New York University offers Doctoral degree programs in the continuously expanding field of Music Technology. Located in New York City, the capital of the music industry, our Washington Square campus borders the city's Greenwich Village and SoHo districts, which have long been considered the center of New York's artistic community.
The doctoral program in Music Technology prepares students for careers in university teaching, industry research and development, as well as in multimedia, audio computation, and other research fields at the constantly changing intersection of music and technology. Students will benefit from the current course offerings, faculty, facilities, and resources of NYU's Steinhardt School and Courant Institute. These resources provide rich research opportunities in exciting areas such as music information retrieval, digital signal processing, interactive music systems, and 3D audio. The program also offers personal mentoring and advisement from doctoral faculty in the Music Technology program, as well as from the larger Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, the Steinhardt School, and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
Doctoral students in Music Technology will be required to complete a minimum total of 48 points, beyond the Master's level. Doctoral coursework involves research in the fields of computer science, music theory, music cognition, machine learning, mathematics, and artificial intelligence as related to problems in the recording, performance, analysis, perception, and composition of music. Full descriptions of point requirements and course requirements are outlined in the Requirements section.
Below are sample course sequences for students, click on individual headings for more detailed information on each sequence. Please click only once, content make take several seconds to load.
Digital Signal Processing
A student preparing for a career in digital signal processing research and development might take the following courses. This course of study is designed for the student to gain specialized tools in mathematics, music, and computer science, and a broad knowledge of the signal processing and programming disciplines that are vital to the synthesis and manipulation of digital sound:
| Digital Signal Processing |
| Foundations (6 Points) |
| CSCI-GA 2112 |
Scientific Computing |
E87.2527 |
Perception and Aesthetic Form |
| Specialized Research Methodology (3 Points) |
| E85.2130 |
Research in Music and Music Education |
|
|
| Cognates (6 Points) |
| MPATC-GE 2042 |
Psychology of Music |
MPATC-GE 2200 |
Music Theory Seminar |
| Content and Dissertation Proposal Seminars:(6 points) |
| MPATE-GE 3060 |
Doctoral Symposium in Music Technology |
MPAET-GE 3005 |
Dissertation Proposal Seminar |
| Research Electives (15 Points) |
| MPATE-GE 2037 |
Software Synthesis |
CSCI-GA 2560 |
Artificial Intelligence |
| MPATE-GE 2599 |
Digital Signal Theory I |
CSCI-GA 2565 |
Machine Learning |
| MPATE-GE 2607 |
Digital Signal Theory II |
|
|
| Specialization Electives (12 points) |
| MPATE-GE 2623 |
Music Information Retrieval |
MPATE-GE 2613 |
3D Audio |
| CSCI-GA 3033 |
Multimedia |
MPATE-GE 2608 |
Java Music Systems |
Film Scoring & Multimedia
A student preparing for a career in film scoring and multimedia might take the following courses. This course of study is designed for the student to gain experience in the technology of music in film and multimedia, as well as the requisite scholarly foundations to be able to conduct advanced research in the field:
| Film Scoring & Multimedia |
| Foundations (6 Points) |
| CSCI-GA 2112 |
Scientific Computing |
E87.2527 |
Perception and Aesthetic Form |
| Specialized Research Methodology (3 Points) |
| E85.2130 |
Research in Music and Music Education |
|
|
| Cognates (6 Points) |
| MPATC-GE 2042 |
Psychology of Music |
MPATC-GE 2200 |
Music Theory Seminar |
| Content and Dissertation Proposal Seminars:(6 points) |
| MPATE-GE 3060 |
Doctoral Symposium in Music Technology |
MPAET-GE 3005 |
Dissertation Proposal Seminar |
| Research Electives (15 Points) |
| MPATE-GE 2599 |
Digital Signal Theory I |
MPATE-GE 2608 |
Java Music Systems |
| MPATE-GE 2613 |
3D Audio |
CSCI-GA 2565 |
Machine Learning |
| CSCI-GA 3033 |
Multimedia |
|
|
| Specialization Electives (12 points) |
| MPATE-GE 2604 |
Audio for Games and Immersive Environments |
MPATC-GE 2550 |
Film Music: Historical and Aesthetic Perspectives |
| MPATC-GE 2048 |
Scoring for Film and Multimedia |
CSCI-GA 2560 |
Artificial Intelligence |
Interactive Music Systems
A student interested in interactive music systems would take coursework in programming, multimedia, and interaction design. This course of study is geared to training students to become researchers in issues including human/computer interaction, music cognition and its relation to composition and performance, and the evaluation of computer-based music systems in educational and therapeutic settings.
| Interactive Music Systems |
| Foundations (6 Points) |
| CSCI-GA 2112 |
Scientific Computing |
E87.2527 |
Perception and Aesthetic Form |
| Specialized Research Methodology (3 Points) |
| E85.2130 |
Research in Music and Music Education |
|
|
| Cognates (6 Points) |
| MPATC-GE 2042 |
Psychology of Music |
MPATC-GE 2200 |
Music Theory Seminar |
| Content and Dissertation Proposal Seminars:(6 points) |
| MPATE-GE 3060 |
Doctoral Symposium in Music Technology |
MPAET-GE 3005 |
Dissertation Proposal Seminar |
| Research Electives (15 Points) |
| MPATE-GE 2599 |
Digital Signal Theory I |
CSCI-GA 2565 |
Machine Learning |
| CSCI-GA 3033 |
Multimedia |
CSCI-GA 3033 |
WWW Programming |
| MPATE-GE 2623 |
Music Information Retrieval |
|
|
| Specialization Electives (12 points) |
| MPATE-GE 2047 |
Advanced Computer Music Composition |
MPATE-GE 2037 |
Software Synthesis |
| MPATE-GE 2608 |
Java Music Systems |
CSCI-GA 2560 |
Artificial Intelligence |