MA Music (with Performance): Musicology & Sound Studies pathway

The Music (Musicology and Sound Studies Pathway) MA course offered at the Birmingham University is a comprehensive postgraduate program that aims to cultivate robust research skills and enhance students' musicological expertise. It explores the philosophical, historical, and cultural context of music—along with detailed study of sound phenomena—and prepares students for further research or employment in connected areas such as arts management, teaching, or journalism.Course Content: The course provides students with an understanding of key musicological strategies and debates, alongside an exploration of diverse sound phenomena including noise, silence, and the act of listening, among others. Students will develop their research skills, apply musicological methodologies, and engage with critical texts and musical works to produce intelligent criticism.Key Modules: The major modules of this course include Introduction to Musicology, Research Skills, Dissertation, Sound Studies: an Introduction, and optional modules from Philosophy of Music, Aesthetics and Criticism, Special Study - Classical, Popular Music and Society, and Ethnography of Music.Future Careers: With the Music (Musicology and Sound Studies Pathway) MA degree, potential career paths that students can follow include active performance in music, arts administration, teaching, or journalism. The course equips students with intellectual flexibility and adeptness to critically explore a myriad of career choices. For more information on this course, please visit the official course page.