Jacobs School Financial Aid Information
All applicants to the MA, MA/MLS, MA/MAAA, and PhD programs are encouraged to apply for financial aid to assist them in the timely completion of their graduate studies. Please refer to the Music Admissions and Financial Aid office for more information.
Course work for the MA in Musicology normally requires the equivalent of two years of full-time enrollment. Course work for the PhD in Musicology normally requires the equivalent of four to five additional semesters of full-time enrollment, followed by qualifying examinations and the dissertation.
At the MA level, financial aid (assistantships, fee scholarships and/or fellowships) is awarded for no more than two academic years. Assistantships are also sometimes available during the Summer.
Financial aid for beginning MA students will be guaranteed for a period of two years, assuming the student continues to make satisfactory progress toward the degree and performs his/her duties in a satisfactory manner. If financial aid is offered to an MA student already in the program, aid will not be continued beyond the normal two years required to complete the program. An MA student who applies for admission to the PhD program is not eligible to receive financial aid until the MA Examination has been passed.
At the PhD level, financial aid may be awarded for up to five years, including a mix of scholarships and/or fellowships, graduate assistantships, and teaching as an Associate Instructor. Additional assistantships and Associate Instructor positions are available during the Summer. It is our practice that every PhD student has the opportunity to serve as an Associate Instructor, since gaining experience as a teacher in the classroom is a vital part of our PhD program.
A Dissertation-Year Fellowship is available annually on a competitive basis to a qualified PhD student in Musicology.
The department’s policy on financial aid should be understood as subject to unanticipated curricular and/or funding exigencies.
Departmental Awards
The following grants are awarded four times per year. For more information and to submit an application see here or contact musicol@indiana.edu.
Travel and Research Support:
The A. Peter Brown and Carol V. Brown Research Travel Fund was established by Carol V. Brown in memory of her husband A. Peter Brown, longtime faculty member and Chair of the Department of Musicology, to support research-related travel for doctoral students enrolled in the Department of Musicology within the Jacobs School of Music.
The Peter Burkholder and Doug McKinney Musicology Research Travel Fund, was established by Doug McKinney and his husband Peter Burkholder, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Musicology, and supports research-related travel, including conference travel, and other research expenses for masters and doctoral students enrolled in the Department of Musicology within the Jacobs School of Music.
The W. Richard Shindle Musicology Fund, established by a distinguished alum of the Musicology PhD program, is intended for research-related travel for doctoral students in the Department of Musicology within the Jacobs School of Music who are working on their dissertation.
The Laura S. Youens-Wexler Musicology Travel Fund, established by a distinguished alumna of the Musicology PhD program, funds research-related travel, including conference travel, for masters and doctoral students enrolled in the Department of Musicology within the Jacobs School of Music.
The David Henry Jacobs International Overseas Study Musicology Fellowship, established by alum David H. Jacobs, is used to support Musicology students who are participating in IU study-abroad classes as part of their educational experience.
Scholarship, Fellowships, and Awards:
The following awards are based on merit and need, and are presented each spring based on the recommendation of the musicology faculty:
The Dissertation Completion Fellowship supported by the Peter Burkholder and Doug McKinney Fund for Musicology.
The Malcolm H. Brown Fellowship was established in 2019 by colleagues and friends on the occasion of the ninetieth birthday of Malcolm H. Brown, longtime faculty member and Chair of the Musicology Department. It helps to support a Musicology PhD student who has financial need, with preference for a student at the dissertation writing stage.
The Hans and Alice B. Tischler Scholarship/Fellowship, established by longtime Musicology faculty member Hans Tischler and his wife Alice, helps to support a Musicology PhD student who has financial need, with preference for a student at the dissertation writing stage.
The Freda and Walter Kaufmann Prize in Musicology was established by family and friends of Distinguished Professor Walter Kaufmann and his wife Freda. It is awarded to a student who has demonstrated excellence in all aspects of graduate study and has shown professional initiative through conference presentations, publications, or other activities.
The Caswell Family Scholarship provides scholarship support for a graduate student in the Department of Musicology in the Jacobs School of Music. It was established in 2006 to celebrate the many connections family members Austin, Judith, Rachel and Sara have to Indiana University.
The Austin B. Caswell Award for undergraduate music history papers was established by a colleague in 1998 in honor of Austin B. Caswell, who was a devoted teacher and member of the musicology faculty at Indiana University from 1966 until his retirement in 1996. The award recognizes the two best undergraduate music history papers written at the Jacobs School of Music each year. For more information and to submit your paper see here or contact musicol@indiana.edu.
Additional Resources
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships are funded by the United States Department of Education in support of graduate and undergraduate students studying less commonly taught languages and cultures, in particular, those considered to be of critical interest to the United States. They are intended to promote the training of students who plan to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is a prerequisite for success.
Learn more here.
IU Grad Grants Center
The GradGrants Center (GGC) supports Indiana University graduate students as they find and secure sponsored grants, fellowships, and awards from external sources that are essential to their academic, research, and professional pursuits. Through extensive access to external funding opportunities for all disciplines, the GGC constitutes an invaluable resource and educational tool to both IU’s graduate student community and the University as a whole.
Learn more here.