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Music, MPhil

Newcastle University, the United Kingdom

Newcastle University

Study options for this course

The award How you will study Study duration Course start Domestic course fees International course fees
MPhilFull-time12 monthsfind outfind outfind out
MPhilPart-time24 monthsfind outfind outfind out
PhDFull-time36 monthsfind outfind outfind out
PhDPart-time72 monthsfind outfind outfind out

About Music, MPhil - at Newcastle University

Our Music MPhil and PhD programmes enable you to pursue advanced research in the areas of classical, popular, world, contemporary, early, folk and traditional music through a range of approaches. These include practice-based research, and musicological and theoretical inquiry.

Practice-based research focuses on composition, performance and improvisation.
Areas of musicological and theoretical inquiry can include the following approaches:

  • cultural and critical
  • historiographic
  • ethnomusicological
  • music analytical
  • philosophical and aesthetic

If you choose to engage in academic research you are normally assessed by a thesis of no more than 100,000 words for PhD and 50,000 words for MPhil, inclusive of notes, bibliography and appendices. If you choose to undertake practice-base research you will normally submit a portfolio (eg of scores, sound files, video files, other forms of documentation or some combination of these), supplemented by a related dissertation to explain the larger, practice-based component.

Applications are welcome from students with academic or practice-based research interests in any field of expertise among our staff. To view the areas that we are able to supervise please see the ICMuS Research Website, as well as individual staff pages.

You will join a wider community of fellow postgraduate students working in the International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS), and more widely in the School of Arts and Cultures and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. ICMuS also holds regular PhD/MPhil forums for students to discuss their research.

All PhD students are given the opportunity to undertake some undergraduate teaching, with appropriate mentoring, at a suitable point in their study.

Delivery

These programmes are delivered on the Newcastle campus (with options for a period of study abroad). You will be assigned a principal supervisor, supported by a wider supervisory team of one or more additional supervisors. In the first year, you will complete the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences' Doctoral Research Training Programme. Beyond this, study is based on one to one tutorials with your supervisors, which can be flexibly scheduled. A blended approach of in-person and web-based supervision can also be negotiated for students studying remotely.

Data based on responses from 210 UK, EU and International postgraduate leavers (2011/12, 2012/13) studying in the School of Arts and Cultures. See more about what our graduates do.

Facilities

We have outstanding specialist music facilities, including our £4.5m purpose built Music Studios, designed with performance, multimedia and studio-based work in mind.

Additional facilities include:

  • two professional grade recording studios
  • a large student common room, including a work area with PCs featuring specialist music software
  • a range of recently refurbished rehearsal spaces
  • a full range of recently refurbished teaching facilities, including a 100-seat lecture theatre, two 50 seat lecture theatres and three 25-seater seminar rooms
  • 12 practice rooms with integrated recording facilities
  • a dedicated postgraduate workspace
  • a project room equipped with 5.1 mixing system

The University Library also has extensive music collections (including a number of important manuscript and microfilm collections), subscribes to many specialist Music journals, has access to a significant body of online resources, and is widely recognised for the supportive service it offers students and staff.

Notes about fees for this course

See our course fees and funding webpage - http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/degrees/music-mphil-phd/#fees&funding

Entry requirements

2:1 honours degree or higher (or international equivalent), in a related subject. PhD applicants also require a Master's degree at Merit standard or higher (or international equivalent).

International Students

To study this course you need to meet our Band 8 English Language Requirements.

Direct Entry: IELTS 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in all sub-skills).

If you have lower English Language scores, you may be accepted onto a pre-sessional English course. 

Our typical English Language requirements are listed as IELTS scores but we also accept a wide range of English Language tests.

The equivalent academic qualifications that we accept are listed on our country pages.

Pre-sessional English Course Requirements

  • 6 week Pre-sessional entry:Not accepted    
  • 10 week Pre-sessional entry: IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in all sub-skills)

You can study our Pre-sessional English course at the INTO Newcastle Centre.

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