PROSPECTIVE POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

Choosing to study music at the postgraduate level allows students the opportunity to enhance their subject-specific expertise, practical skills, and intellectual engagement with music on a number of levels. There are a wide variety of postgraduate programmes in Music available at institutions throughout Ireland, ranging in duration, formal components, and subject focus. As a prospective student, the choice of programme should reflect your own interests and capabilities, as well as logistical matters.

Taught masters programmes are typically one full-time year in duration or two years part-time, and comprise a combination of coursework and independent work study focused on research, performance, or composition. Generally speaking these programmes provide a strong foundation in specific performance traditions or in academic disciplines such as musicology, ethnomusicology or music education. Links to specific taught masters degrees can be found HERE, and it is worth investigating the content and aims of the various offerings.

There are also doctoral-level degrees that focus on musical performance. Generally speaking, these degree programmes have a strong taught component, focusing on individual study with professional musicians and/or composers. Research degree programmes (usually PhD, sometimes MLitt, MPhil or MA), which may also contain some taught components, are generally longer in duration and provide students with an opportunity to pursue a substantial, independent research project. The topic of investigation is usually chosen by the student, who pursues their work in dialogue with their chosen supervisor. In choosing a research degree, the most important consideration is finding a supervisor who has the highest level of expertise on your chosen topic.