MPhil/PhD in Music

Program Overview

Key Information

Duration

• 4 years

Attendance Mode

• Full-time or part-time

Location

• On campus

Fees

• Home (full-time): £4,860 per year
• International (full-time): £23,390 per year

Entry Requirements

• Postgraduate students of the Department come from a wide variety of backgrounds in the UK and from overseas. Most are performers of music as well as researchers; applicants are evaluated individually on the basis of their background and academic achievements.
• Applicants should normally possess a Master’s degree, or equivalent, in Music, Ethnomusicology or other relevant discipline plus one reference.
• Applicants who are accomplished performers or teachers, or who work in the music industry, may have alternative qualifications, and are encouraged to apply.
• International applicants should also see Doctoral School English language requirements.

Course Overview

Staff and students of the Department of Music pursue research on a wide range of subjects, mainly but not exclusively focused on the music of Asia and Africa.

• Staff have regional interests in the music of East and Central Asia (Harris), India and Pakistan (Williams), the Islamic Middle East (Saeid Kordmafi) and Jewish world (Webster-Kogen), and South and East Africa (Impey).
• However, research is not limited to these areas: projects have been undertaken on American jazz, and on Caribbean, Mediterranean and Eastern European music, for example.
• Staff often have research interests in issues that cross regional boundaries; see the Department Staff page for a summary of their interests, and select the name of a lecturer for further details of their individual research specialisms and activities.

Structure

Year-by-Year Requirements for Full-Time Research Students

Year 1: Research Training and Upgrade to PhD

• Part-time students spend two years for every one year of the full-time scheme, except at the Continuation of Writing Up stage where only one year is allowed.
• For further information about research degrees at SOAS, see the Code of Practice for Research Degrees.

Upgrade Requirements

• A. Written Submission:
  • An essay of not more than 12,000 words, comprising:
    • an outline of the research topic, the specific questions to be addressed and the expected contribution of the study to the discipline.
    • a review of the relevant theoretical and subject-specific literature.
    • an outline of the methodology to be followed, including an outline of any fieldwork to be carried out, and of any performance or composition work to be submitted as a substantive part of the thesis.
    • a summary of any original research investigation that you have already carried out that will contribute to the thesis.
  • An initial Bibliography, comprising the literature directly relevant to the research, including non-text material where appropriate, set out according to standard bibliographical conventions.
  • A provisional chapter-outline of the thesis. The title of each chapter should be accompanied by a short (1-paragraph) explanation of the subject matter.
  • A short report on the research training that you have undertaken to date, the progress achieved, and any training that you will need in the next stage of your research.
  • A brief (1-page) discussion of any considerations of research ethics that arise from the topic or the methodology proposed.
• B. Oral Presentation:
  • Following submission of the above, you are required to give an oral presentation of 30 min duration, followed by discussion.
  • This presentation will be attended by your Supervisory Committee.
  • The presentation should include musical performance, and/or recordings of composition work, if these form an integral part of your research project.
  • The Oral Presentation should include results of any research already undertaken, and plans for the next stage of research.

Year 2: Fieldwork or Data Collection

• If you spend more than 1 month in the field, a report must be submitted each month to your First Supervisor via email.
• You should aim to complete at least one further chapter in draft.

Year 3: Completion of Full Draft

• Term 1: Required seminar presentation on outcome of fieldwork, or other work in Year 2, and its impact on your research project.
• Term 1: Submission of a fieldwork report (3,000 words), OR the chapter(s) completed during Year 2, to your Supervisory Committee.
• Term 3: Submission of draft thesis by 1 September (date TBC) to your Supervisory Committee.
• The completed Extension of Writing-Up (Continuation) Form must be submitted to the Supervisory Committee; if the Committee is satisfied that the draft thesis can be developed into a thesis of a quality worthy for submission for examination in the subsequent academic year, the student will be allowed to register on Extension of Writing-up (Continuation) Status in Year 4 at reduced fees.

Year 4: Completion and Submission of Thesis

• The completed thesis must be submitted for examination before the end of Year 4 (part-time, Year 7).
• Extensions beyond this date are granted only in exceptional circumstances.

Teaching and Learning

Research Training and Coursework

• All research students are required to follow a course of research training held in the department in their first year.
• In addition, they may be required to take one or more postgraduate courses, such as the MMus core course Ethnomusicology in Practice, and/or a language course, depending on their prior qualifications and the requirements of their research project.
• They are also expected to attend department research seminars and they may be recommended to attend research training workshops elsewhere in SOAS, or in other institutions London-wide .

Supervision

• Each research student is allocated a Supervisory Committee, comprising the First Supervisor, who will be primarily responsible for guiding the student’s research, and a Second Supervisor, who is available for periodic consultation.
• The Committee periodically assesses the student’s progress.
• Research students are welcome to consult any members of the Department of Music about their research.
• Where the project is interdisciplinary, the Second Supervisor can be a member of another department.

Employment

Students in the School of Arts develop a ​​critical and theoretically informed approach to global arts and culture.

• In addition to an intercultural awareness and practical expertise, graduates gain a wide portfolio of transferable skills which are especially sought after in the creative and cultural industries.
• Recent graduates have been hired by:
  • Professor of Ethnomusicology in RHUL
  • KCL
  • Durham University
  • UCLA
  • Xi'an Conservatory
  • University of Vienna, University of Würzburg
  • Head Curator of the World and Tradition Collections British Library Sound Archive

Scholarships

• Title | Deadline date
  • Tibawi Trust Award |
  • Elisabeth Croll Scholarship for fieldwork in China | 30 April 2021
  • JRC Fuwaku Scholarship | 2 May 2022
  • SOAS Research Studentships - School of Arts | 6 May 2022
  • CHASE AHRC Studentship | 27 January 2025
  • Felix Scholarships | 31 January 2025
  • Sasakawa Studentships | 12 March 2025
  • Saraswati Dalmia Scholarship | 21 March 2025
  • SOAS Research Studentships | 21 March 2025
  • Meiji Jingu Japanese Studies Research Scholarships | 15 May 2025