PhD Music: The University of Manchester

Course description

The Music PhD is offered to musicologists, ethnomusicologists, and composers of instrumental and electroacoustic music. You will develop historical and/or analytical skills at an advanced level, with independence and originality of thought combined with technical skill. The supervised research will normally be related in some way to the research interests of a member of staff, including:

Medieval and Renaissance song; English Baroque music; Baroque music theory and performance practice; Handel; Beethoven and his contemporaries; Music in 19th-century German thought and culture (Mendelssohn, Schumann); 20th-century music; 20th-century symphony; Opera; Composition; Electroacoustic Music; Ethnomusicology.

Course aims

Composers will produce a portfolio of compositions and a written commentary. They will be assigned a research panel consisting of their supervisor, a co-supervisor and advisor who will meet with them on a regular basis to monitor their progress. Postgraduate students are expected to take part in the academic community of the department and University by participating in seminars and by presenting their research at regular intervals. Workshops and performances of postgraduate compositions are arranged through the department, and may involve Psappha, the University's ensemble-in-association, and the Quatuor Danel, the quartet-in-residence, among other professional and student performers.

Career opportunities

Musicology and Composition PhDs from Manchester have gone on to hold academic posts at several UK universities, including Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, London (Brunel) and Liverpool Hope. Others have pursued successful careers in performance, teaching, librarianship, publishing and many areas besides.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview: Applicants for a PhD are normally required to have a Masters degree in Music, or the overseas equivalent.

English language: If your first language is not English, you need IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 575 (paper-based) or 233 (computer-based) or GCSE English grade C.