Music PHD
Why choose this course
Surrey is a respected authority in sound technology and musical research. Thanks to our renowned expertise in musicology and composition, and the prestige of the Institute of Sound Recording, we can count many household names in entertainment, audio technology and the recording industry among our partners and collaborators.
Research in music and sound brings together a broad range of interconnected subject areas, including dance, digital arts, film, music, theatre and sound recording. Facilities include industry-specification sound-recording studios, music-practice rooms and venues for concert performance and musical theatre.
The School is highly collegiate, with a close-knit and supportive academic environment. It is home to the Institute of Sound Recording, one of the world’s leading centres for research in psychoacoustic engineering and sound perception.
Our musical research and composition achieves wide international circulation through established scholarly channels and broadcast media. We are also principal organisers of the Guildford International Music Festival.
Our undergraduate music programmes were ranked second in the UK by the Guardian University Guide 2018. Academic members of staff are well known internationally for their exceptionally strong research profiles.
What you will study
Our research degrees prepare you for success at each stage of your PhD project development. The structure of our Music PhD is designed to provide intensive graduate preparation for a future career and is suitable for either part-time or full-time candidates.
As a PhD student within our Department of Music and Media you will conduct a research project within one of our areas of research strength. Completion of the programme entails submission of a thesis, the submission of practice if undertaking a practice-based PhD, and an oral viva with external examiners.
PhD students in all programmes in the School of Arts can expect three levels of research training: University-level, School-level and subject-specific.
University-level training is provided by the Postgraduate Skills Development Programme and the University Library including a PhD induction, workshops on writing skills and preparation for the confirmation and viva. There is also an annual student-led University Postgraduate conference. School-level training is offered in the form of interdisciplinary seminars, reading groups, visiting speaker events and conferences. You will also receive subject-specific training that will vary depending on your programme. You may participate in research “intensives” featuring formal presentations of work by students, keynote seminars, study groups on current themes in arts research, and research skills training sessions. You may meet regularly for debate and discussion and participate in annual formal presentations of research.
Course facts
| Qualification | Study mode | Course length | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHD | Full-time | 48 months | October 2018 |
| PHD | Part-time | 96 months | January 2019 |
| PHD | Part-time | 96 months | October 2018 |
| PHD | Full-time | 48 months | April 2018 |
| PHD | Full-time | 48 months | July 2018 |
| PHD | Part-time | 96 months | April 2018 |
| PHD | Part-time | 96 months | July 2018 |
Supervisors
Before you submit your formal application form, please take a look at our list of Department of Music and Media supervisors.
Once you have found an appropriate supervisor, please make contact with them to discuss your proposal. You should then proceed to completing and submitting your formal application form.
Additional costs
There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey. Find out more.
Code of practice for research degrees
Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees.
The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.
Download the code of practice for research degrees (PDF).
Research themes
- Analysis
- 20th-century concert music, especially Bartok, Stravinsky, Mahler, Elgar, Britten
- Popular musics, particularly rock, jazz, electronic dance music
- Aesthetics of sound and music
- Contemporary music and its composition and performance
- Critical musicology
- Music for screen
- Folk music studies
- Composition
- Psychoacoustic engineering
- Acoustic-perception modelling
- Performance studies and techniques
- Improvisation
- Acoustics
- Digital signal processing
- Psychoacoustics (theoretical and experimental)
- Statistical analysis and user-interface design
- Spatial audio: perception and reproduction
Our academic staff
See a full list of all our academic staff within the Department of Music and Media.
Research facilities
Facilities include industry-specification sound-recording studios, music-practice rooms and venues for concert performance and musical theatre.
Entry requirements
Applicants are expected to hold a good honours degree and usually an MA in a relevant arts subject or appropriate professional experience.
View entry requirements by country
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6.0 in each individual category.
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here. The University of Surrey is also an IELTS test centre.
Selection process
Candidates submitting proposals that include practice-based research will be required to evidence appropriate experience and expertise.
Selection is based on applicants meeting the expected entry requirements, assessment of application, successful interview and suitable references where required.
Fees
| Study mode | Start date | UK/EU fees | Oversees fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time | October 2018 | £4,260 | £16,000 |
| Part-time | January 2019 | £2,130 | £8,000 |
| Part-time | October 2018 | £2,130 | £8,000 |
| Full-time | April 2018 | £4,195 | £16,000 |
| Full-time | July 2018 | £4,195 | £16,000 |
| Part-time | April 2018 | £2,100 | £8,000 |
| Part-time | July 2018 | £2,100 | £8,000 |
For fees payable in 2018/19, these will increase by 4 per cent, rounded up to the nearest £100 for subsequent years of study. Any start date other than October will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).
Overseas students applying for 2018 entry should note that annual fees will rise by 4% rounded up to the nearest £100.
View a complete list of all fees for our research programmes.
Studentships
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences studentship
Funding information:
This studentship includes a tuition fee waiver (home/EU or international) and a maintenance stipend at current research-council rates for a full-time PhD.Postgraduate open afternoon
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