Graduate Admissions
Graduate Program Update
The History and Theory of Music, Ph.D. program and the Music, M.F.A. programs are currently not admitting students for this application cycle.
Application deadline (Ph.D. in ICIT):
All application materials for the Ph.D. in ICIT must be received by December 1, 2025. Applications are not considered complete until all materials have arrived. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Core Graduate Application Materials:
The following materials make up the Core Graduate Application, and are required for all applicants.
1) UC Irvine Online Application for Graduate Admissions
Available online in the month of September.
2) Transcripts:
Follow instructions in online application (item 1 above) on how to submit transcripts.
3) Reference Letters
Follow instructions in online application (item 1 above) on how to submit reference letters.
Three (3) letters of reference are required. Waiving your right of access is optional but recommended. For more details regarding the reference letters, please see the Letters of Recommendation section on the UCI Graduate Division Applying to UCI website.
4) Writing Sample (a.k.a. Academic Essay)
Follow instructions in online application (item 1 above) on how to submit the Writing Sample.
The Writing Sample must be in English and on a music topic. This may be fulfilled by the submission of an undergraduate paper or research paper of similar size and scope. We suggest ten (10) double-spaced pages; the paper should display your best prose style. It must be a PDF document.
5) TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required for international students who did not earn their undergraduate degree at an institution in the United States, or did not earn a diploma or degree in a country where English is considered the primary or dominant language. Please see the English Language Proficiency section on the UCI Graduate Division Applying to UCI website.
6) GRE (not required)
The GRE is not required for graduate applicants in Music.
ICIT Ph.D. Supplemental Application Materials (required):
Please check back at a later date for application materials for 2026.
Questions? Contact Us:
- Professor Kojiro Umezaki, Director of Graduate Studies
- Music Department Faculty
- Music Department Staff Directory
