Doctoral students are expected to develop two bibliographies as part of their eligibility for candidacy:
1. A general bibliography of 60 or more entries should represent the student’s knowledge of the state of research in their fields, incorporating both standard references in addition to the most current important publications, including dissertations, articles from journals and periodicals, monographs and books, and online resources. Works from neighboring fields including (but not limited to) music history, theory, philosophy, perception and cognition, composition, aesthetics, cultural studies, and music analysis should be included. Sources from courses taken at NYU or other institutions may be included, but the bibliography must show evidence of independent research and familiarity with scholarly discourse that transcends coursework. The breadth of sources will indicate the student’s ability to contextualize their own work and its implications and influences within the broader scholarly arena.
A specialized bibliography of approximately 45 entries that represents a possible area for dissertation research. This bibliography should include a beginning paragraph that briefly describes the research topic. The Bibliography should have a title that represents the topic. While the bibliography may include items written by the student and/or that student’s advisor, it must contextualize these sources in relation to the works of others.
You should adopt a style guide and follow it with regard to format. APA (American Psychological Association) is recommended for the therapies, and the Chicago Manual of Style, MLA (Modern Language Association), and Turabian are more appropriate for music performance, composition, analysis, theory, and music education.
Each bibliography should be typed or prepared with a word processor. A title page should be included which provides the following:
Title of the Bibliography
Your Name
Your Student ID
Your Address
Your Telephone
Your E-Mail Address
Your Program and Program Adviser
Date Submitted
Preparing the bibliographies requires much more than typing the list of references. Students are expected to have read and be fluent in the sources in their bibliography and will be expected to defend those sources included as well as argue for the exclusion of sources not listed. The candidacy exam will include questions regarding the bibliographies, which will represent the student’s knowledge of the state of discourse, understanding of their own work and its contextualization, and scholarly priorities.
Both bibliographies and your application for the candidacy examination should be submitted by email to mpap-doctoral-studies@nyu.edu by the application deadline for MPAP Doctoral Candidacy. Additionally, the application for candidacy form must be submitted separately to the Steinhardt Office of Doctoral Studies, steinhardt.doctoral.studies@nyu.edu.