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Music (Musicology) at University of Manchester - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Our PhD Music (Musicology) programme will enable you to develop historical and/or analytical skills at an advanced level, with independence and originality of thought combined with technical skill. Your supervised research will normally relate to the research interests of a member of staff. These currently include (but are not limited to):

  • Early modern material culture;
  • Manuscript studies;
  • Early modern music theory and historical performing practices;
  • Music and multimedia culture in early modern and Enlightenment England;
  • Reception of early modern English music;
  • Beethoven and his contemporaries;
  • Music, politics and aesthetics in 19th century Germany;
  • Analysis and reception of 19th century instrumental music;
  • New music reception, historiography and methodology;
  • Music in contemporary culture;
  • Music of South Asia and the South Asian diaspora;
  • Music of the Mediterranean, Balkans and Caucasus;
  • Politics of world music;
  • Music revivals in the 20th and 21st centuries;
  • Theorising listening and listeners;
  • Performance studies and pedagogy;
  • Jazz and improvisation studies;
  • Child composers.
Our research across the department involves particular focus on seven core research areas , built around research questions, themes and approaches that are shared by a number of members of staff. Explored thematically during our Thursday research afternoons, the core research areas allow us to interrogate key issues in music research from multiple angles, fostering imaginative and multi-layered responses that are both intellectual and creative. They comprise:
  • Creative and performing practices
  • Sound, space and interactive art
  • Politics, protest and power
  • Nationalism, mobility and identity
  • Historically and culturally informed analysis
  • Critical reception studies
  • Inter-cultural musicking
PhD students in Musicology and Ethnomusicology produce an 80,000-word dissertation that presents independent and original research executed at a high standard. As a research student in the department, you will be assigned a research panel consisting of your supervisor, a co-supervisor and an independent reviewer, who will meet with you on a regular basis to discuss your progress and offer expert advice on the development of your project. Postgraduate students are an important part of the academic community of the department and the University, and we encourage all our PhD students to participate in research seminars and presenting their research at regular intervals to help them develop their research experience and profile.

Entry requirements

Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent).

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

For fees for entry in 2025, please view the course listing on our website.

Sponsorship information

There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below. To apply for University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered. The deadline for most internal competitions, including AHRC NWCDTP and School of Arts, Languages and Cultures studentships is 13 January 2025. All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.  You will need to be nominated by your proposed supervisor for a number of our scholarships. Therefore, we highly recommend you discuss these funding opportunities with your supervisor first, so they can advise on your suitability and ensure you meet nomination deadlines. For more funding information, visit our funding page or use our funding database to search for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.

Music (Musicology) at University of Manchester - UCAS