The annual Jazz Seminar brings internationally noted performers to the University for a week of conferences and performances. Students in ethnomusicology benefit also from the University's strong area studies programs, particularly the Africana Studies Program , Asian Studies Program , the Center for Latin American Studies , and the Center for Russian and East European Studies . Moreover, in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relationships, the department brings leading musicians from India to campus each year for concerts, lectures, and workshops. The four proseminars are basic courses that deal largely with methods in scholarly research and provide the student with an introduction to the various disciplines represented within the department. Because of the particular nature of the department's approach to graduate education in music, all students, even those holding a master's degree from another institution, must take the four proseminars.
Doctoral candidates have considerable flexibility in their selection of courses.
Doctoral students permitted to bypass the MA must substitute an elective for this course.