2023-24 Graduate Student Handbook  (update for 2025-26 coming soon!)

Newly Admitted Students

Please visit the Graduate Division's Newly Admitted Applicants page for next steps.

When you arrive on campus, be sure to obtain your UCSB Identification Card/Access Card. This can be done at the information desk at the UCen.

Guidance Exams

The Fall 2025 Guidance Exams, Orientation dates, and Departmental Meetings Schedule:

Music History, Theory, and Musicianship Guidance Exams schedule coming soon!

The Department of Music Beginning of the Year Celebration will be help on Wednesday September 24 at 3pm in the music sunken garden!

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Graduate Guidance Exams in History are done open book over the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before instruction begins on Thursday.  

Graduate Guidance Exams in Theory and Musicianship will take place on the Wednesday before instruction begins Thursday in person.

Ethnomusicology Graduate Guidance Interview:  Please see an ethnomusicology faculty member to schedule a time/date.

The Department of Music Beginning of the Year Celebration takes place the Wednesday before instruction begins on Thursday.

The first day of classes is Thursday September 25, 2025.

View the GradPost's New Graduate Students page for campus-wide information, including required TA orientation for new TAs.

All graduate students, with the exception of those entering in Ethnomusicology, are required to take Guidance/Diagnostic Exams. Study guides and sample exams will be emailed to students in summer; the 2022 versions can be accessed here. 

Guidance exams can be taken twice. Deficiencies can be remedied by retaking the exam next year or by taking a course.

For any further questions about the exams, please contact the Graduate Advisor. 

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Residency

If you are a non-resident of California, it is important to establish California residency by the second Fall Quarter. Non-residents cost an additional $15,000 per year (non-resident tuition), which makes it important to establish CA residency as soon as possible. The department will not cover your non-resident tuition in future years. It is important to be aware of and start the process as soon as you arrive in Santa Barbara.

Residency for Tuition Purposes - Overview

Residency for Tuition Purposes - Policy

University of California - Understanding Residency

You will need to submit a Statement of Legal Residence no later than the fourth week of your first spring quarter. If you have any questions about this process, contact the Residence Deputy at residency@sa.ucsb.edu. 

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International Students

Office of International Students and Scholars

The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) provides services and advising to international students and scholars, as well as the departments that support them. 

Newly Admitted International Students

Review the Graduate Division's guide for newly admitted international students for information concerning the Visa process, transcripts, English for Multilingual Students (EMS) Requirements, and more. 

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Teaching Assistant and Associate Information

Music Grad Study Spaces/TA Offices are located on the second floor of the music building (rooms Music 2202, 2204, and 2206).  The staff graduate advisor will give you access to the room's google calendar to make reservations as needed.  All graduate students may check out a key (one key works for all three).  Please review the Practice Rooms and Keys policy.

Teaching Assistant/Associate/Reader mailboxes are located in the Department of Music's main office. Access to the copy machine and office computer is restricted to Teaching Assistants/Associates/Readers and should be limited to course-related business.  You can request a copier code by emailing Dave Farrar.

Fellowships

Teaching Assistant/Associate fee remission, departmental fellowships, and central campus fellowships are assessed to your BARC account the week before school begins. You must be enrolled in at least 8 units for any funding to be processed.

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Course Requirements and Schedule Planning

The degree progress sheets list all of the requirements, including coursework, for each degree. They can be found in the UCSB General Catalog or a copy may be obtained from the Graduate Advisor. It is important to meet with your faculty supervisor regularly to be sure you enroll in the correct courses each quarter. The Graduate Advisor can also assist you.

Advising

The goal of advising is to keep you on track toward your degree and to ensure you complete your degree in normative time. All students should meet with the head of your area or your direct faculty mentor the first week of classes and the beginning of each quarter for advice regarding which courses to take and your projected schedule for future quarters.

All graduate students should meet with the Graduate Advisor on an as-needed basis to be sure you are on track and for any exceptions or substitutions. The Graduate Advisor updates your degree progress sheets which list every requirement for your degree; they are available online in the General Catalog or you can request a Word Document version from the Graduate Advisor.

The General Catalog is your “contract” for degree requirements based on the year you entered. The Graduate Division website has complete information for matters pertaining to graduate studies. 

For information on how to satisfy language requirements, if required for your degree, talk to the Graduate Advisor. There are classes and exams you can take.

Recital Scheduling and Planning

Please refer to the Student Recital Scheduling Guide for a step-by-step guide to planning your student recital, including everything from booking your recital hall to requesting publicity for your event.

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Forms for Graduate Student Academic Matters 

 

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The University of California at Santa Barbara is committed to promoting excellence through diversity and inclusiveness. The campus community, in keeping with the academic mission of the University of California to educate its residents, strives to create an environment that is welcoming for all sectors of our state's diverse population and that is conducive to the development of each individual's highest potential. In addition, our campus upholds the principle of equal opportunity for all since equal opportunity fosters the best conditions possible for the enhancement of research, creativity, innovation, and excellence.

UCSB adheres to the University of California Diversity statement which underscores the importance of educating our diverse population.

Please visit UC Santa Barbara's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website to learn more.

 

Department DEI Contacts

 

Fill out the Department of Music's DEI Survey

 

Incident Services 

If you have witnessed or experienced issues related to discrimination and/or harassment, please know you are not alone in the process. The Campus has various confidential and reporting resources available. 

Submit a bias incident report

 

Graduate Scholars Program: Thriving in the Academy Series

The UC Santa Barbara Graduate Division's Graduate Scholars Program (GSP): Thriving in the Academy Series provides first-year and second-year doctoral students from diverse backgrounds with an advanced doctoral student mentor, a targeted orientation to campus resources, professional development opportunities, and networking events across campus and with visiting scholars. The Graduate Division appreciates the collaboration and financial support of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

 

Diversity Resources for Graduate Students

Find the resources, advocacy, and family resources you need, whether on campus or in the local Santa Barbara community.

 

Antiracist Pedagogical Resources

Pedagogical sources on Cultural Rhetorics (Hammer, 2020)

"Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence" Resmaa Menakem (2020)

UCSB Library Guide on Race, Racial Relations, and the Black Experience 

 

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Responding to Distressed Students and Conduct

Distressed Students Protocol
A PDF document providing essential guidelines for assisting distressed students.

Student Mental Health Coordination Services (SMHCS)
A readily accessible single point of contact for individuals concerned about a student in distress. Coordinators will consult about a student, provide referrals to campus departments, develop action plans, and follow up with students, staff, and faculty, as appropriate.

Office of the Ombuds
The Office of the Ombuds addresses workplace issues, interpersonal conflict, academic concerns, policy questions, and many other problems, whether as a first step, last resort, or at any point along the way.

Office of Student Conduct
The UCSB Student Conduct Code exists to support the standards of social and academic behavior to uphold an environment conducive to student learning. This covers both academic and behavior issues. Anyone may request a consultation with the Office of Student Conduct to discuss a concern. Speaking with someone in the Office of Student Conduct does not obligate the person to file an official report; investigations do not begin unless and until an official written concern is filed.

File a conduct report

 

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Frequently Used Campus Resources

 

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