MIT has launched a new interdisciplinary graduate program in music technology and computing, showcasing faculty, labs, and curricula from across the Institute.
This program is a collaboration between the Music and Theater Arts Section in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS); the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) in the School of Engineering; and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing.
« Launching a new graduate program in music technology feels both necessary and provocative—a significant leap in an era rapidly redefined by exponential growth in computing, artificial intelligence, and human-machine interactions of all imaginable kinds, » says Jay Scheib, director of the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section and Class of 1949 Professor.
« Music plays an elegant role at the forefront of a remarkable convergence of art and technology, » Scheib adds. « This is the right time to launch this program, and if not at MIT, then where? »
MIT practitioners define music technology as the scientific research field where they study, discover, and develop new computational approaches to music. This includes musical information retrieval; artificial intelligence; machine learning; generative algorithms; interaction and performance systems; digital instrument design; conceptual and perceptual modeling of music; acoustics; audio signal processing; and software development for creative expression and musical applications.
Eran Egozy, Professor of the Practice in Music Technology and one of the program’s leaders, emphasizes that MIT focuses on technical research in music technology while always centering the humanistic and artistic aspects of music creation.
« There are so many MIT students who are fabulous musicians, » says Egozy. « We will approach music technology as computer scientists, mathematicians, and musicians. »
With the launch of this new program, complementing offerings in the Media Lab and elsewhere, Egozy envisions MIT becoming the obvious destination for students interested in music and computing studies. The program aims to prepare high-impact graduates for roles in academia and industry while also shaping creative and broad thinkers capable of tackling significant challenges.
Exploring Big Ideas
The program will include two master’s degrees and a PhD:
- The Master of Science (MS) is a two-semester, thesis-based program available only to MIT undergraduates. All admitted students automatically receive one semester of fellowship. The first cohort will enroll in Fall 2025.
- The Master of Applied Science (MAS) is a two-semester, course-based program open to all students. All admitted students automatically receive one semester of fellowship. Applications for this program will open in Fall 2025.
- The PhD program is open to all students wishing to apply to MIT’s School of Engineering.
Anna Huang, a new assistant professor at MIT with a joint appointment between the Music and Theater Arts Section and the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, is collaborating with Egozy to develop and launch the program. Huang joined MIT this fall after eight years at Google Brain and DeepMind, leading efforts in generative modeling, reinforcement learning, and human-computer interaction to support human-AI partnerships in music creation.
« As a composer turned AI researcher specializing in generative music technology, my long-term goal is to develop AI systems that provide new insights into how we understand, learn, and create music, and to learn from musician interactions to transform our approach to human-AI collaboration, » says Huang. « This new program will allow us to explore in greater depth how musical applications can shed light on problems of understanding neural networks, for example. »
MIT’s new Edward and Joyce Linde Music Building, featuring enhanced music technology spaces, will also help transform music education with versatile performance spaces and optimized rehearsal facilities.
A Natural Home for Music Technology
MIT’s world-class and top-tier engineering program, combined with its focus on computing and conservatory-level music education offerings, makes the Institute a natural home for the continued expansion of music technology education.
The collaborative nature of the new program is the latest example of interdisciplinary work being done within the Institute.
« I am thrilled that the School of Engineering is partnering with the MIT Music and Theater Arts Section on this important initiative, which represents the convergence of various engineering fields—such as AI and design—with music, » says Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean of the School of Engineering, Director of Innovation and Strategy, and Vannevar Bush Professor of EECS. « I look forward to seeing the innovative projects students will create and how they will advance this new field. »
« Everyone on campus knows MIT is a great place to make music. But I want people to come to MIT because of what we do in music, » says Agustín Rayo, Kenan Sahin Dean of SHASS. « This exceptional collaboration with the Schwarzman College of Computing and the School of Engineering will make that dream a reality, bringing together the world’s best engineers with our extraordinary musicians to create the next generation of music technologies. »
« The new master’s program offers students an unprecedented opportunity to explore the intersection of music and technology, » says Daniel Huttenlocher, Dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and Henry Ellis Warren Professor of EECS. « It allows them to gain a deep understanding of this confluence, preparing them to advance new approaches to computational models of music and to be at the forefront of an evolving field. »
