phd architecture princeton

• A to Z Lists

Princeton University

Publication: A Princeton Profile, 2006-07

• About Princeton University
• The Faculty
• The Undergraduate College
• Undergraduate Admission and Aid
• The Graduate School

Schools, the Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies

• Scholarship and Research
• Campus Life
• Service and Outreach
• Local Contributions
• Campus Attractions
• Officers of the University
• Trustees of the University
• A Princeton Timeline
• Key Telephone Numbers
• prev | next

The School of Architecture

The School of Architecture, Princeton’s center of teaching and research in architectural design, history, and theory, provides students with a course of study that reflects contemporary and emerging issues in architecture. Its roots reach back to 1832, when Professor Joseph Henry, an amateur architect and scientist, taught a course on the history of architecture. The School of Architecture was opened in 1919; its official opening was delayed due to World War I.

Principal degrees offered by the school include a bachelor of arts (A.B.), a master of architecture (M.Arch.), and a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). The master of architecture program, accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB), is intended for students who plan to practice architecture professionally. The curriculum for the master’s degree emphasizes design expertise in the context of architectural scholarship.

Architecture is understood as a cultural practice involving both speculative intelligence and practical know-how. Students are encouraged to construct a personal course of study around a core of required courses that represent the knowledge essential to the education of an architect today. Graduates of the program are qualified to take the state professional licensing examination after the completion of a required internship.

The four-year doctoral program focuses on the history, theory, and criticism of architecture, urbanism, landscape, and building technology. The approach is interdisciplinary, covering a broad range of research interests from an architectural perspective. Working closely with the faculty of the school and allied departments in the University, students build individual programs of study involving at least two years of course work, general examinations, and a dissertation.

Students at the School of Architecture benefit from its small size and thorough integration with the University community. In recent years, the school has enrolled approximately 60 graduate students and roughly the same number of undergraduates. Its curriculum always has responded to changes in the profession and in architectural education, providing students with courses that reflect contemporary and emerging issues in architecture.

The School of Engineering and Applied Science

Engineering education at Princeton is distinguished by technical excellence as well as a broad exposure to the social, economic, political, and artistic contexts that drive and are driven by technological development. In 2005, the engineering school established the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education to build on this unique combination of depth and breadth.

Engineering research at Princeton also takes a broadly multidisciplinary approach, bridging science, social science, and the humanities to solve societal problems. The Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM), for example, involves 77 faculty members in 11 departments and has developed new generations of devices for photonics, telecommunications, medicine, and other fields. The Center for Information Technology Policy, a joint venture with the Woodrow Wilson School, addresses the societal impact of computer technology, particularly in the areas of privacy and security.

Other interdepartmental programs include applications of computing, architecture and engineering, engineering biology, engineering and management systems, engineering physics, environmental studies, geological engineering, and robotics and intelligent systems. In both its research and teaching, the engineering school is actively engaged with local and national businesses to bring engineering innovations to market and to better educate students. Total engineering research expenditures for 2005–06 were $48.5 million.

Engineering education at Princeton began in 1875 and grew into the formal creation of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1921. Throughout its history, the school has helped create new fields of study, including aeronautical engineering in 1942 and the Department of Operations Research and Financial Engineering in 1999. The school now includes six departments: chemical engineering, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, and operations research and financial engineering.

Degrees offered by the school include a bachelor of science in engineering (B.S.E.), a bachelor of arts (A.B.) in computer science, a master of science in engineering (M.S.E.), a master of engineering (M.Eng.), and a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). In 2005–06, the school included 774 undergraduates and about 545 graduate students. More than 125 faculty members serve the six departments.

The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs

The Woodrow Wilson School was founded in 1930 as the School of Public and International Affairs. A professional school that prepares talented women and men who seek careers in public service, it offers a rigorous education for undergraduates and graduate students. Its degree programs include a two-year course of study leading to a master in public affairs (M.P.A.), a one-year program for mid-career professionals leading to a master in public policy (M.P.P.), and a Ph.D. program in public affairs.

In its early days the school was a small, interdisciplinary program at the undergraduate level. Beyond normal course work, students took part in semester-long “policy conferences,” in which they focused on policy issues and conducted original research in order to formulate policy recommendations. These conferences are still key to the school’s undergraduate curriculum.

In 1948 a graduate professional program was added, and the school was named in honor of President Wilson. That program was greatly strengthened in the 1960s through a generous gift from Charles Robertson ’26 and Marie Robertson.

The fledgling school shaped the internationalist outlook of a new generation of leaders that emerged from World War II. It counts among its alumni two secretaries of state, a secretary of defense, several senators and governors, a chair of the Federal Reserve Board, leaders of nonprofit organizations, many ambassadors, and other influential policymakers.

Today the school emphasizes policy-oriented research and learning in its graduate program, serving interests in both domestic public policy and international affairs. M.P.A. candidates follow a core curriculum and then branch into one of four fields of concentration. An M.P.A.-J.D. joint-degree program and five certificate programs expand the graduate curriculum.

Both undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to gain real-world experience either domestically or internationally. Undergraduate task forces have included work abroad or have studied U.S. domestic issues. Graduate students are required to complete a policy workshop—recent workshops have focused on immigration policy, managing mineral resources, microfinance, nuclear non-proliferation, police reform, and the right to primary education. Graduate students also gain professional experience during the required summer internship between their first and second years.

Starting this fall, the Woodrow Wilson School is offering a new initiative called “Scholars in the Nation’s Service,” to encourage more of the nation’s best and brightest students to pursue careers in the U.S. federal government, especially in the international relations arena.

The six-year program, beginning in a student’s junior year, will include a summer federal government internship, approximately two years of federal government service after college, and a master’s degree in public affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School.

Study of the Humanities and the Life Sciences

Whether focusing on a junior paper that traces irony from Shakespeare to Toni Morrison, strolling through the University Art Museum to study early Chinese art and archaeology, or presenting on the microeconomics involved in corporate restructuring, Princeton undergraduates have outstanding opportunities in the humanities and the life sciences.

Students may choose from among 34 majors and participate in more than 37 special programs, many of them interdisciplinary or interdepartmental. The University also provides ample support resources, such as a modern language lab that bolsters the instruction in 17 foreign languages currently offered.

The Creative Arts

A major initiative is under way to further enhance arts programming for students through the new University Center for the Creative and Performing Arts. The center will serve as a cultural hub in a dedicated arts neighborhood on campus.

Music Study. Princeton attracts student musicians who want a broad liberal arts education and the chance to pursue their musical interests. The Department of Music offers courses in composition and theory, as well as music history and literature. Several courses that incorporate student performance are offered each year.

Creative Writing. The Program in Creative Writing offers undergraduate students the unique opportunity to pursue original work in fiction, poetry, and translation under the guidance of renowned practicing writers. Throughout the academic year, a reading series brings to campus several distinguished poets and novelists to read from their work.

Theater and Dance. The Program in Theater and Dance offers workshop courses in writing, acting, directing, design, dance, and choreography—all taught by professional performing artists. The program also presents a series of student-acted productions each year. Modern dance courses focus on technique and composition, while the program’s modern dance concert presents works choreographed by students and faculty.

Visual Arts. The Program in Visual Arts introduces students to the studio arts in the context of a liberal arts education. Courses are offered in ceramics, drawing, film theory and history, painting, photography, digital photography, printmaking, sculpture, and film and video. Facilities include painting and drawing studios; a computer lab for digital photography; darkrooms; digital cameras; light kits and audio equipment; a computer lab for video editing; a printmaking shop; and ceramics and sculpture studios.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Interdisciplinary and interdepartmental programs are available to complement more traditional courses of study. Participants in programs take designated courses in the subject area and prepare substantial independent work toward completion of a certificate of proficiency.

In addition to the programs that offer certificates, Princeton also has academic units that are interdisciplinary in nature and draw faculty members and students together through teaching and research. A sampling of these is listed below:

Councils, Institutes, and Centers

• Bendheim Center for Finance

• Center for Migration and Development

• Center for the Study of Religion

• Council of the Humanities

• Council on Science and Technology

• Davis Center for Historical Studies

• Institute for the Transregional Study of the Contemporary Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia

• James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions

• Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics

• Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination

• Princeton Center for Theoretical Physics

• Princeton Environmental Institute (PEI)

• Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS)

• Princeton Institute in Neuroscience

• Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM)

• Princeton Writing Program

• Program of Freshman Seminars in the Residential Colleges

• Program in Law and Public Affairs

• University Center for the Creative and Performing Arts

• University Center for Human Values

top | August 2006

© 2006 The Trustees of Princeton University University Operator: 609-258-3000

Professional Master of Architecture Admission

Admission to the School of Architecture is granted through Princeton University's Graduate School. A bachelor's degree from a college or university of recognized standing is required. The most up-to-date and complete admission information, including the online application and required materials, can be found online at http://gradschool.princeton.edu/admission . The deadline for M. Arch applications is January 3rd . 

Prospective students are invited to attend the Fall Open House to meet our faculty and students and learn more about our programs in architecture. This year, 2023, our Open House will be November 6 . We will post details and an online RSVP in October . 

Students who are unable to attend the Open House may contact the School to determine if an individual visit can be arranged.  Please allow at least two weeks when scheduling individual visits. Students who are unable to attend the Open House may schedule an individual visit by contacting the School. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of prospective students, meetings with faculty cannot be accommodated on individual visits.

Prerequisites

Students are eligible for admission to the Professional Master of Architecture program whether or not they have had undergraduate work in architecture. Applicants must hold a four-year undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.  Prior to matriculating for the Professional Degree Program, students are required to take one semester of college-level math, one semester of college-level physics, and one year of architectural history or art history coursework. A course in the history of art and architecture, covering the architectural history from ancient Egypt to 20th-century America, and stressing a critical approach to architecture through the analysis of form, content, function, structure, building technology, and theory is particularly recommended. These classes are not required for application to the program, but they should be completed before the applicant begins the M. Arch. program. An offer of admission does not waive these prerequisites. Applicants are strongly advised to begin taking any missing prerequisites as soon as possible. Prerequisites may be taken at any accredited institution of higher learning. AP credits can be accepted. For information on AP, IB and A Level equivalency, please visit this website: https://odoc.princeton.edu/advancedplacement

*Advanced Standing in the Professional Program:  Students with extensive and sophisticated undergraduate architectural education may be granted advanced standing in the Professional M.Arch. Program at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.

A portfolio of design work is required of all master's applicants. The portfolio, along with the other application materials, will be reviewed by the Admission Committee, which determines the applicant's qualification for admission and the most suitable program. Applicants should prepare the portfolio carefully to best illustrate their individual potential as a designer. It should be bound into a brochure no larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches (overall size). An electronic version must also be uploaded with your application . There is a 5GB size limit for the digital portfolio.

The first page of the portfolio should include a brief statement (less than 500 words) explaining why the student specifically wants to attend Princeton University to earn his/her professional degree. 

The Admission Committee is interested in the quality of the work submitted in the portfolio, so applicants are advised not to lavish energy and expense on special or unusual packaging that is likely to be damaged in handling. Applicants are asked to not submit slides, loose sheets, or original drawings. It is the normal procedure of the School of Architecture to retain the portfolio of those students who are offered admission to the School. The portfolios become permanent additions to the University archive.

M.Arch portfolios should be mailed to:

Princeton University Graduate Admission ATTN: Portfolios One Clio Hall Princeton, NJ 08544

Portfolios must be postmarked by January 3 and received no later than January 11.

About the Program

For more information about the Professional Master in Architecture, click here .

Admissions inquiries can be sent to [email protected] .

• Skip to search box
• Skip to main content

Princeton University Library

Finding architecture dissertations & theses: home, theses & dissertations @ princeton and elsewhere.

Princeton Specific

Dissertations & Theses : Covers scholarship from most U.S. universities with some international coverage. Full text coverage begins with 1997+ but indexing includes scholarship dating back to 1861. To search PU Dissertations, follow this link   to a subset of the Proquest Dissertations. 

SoA Design Theses: The School of Architecture maintains an archive of student theses from 1930s through the present. To search the index of projects or access the collection, contact the Visual Resources Curator . This collection includes both graduate and undergraduate projects. 

Princeton Senior Theses Database : A search catalog of senior theses written from 1929 through the present. Approximately 60 000 records are included but not all departments are represented (SoA is). Searchable by author, advisor, department, or year. The Mudd Manuscript Library collects and maintains the primary copies.

SoA Library Senior Thesis Collection :  The School of Architecture Library has a small subset of SoA senioir theses.  These essays can be found in the library Main Catalog by an author search or by a call number browse search for "Sen. Th." Many of these theses have not been formatted for primary copy but rather include color images, fold-outs, dust jackets, etc. This small collection does not circulate. 

Architecture Theses & Dissertations Beyond Princeton

Harvard's Graduate School of Design : A guide for finding masters theses and doctoral dissertations specific to the GSD. 

MIT Architecture Dissertations & Theses : A basic list organized by author of the thesis or dissertation. Each entry includes the title of the work, brief "where are they now" info, and links to the works in MIT's Barton catalog.

UC-Berkeley's Guide to Architecture & Environmental Design Theses and Dissertations: Explains how you can find these works in the UCB system.

Architecture Association's School of Architecture Theses: Theses can be searched via the online catalogue by selecting the 'AA Theses' menu option from the upper left-hand drop-down menu.

Georgia Tech College of Architecture Theses & Dissertations Database

UMass-Amherst's Architecture Masters Theses Collection

Illinois Institute of Technology's College of Architecture Thesis Collection

UIUC's Depts. of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Checklist: l inks to pages with basic details about theses, projects, and dissertations from the Departments of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning up to 2006 (update pending). THis link will take you to the dedicated Landscape Architecture Thesis Database .

Institutional Repositories or Scholarly Commons - freely accessible research archived and disseminated

eCommons@Cornell : The OPEN collection is available to the general public, including the full text. The CLOSED collection is not available outside Cornell and only the citation and abstract are available at Cornell.

Scholarly Commons - Univ. of Pennsylvania : Browse and in some cases access the full text to theses and dissertations from Penn programs and professional schools.

Other Resources

ADT (Australiasian Digital Theses Program) : This search portal provides searching, browsing, and access to theses and dissertations produced in Australia.

Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertacoes : A search tool for accessing theses and dissertations produced in Brazilian universities.

Cybertesis : Sponsored by UNESCO and Fonds Francophone des Inforoutes, Cybertesis is a project between the Université de Montréal, the Université de Lyon2, the University of Chile and 32 universities of Europe, Africa and Latin America . Simultaneous searches through a single Web interface may retrieve more than 50.000 full text theses stored in 27 different servers and university repositories, by means of the use of OAI protocol (Open Archives Initiative) as a service provider (metadata harvesting).

DART-Europe E-theses Portal : A discovery service for open access research theses awarded by European universities.

DiVA : This portal provides access to dissertations, theses, and research publications written at 26 institutions in Scandinavia.

EThOS : Electronic Theses Online Service (EThOS) offers free access, in a secure format, to the full text of electronically stored UK theses--a rich and vast body of knowledge.

Foreign Doctoral Dissertations Database : The Center for Research Libraries has more than 800,000 cataloged foreign doctoral dissertations representing more than 90 countries and over 1200 institutions.

Index to Theses: A comprehensive listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1716. 589,028 theses in collection (355,862 of which have abstracts)

NARCIS: This search portal provides access to theses and dissertations produced in the Netherlands, as well as access to a variety of other research and data sets.

National ETD Portal (South Africa): This search portal provides access to dissertations and theses produced in South Africa.

RCAAP - Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal: The RCAAP 's mission is to promote, support and facilitate the adoption of the open access movement in Portugal. RCAAP The project aims to: increase the visibility , accessibility and dissemination of academic activity and Portuguese scientific research , facilitating the management and access to information about scientific production and integrate Portugal into a set of international initiatives.  This portal offers a  union catalog with digital contents from more than 30 institutions.

Theses Canada : A union catalog of Canadian theses and dissertations, in both electronic and analog formats, is available through the search interface on this portal.

• Last Updated: Dec 18, 2023 3:32 PM
• URL: https://libguides.princeton.edu/arch_theses

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Students may study for a PhD degree in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning. An additional track in Architectural Technology is also available. This degree is administered jointly by the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Therefore, students benefit from a dual affiliation with both schools.

The program is mainly geared towards individuals who wish to enter academic teaching and research careers. Students are afforded a high degree of flexibility in their studies, however areas of work are broadly organized into the following areas: the Theory and History of Architecture, Architectural Technology, the Theory and History of Landscape Architecture, and the Evolution of Cities and Regions. 

• Theory and History of Architecture:  

Students interested in this area typically study buildings, architectural texts, technologies, and their political, social, and cultural contexts through the early modern, modern, and contemporary eras. 

• Architectural Technology:  

Doctoral research in architectural technology at the GSD aims to advance current  knowledge in green building, for example, and will typically involve issues related to engineering, computation, and digital simulations. 

• Theory and History of Landscape Architecture : 

Students whose research focuses on the theory and history of landscape architecture typically investigate the  ways in which the  natural environment has been thought of, represented, and transformed, from the early modern to the contemporary period. 

• Evolution of Cities and Regions:

Students may be interested in the subject of cities  from a formal standpoint and/or develop an additional emphasis on various social, economic, technological, infrastructural, and ecological dimensions of urban life.

For biographies of current students and more information about their research interests, click here .

After graduation, PhD program alumni typically teach in design schools, or in history or history of art and architecture departments, landscape architecture and environmental studies departments, and urban studies and/or urban planning departments. Some alumni also work in the science, technology, and society domain on governmental and policy issues of particular relevance to their research.

Program Director and Administrator

Antoine Picon , G. Ware Travelstead Professor of the History of Architecture and Technology at the GSD is the current director of the program.

Margaret Moore de Chicojay is the PhD program administrator and key point of contact for incoming and current students. Contact: [email protected]

US South Carolina

Recently viewed courses

Recently viewed.

Find Your Dream School

This site uses various technologies, as described in our Privacy Policy, for personalization, measuring website use/performance, and targeted advertising, which may include storing and sharing information about your site visit with third parties. By continuing to use this website you consent to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use .

   COVID-19 Update: To help students through this crisis, The Princeton Review will continue our "Enroll with Confidence" refund policies. For full details, please click here.

• Grad Programs
• Architecture

Degree Information

Questions to ask yourself when choosing a degree program, career overview, career/licensing requirements, salary information, related links, view all architecture schools by program.

• Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology
• Architectural Sciences and Technology, Other
• Architectural Technology/Technician
• Architecture and Related Services
• Architecture and Related Services, Other
• Environmental Design/Architecture

Architectural History

Architecture (BArch, BA/BS, MArch, MA/MS, PhD)

Art History

Industrial Design

Interior Architecture

Interior Design

Landscape Architecture

Mathematics

Naval Architecture

Urban Planning

RELATED GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Art Conservation

Art History, Criticism and Conservation

Civil Engineering

Historic Preservation and Conservation

Studio Arts (M.F.A.)

Urban, Regional, and Community Planning

RELATED CAREERS

City Planner

Civil Engineer

Graphic Designer

Interior Designer

Landscape Architect

SAMPLE CURRICULUM

Architecture Design

Building Structures

Building Systems

Construction

Design Graphics

Design Studio

Design Theory

History Of Architecture

Independent Studio

Professional Practice

Featured MBA Programs For You

Connect with business schools around the globe and explore your MBA options.

Best Business Schools

Check out our lists of best on-campus and online MBA programs and find the best program for your career goals.

Explore Graduate Programs For You

Ranked master’s programs around the globe are seeking students like you to join their programs.

Med School Advice

Get medical school application advice, USMLE prep help, learn what to expect in med school and more.

Enrollment Advisor

1-800-2REVIEW (800-273-8439) ext. 1

1-877-LEARN-30

Mon-Fri 9AM-10PM ET

Sat-Sun 9AM-8PM ET

Student Support

1-800-2REVIEW (800-273-8439) ext. 2

Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM ET

Sat-Sun 8:30AM-5PM ET

Partnerships

• Teach or Tutor for Us

College Readiness

International

Advertising

Affiliate/Other

• Enrollment Terms & Conditions
• Accessibility
• Cigna Medical Transparency in Coverage

Register Book

Local Offices: Mon-Fri 9AM-6PM

• SAT Subject Tests

Academic Subjects

• Social Studies

Find the Right College

• College Rankings
• College Advice
• Applying to College
• Financial Aid

School & District Partnerships

• Professional Development
• Advice Articles
• Private Tutoring
• Mobile Apps
• Local Offices
• International Offices
• Work for Us
• Affiliate Program
• Partner with Us
• Advertise with Us
• International Partnerships
• Our Guarantees
• Accessibility – Canada

Privacy Policy | CA Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information | Your Opt-Out Rights | Terms of Use | Site Map

©2024 TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University

TPR Education, LLC (doing business as “The Princeton Review”) is controlled by Primavera Holdings Limited, a firm owned by Chinese nationals with a principal place of business in Hong Kong, China.

What Six Senior Music Majors’ Say About Their Theses

As the Spring semester concludes and in anticipation for the Class of 2024’s graduation, the Music Department asked six Senior Music Majors to expand on their creative theses and offer advice to future students preparing their own. The Music Department is proud to share the results of each Music Major’s cumulative work at Princeton, which highlights scholarly research and true mastery of their disciplines. 

Jared Bozinko

Thesis: SIN PHONY for two soprano clarinets, two auxiliary clarinets, two saxophones, and two horns

Jared:  In the process of writing  SIN PHONY , I found inspiration in seemingly twee places. Poulenc’s  Sonata for horn, trumpet and trombone,  Prokofiev’s  Romeo and Juliet , a 1995 clarinet quartet by Met Opera clarinetist Sean Osborn, and Ligeti’s  Six Bagatelles , a quirky wind quintet version of his  Musica ricercata .  SIN PHONY  is a chamber piece, technically an octet, for clarinets, saxes, and horns. My advisor, Dr. Dmitri Tymoczko, has been indispensable to the process, guiding me all fall semester in writing short chamber music sketches, which became the basis of the material that makes up my thesis. The process was so smooth and, at points, genuinely fun, and it was a great challenge as a composer to blend disparate thematic material from sketches written completely separately into cohesive, compelling music that had cohesion and let my compositional voice shine through.

Tanaka Dunbar Ngwara

Thesis: Paivapo ’76: A New Musical 

Tanaka:  My thesis was an original musical entitled Paivapo ’76 and set in Domboshava Zimbabwe in 1976, during the Zimbabwean Liberation War. The show deals with the conflict between traditional practice/spirituality and Christianity, and explores themes of community, first love and grief. I received the Alex Adam ’07 Award to conduct research for this project over the summer and since the musical also served as independent work for my theater and music theater certificates, I was able to premiere the piece on May 3rd, 4th and 5th in the Wallace Theater in the Lewis Center Complex. 

Thesis: Flung Into Space: A Collection of Songs

Nina:   My thesis is a collection of six songs titled  Flung Into Space . It consists of three story heavy songs about my life, along with an electronic counterpart for each which explores the same topic from a new perspective. 

Rupert Peacock

Thesis: John Farrant’s “O Lord Allmighty (ca. 1570):  The English Anthem at Ely Cathedral With Critical Edition

Rupert:  My thesis is a critical edition and history surrounding a piece of unpublished English choral music. The piece is called “O Lord Almighty” by John Farrant. I went to the library at Cambridge University and looked through manuscripts from Ely cathedral, which is about 10 minutes from where I live in the UK. I found lots of great and famous choral works, but stumbled across this piece by Farrant almost by accident. Professor Wendy Heller taught me everything I needed to know to get this done. She’s an expert in critical editions and this kind of research. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Molly Trueman

Thesis: Angels & Aliens: The Making of an Album

Molly:  For my thesis, I wrote and recorded my debut full-length album entitled  Angels & Aliens . Based around acoustic guitar and vocals, the album has an alternative indie-folk feel. This is a milestone I’ve been working towards for a few years now, so I’m incredibly grateful that this album ended up being my thesis.

Gabriela Veciana

Thesis: Breaking the Sound Barrier: Investigating Latine Racial Bias Through Reggaetón Music

Gabriela:  For my thesis, I researched colorism within Latine communities through reggaetón music. I knew I was interested in looking at identity and Latin music, but it wasn’t until I heard my advisor, Lisa Margulis, present her work in music cognition that I saw a potential connection with psychology fields. 

If you were to describe your thesis in one word, what would it be?

Jared :  Darksided (hehe)

Tanaka:  Fusion

Nina:  Honest

Rupert:  Difficult!

Molly:  Extraterrestrial

Gabriela:  Interdisciplinary!

What advice would you give to future seniors on creating a successful thesis?

Jared:  Don’t be afraid that your thesis isn’t going to materialize in time, instead, always try to remember just why you chose this amazing department, and to remember your likely lifelong personal devotion to music. There’s a lot to love about being able to share your art as the capstone of your work at Princeton. 

Tanaka:  If you can, use the thesis as an opportunity to work on something that you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the time to do! It’s amazing to have the excuse of a thesis project to give you the drive and space to complete it. 

Nina:  Try to start without judgement. The hardest part of writing my thesis was my own expectations of what my thesis should look like. 

Rupert:  It has to be something you care about and/or are passionate about. It got to the point where I was actually looking forward to the next steps in my thesis and enjoyed working on it. That was crucial for motivation!

Molly:  In terms of creating a thesis, my biggest piece of advice is to find a topic that you’re truly passionate about. Don’t settle for something you don’t care about.

Gabriela:  You don’t always have to have a topic and then find an advisor, you can start by finding an advisor you are interested in working with and craft your topic from there.

What are your plans after graduation?

Jared:  Still figuring it out, though I’m certain I want music to be a core component of my everyday life. I am trying to move to Philadelphia and get involved with their variety of music scenes, from DIY punk basement shows to chamber orchestras to early music groups. I also want to continue composing and am eager to hone my craft even further wherever I go. 

Tanaka:  I’m going to attend the Royal Academy of Music for Music Theater vocal performance! I’m very excited to be in a new city, and get to do another music degree in a conservatory.

Nina:  I’m moving to Nashville, TN and pursuing a career as a performing musician. I’ll also be releasing music soon as a part of the band Upwhirl, as well as later this year releasing my thesis. 

Rupert:  I am going to split my time between singing and construction!

Molly:  After graduation, I’m going to McGill University to study in the Sound Recording program.

Gabriela:  I hope to work in theater administration in New York!

In Other News

Student Perspectives: The Musical Odyssey of Princeton’s Adrian Thananopavarn

Jan 18, 2024

Adrian P. Thananopavarn ’24, Math major with certificates in Computer Science and Music Composition, premieres “March of Dusk” with Princeton University Sinfonia

How 3 Princeton Students Spend a Monday at the Royal College of Music

Dec 7, 2023

Dorothy Junginger ’25, Kyle Tsai ’25, and Audrey Yang ’25 are currently participating in Princeton’s immersive abroad program this semester at the Royal College of Music in London.

Music Major Kasey Shao Named 2024 Gilmore Young Artist

Sep 18, 2023

The Department of Music congratulates Kasey Shao (Class of 2025), a Music Major who is pursuing Minors in Piano Performance and Engineering Biology, who was one of two students named 2024 Gilmore Young Artists. We caught up with Kasey this summer following the official announcement to discuss how she found out she’d been selected, what she has planned for her 2024 Gilmore recitals and piano commission, and what’s on the docket for her final two years at Princeton.