated commitment to economic diversity, within one of the nation’s leading research university systems. Located near the coast in Orange County, Irvine is an hour south of Los Angeles, a major art world center with vibrant contemporary music scenes.

All students receive tuition waivers and stipends in return for working as teaching assistants. All applicants should possess at least an undergraduate degree in music or an equivalent level of training, and should demonstrate potential for creative and innovative work. Applicants who already hold a master’s degree or have completed prior graduate study may request upon admission that specific course requirements be waived based on equivalent graduate coursework completed at other institutions, up to a maximum of 12 units.

If you have questions or are interested in applying, please visit the ICIT website at http://music.arts.uci.edu/icit, where there is an extensive FAQ. There will also be a telematic information session for applicants on Friday November 6 at 10:00 a.m. PST; a link to the Zoom session can be found on the Apply page of the ICIT website. For further questions, please contact one of our core faculty. We welcome your inquiries and proposals.