[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, and explores a wide range of contemporary musical practices. ICIT embraces all types of original music makers - composers, improvisers, technologists, critical thinkers, and experimenters - and seeks students with a strong foundation who wish to develop new creative work integrating a variety of contemporary music and ideas.

Courses and research supervision are led 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. Students receive close personal attention from faculty, and are encouraged to work on interdisciplinary projects. Recent doctoral dissertations have focused on a wide range of areas including intercultural music making, composing for electronicists, interactive game music, quantum computing, virtual reality, and other topics. We welcome your inquiries and proposals.

In addition to the five core ICIT faculty, the Music Department and School of the Arts includes other composers, performers, 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.

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. All students receive full tuition waivers and paid Teaching Assistantships that include health insurance. This funding support is provided for four years, which is the normative time to degree for all students, whether they enter with or without a masters degree. Students with prior graduate study may request a small number of waivers to course requirements.

For more details, including FAQs and application instructions, please visit the ICIT website at http://music.arts.uci.edu/icit. There will also be a livestream information session, hosted by the core faculty, on Monday November 6, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. PST. All prospective students are encouraged to join this session and ask questions by audio, video, or text chat. A link to the Zoom session can be found on the home page of the ICIT website, and the video recording will be posted there afterwards for those who are unable to attend.