Course summary
The MA in Music (Ethnomusicology) introduces a range of methodologies in relation to the study of music in its cultural contexts.
- As well as engaging with musical practices in various geographic or cultural areas, the programme acknowledges the importance of urban ethnomusicology and the usefulness of applying ethnomusicological approaches to Western art and popular music.
- You have the opportunity to engage with key ethnographic methodologies, such as interviewing, videoing and video editing, and musical performance as a research technique.
- The innovative structure of the programme allows you to specialise in one of these areas if you wish, leading to a final project that itself may have a significant practical component, and you have the opportunity to undertake fieldwork projects as part of your studies.
- A written dissertation option is also available, allowing you to engage in depth with an issue that interests you.
- The programme appeals to a wide range of students hoping to develop their intellectual skills in music, particularly those with interests in music as a cultural phenomenon.
- It's exceptionally useful, for example, for students preparing for further postgraduate research, or for those considering careers in teaching, journalism, arts administration or the culture industries, or working with government agencies or charities abroad.
Modules
You take the following core module: Contemporary Ethnomusicology 30 credits Option modules You choose three modules from a list that currently includes: Advanced Music Studies 30 credits Critical Musicology and Popular Music 30 credits Ethnographic Film and Music Research 30 credits New Directions in Popular Music Research 30 credits Performance as Research (Ethnomusicology) 30 credits Popular Music and its Critics 30 credits Research through Musical Performance 30 credits Sound Agendas 30 credits Philosophies of Music 30 credits You can also choose to study a 30 credit module (or equivalent credits) from a list of modules from a different department. Ethnomusicology Major Project 60 credits *Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.
Entry requirements
You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in Music or an equivalent subject. Your qualification should comprise a substantial academic element relevant to the selected MA pathway and option choices. A detailed transcript of your degree is preferred. Students who have completed up to 90 credits (not including final 60-credit projects or dissertations) of a comparable degree at another university can apply for recognition of prior learning status as part of their application for a place on the programme, where such credits are carried forward into your study at Goldsmiths. If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Additional fee information
Unless otherwise stated the annual fee for part-time students is half the full time fee quoted.
Provider information
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross
Lewisham
SE14 6NW