MMus Music & Culture (Full time and Part time)
The UCD School of Music is one of the leading centres for graduate musical study in Ireland. Our graduate programme gives students the opportunity to work with scholars of international standing in the School’s core disciplines of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, cultural history and composition. The programme encourages interdisciplinary study by enabling students to take modules in all these areas, while also facilitating specialisation. The MMus degree furnishes students with the core intellectual tools for pursuing musical research and creative practice, whilst also encouraging independent scholarship.
Course Content and Structure
The degree emphasises progression from taught foundational modules, through focused case studies reflecting the School’s major research strengths, to opportunities for independent research. The programme culminates in the writing of a research dissertation on a topic of the student’s choosing or the presentation of a portfolio of compositions and/or creative work.
Modules
- Research Methods Seminar
- Graduate Colloquium
- Dissertation
- Music and Cultural History in Ireland
- Music and Philosophy
- Composition Concepts & Practices
Information for Part Time Applicants
The part time programmes run for 2 years and students normally do 1-2 modules per semester. The final 30-credit module is completed during the second year of the programme.
Please note that our part-time programmes run during the day and are not timetabled in the evenings or at weekends.
Facilities and Resources
The UCD School of Music plays a pivotal role in musicology and composition in Ireland and maintains fruitful relationships with musical and cultural institutions in Dublin. It is also home to a vibrant performance culture showcased in its instrumental and vocal ensembles. The school has particular expertise in Irish music and recently developed an innovative programme on music in Ireland.
UCD also has a number of resident performing ensembles, including UCD Choral Scholars, UCD Symphony Orchestra and UCD Philharmonic Choir, while the Ad Astra academy offers a number of performing arts scholarships. UCD students have access to the new Trapdoor performance space, the AV lab, the composition and gamelan ensembles, and can work with professional ensembles in support of their composition portfolio.
How to Apply
Entry Requirement
A Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor in a cognate area with a minimum 2.1 or an equivalent of a UCD GPA of 3.08 (NFQ Level 8) or equivalent. Cognate areas include Music, Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Music Education and Performance Studies. In some cases the School of Music will accept applicants from English, History, Sociology and Anthropology. However, the School will first assess the applicant's prior knowledge, experience and engagement with musical studies.
How do I apply and what documents do I need?
- Undergraduate transcripts
- Written sample work (1000-4000 words)
- Two positive academic references
- English proficiency certificate (if relevant)*
- The application fee - €60
You are also encouraged to submit a CV or any other documentation that may help your application e.g. volunteer or work experience in a relevant field.
*Applicants whose first language is not English are also required to submit evidence of their English language proficiency. It is expected that applicants will normally have reached an overall 7.0 in IELTS, with no individual band lower than 6.5, or equivalent.