Music (Composition, Music Education, Musicology, Music Technology, Sound Recording, Theory, Interdisciplinary Studies) (Ph.D.)

Offered by: Music (Schulich School of Music)
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description

The Ph.D. in Music is offered in eight different topic areas: Musicology, Music Theory, Music Technology, Music Education, Sound Recording, Composition, Interdisciplinary Studies and Applied Performance Sciences.

Students admitted to the Ph.D.; Music program who have a master's degree other than a master's degree in music from McGill University may be required to successfully complete one or more undergraduate courses before completion of the doctoral degree.

Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.

Thesis

A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

Language Reading Requirements

No foreign-language reading examinations required in Sound Recording, Interdisciplinary Studies, Music Education, Music Technology, Musicology and Applied Performance Sciences.

Composition/Music Theory

One foreign-language reading examination required. Students whose mother tongue is French are exempt from the French Reading Exam.

Required Courses

Complementary Courses (0-30 credits)

Students entering in Ph.D. 1

15 credits of seminars at the 600 level or higher, approved by the Department. For Music Theory students, 0-6 credits will be selected from the following if not taken previously or equivalent courses:

0-15 credits of additional seminars at the 600 or higher, will be assigned by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music in consultation with the area coordinator, or the admissions committee for students in Interdisciplinary Studies or in Applied Performance Sciences, at the time of the admissions.

Students entering in Ph.D. 2

0-15 credits of seminars at the 600 level or higher will be assigned by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music in consultation with the area coordinator, or the admissions committee for students in Interdisciplinary Studies or in Applied Performance Sciences, at the time of the admissions. The selection must be approved by the Schulich School of Music. For Music Theory students, 0-6 credits will be selected from the following if not taken previously or equivalent courses:

24 credits; Composition students entering in Ph.D. 2 only:

12 credits of seminars at the 600 level or higher

One semester of:

12 credits (two years) of:

Composition students only: Composition Performance

The candidate must present a concert of his/her compositions. With the permission of the Composition Area Committee, the compositions may be presented as parts of two or three concerts, or as a list of national and international performances since the student began his/her residency.

Composition students only:

Sound Recording students only:

Music Theory students only: