MA Music

at Durham University

A: Core module: Research Methods and Resources (M1)

The core module provides research training and engages with major intellectual issues pertaining to the study of music across all pathways, providing a unified central focus for the degree, in addition to fostering intra-disciplinary connections between the various sub-domains of music studies, as well as interdisciplinary links with other areas of intellectual enquiry in the arts, humanities, and sciences.

This module will set out the intellectual framework for the MA and will impart a foundational understanding of the nature of research in pertinent fields of music studies (both musicological and practice-based), as defined by the AHRC and other UK research councils. It will equip you with the range of knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary to engage in research-informed learning and to conduct independent research at Masters level and beyond, and to function effectively in a professional context.

It will also deal with practical matters such as presentational skills, close reading, and critical thinking, carrying out a literature search and review, research ethics, writing research proposals, and career development. It will provide a solid foundation on which students can proceed with confidence to design, plan, and execute independent research projects. The module will be delivered as weekly seminars. In the first term, the focus will be on a range of theoretical and practical issues pertaining to the conduct of research. The second and third terms will support the development of an independent research project: students will give oral presentations on aspects of their research-in-progress, and receive feedback in the form of student-led group discussions and comment from members of the teaching term. The summative assignments will consist of an extended research proposal, and a conference-style oral presentation.

We require evidence of standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year performance recital. A video recording of between 10 and 12 minutes must be submitted to demonstrate that the applicant is of the required level.

Fees and funding
 

• Home students    £10,800 per year
• EU students    £22,900 per year
• Island students    £10,800 per year
• International students    £22,900 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Our postgraduates go on to a variety of careers, from higher research degrees and academic positions in universities throughout the world, to teaching, publishing and private sector work unrelated to music. To cater for these aspirations, we run support sessions during the year within the MA programme and as part of the postgraduate seminar series in the department, which also supplies a strong community of postgraduates at various stages of taught and research qualifications. Some of these sessions assist specifically with the process of applying for a PhD or postdoctoral position, or of getting published in academic journals, but they are more broadly designed to embed transferrable skills of rich facility in other sectors, including high-level writing and presentations skills, and research techniques.