Gain new insights into how music is created, disseminated and received in different times and cultures. This course draws on a range of methodologies and disciplines to help you get the most out of the music you love.
Course description
This course gives you a wide-ranging introduction to advanced musicological study. Our breadth of expertise in the Department of Music means that you can engage with a range of specialist areas, including:
- Mozart
- music of the classical period
- Renaissance music
- music and visual culture
- eighteenth and nineteenth-century style
- the concerto genre
- the Broadway and Hollywood musical.
You’ll explore themes such as gender, musical philosophy and culture, the creative process, performance and reception, and use a range of methodologies to understand how music is created, disseminated and received.
In the first semester, all students take a module on critical musicology. This gives you a grounding in the key concepts of musicological thought and technique, from nationalism and canon to semiotics and aesthetics. You’ll then apply these concepts to a specific repertoire in the second semester.
For many students, the dissertation is the climax of their course. You’ll have the opportunity to explore a research topic of your own choice on any topic or repertoire. Previous students have explored everything from art and music in Renaissance Italy to gender identity in Disney musicals. A particular strength of our department is that we treat all genres with the same respect, and although we have significant expertise in Western art music, it is by no means more important than other repertoires.
As well as musicological modules, you can take modules in other areas of the curriculum such as performance, music psychology and world music. This gives you the chance to meet students from other MA music courses and provides an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary grounding in the subject.
Sheffield is the perfect place to complete your MA in Musicology. The Department of Music works closely with the University’s Concerts Series and oversees ensembles such as the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, the Chamber Choir and the Folk Group. Our MA students have performed with these ensembles. One student conducted an edition of a long lost Broadway musical that he reconstructed for full orchestra and cast.
Our students also benefit from a thriving research environment and take part in academic conferences. The University’s archives also offer the potential for musicological work, particularly in the collection of scores used by the renowned conductor Sir Thomas Beecham.
Sheffield is celebrated as one of the UK’s leading music cities, with dozens of major venues. Sheffield benefits from regular visits from the Halle and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, the nationally important Music in the Round chamber music organisation, and a rich programme of musicals, ballets and operas at the Crucible and Lyceum theatres. Sheffield is particularly known for its folk scene. Our students regularly take part in gigs at smaller venues across the city, as well as the Yellow Arch Studios.
Modules
A selection of modules are available each year – some examples are below. There may be changes before you start your course.
Core modules:
- Critical Musicology
- Topics in Musicology
- Academic Skills
- Dissertation in Musicology
Recommended and optional modules:
Subject to the approval of the course director.
- Communicating about music and music research
- Critical Listening and the Musical Work
- Critical Listening and the Musical Work
Optional modules:
Subject to the approval of the course director.
- Strategic planning for music business clients
- Staging Music in Theory and Practice
- Performing South Asian Rhythm
- Collaborative practice, public engagement and impact
- Qualitative Data Collection
- Music, Brain and Body
- The Social and Applied Psychology of Music
The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it’s up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we’ll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption. We are no longer offering unrestricted module choice. If your course included unrestricted modules, your department will provide a list of modules from their own and other subject areas that you can choose from.
Duration
- 1 year full-time
- 2 years part-time
Teaching
Teaching is through seminars, reading group, graduate study days and individual tutorials. These are combined with departmental study days and extracurricular performance opportunities, all of which makes for a stimulating and supportive study environment.
Department of Music students study at the heart of the campus in our Jessop Building, Soundhouse and performance facilities. We timetable teaching across the whole of our campus. Teaching may take place in a student’s home.
Assessment
Assessment is through essays, short presentations and a dissertation.
Entry requirements
You’ll need a 2:1 in music or a combined degree with a substantial music component.
Other qualifications may be acceptable depending on your background.
Overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.
Pathway programme for international students
If you’re an international student who does not meet the entry requirements for this course, you have the opportunity to apply for a pre-masters programme in Business, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Sheffield International College. This course is designed to develop your English language and academic skills. Upon successful completion, you can progress to degree level study at the University of Sheffield.
Fees and funding
- Home (2022 annual fee) : £9,300
- Overseas (2022 annual fee) : £23,250
The fee listed is for the advertised mode of study. If you’re studying for an alternative qualification or via a different mode of study (eg full-time, part-time) then the fee could be different. Due to inflation, the fee for Home students could also increase after your first year of study.
