The entering student should have completed a Master's degree or its equivalent, including a thesis. Exceptionally, however, a student who has completed 12 credits in the first year of an M.A. program may be offered admission directly into the Ph.D. (without completing the M.A. thesis) if the student has demonstrated sufficient mastery of graduate-level material and sufficient development as a scholarly writer. Students who wish to transfer from a master's to a doctoral program must have completed one year of study in the master's program with a minimum 80% average in 12 credits, of which at least nine credits must be at the 500 level or above and at least nine credits must be at 80% or above.
The entering student should have:
a) completed Music 520 (Introduction to Music Research) or its equivalent,
b) completed at least two graduate seminars in ethnomusicological theory, method, and/or transcription (the equivalents of Music 529 and 531), and c) demonstrated reading or fieldwork proficiency in one language beyond the student's first language (see the explanatory notes to the M.A. in Ethnomusicology).
Take the General Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Submit one or more writing samples that demonstrate substantial prior training in ethnomusicology.

Submit a statement of your research interest, such as proposed culture area to be examined and particular approach (e.g., social, historical, analytic, etc.)
A transcription exercise will be required of all applicants to the program. This exercise will become available on the ethnomusicology page the first or second weekend after the deadline for the application. Applicants will be contacted by the department with further instructions. Most students will use standard Western notation, but modified Western notation or other systems are acceptable.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B plus range (76% at UBC).

IELTS - A minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component.
TOEFL IBT - 90 for the internet-based exam with minimum component scores of 22 (reading, listening) and 21 (writing, speaking).
PTE - A minimum overall score of 65 on the academic (NOT general) test is required with minimums of 60 reading, 60 writing, 60 listening, and 60 speaking.