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Creative Music Practice PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Creative Music Practice

Research profile

The PhD in Creative Music Practice is an opportunity for you to pursue practice-led research in the field of music at the highest level.

This will involve research that combines textual and musical outputs, for example:

  • composition
  • performance (either of original or pre-existing repertoire)
  • installation
  • sound design
  • interactive music software

The outputs take the form of:

  • a portfolio
  • a performance
  • a recording
  • theoretical work
  • documentation of the processes by which the music was made (video, photographs, recordings, sketches, studies, web pages, etc.)

The musical outputs are explicitly linked to the textual material. This link may take various forms: musical material might exemplify, contextualise or expand an idea elaborated in the text, and vice versa. The programme requires you to critically evaluate and articulate the relationship of textual to extra-textual media in the formation of musical knowledge.

The format of the PhD thesis consists of a text of not more than 50,000 words, as well as the documentation of the process, contained in a coherent and archivable format (bound thesis plus electronic documents (PDF, webpages, etc.) submitted in memory stick/CD/DVD). Where a thesis relates to live musical performances, documentation in the form of high-quality audio and video recordings is central to the submitted materials.

Typical applicants to this programme include:

  • composer-theorists who wish to carry out research into and practice of particular compositional models
  • performers who wish to deepen their practice through musicological research
  • computer-music composers who wish to develop documented hardware/software systems for their music
  • performers with a need to study the techniques and organology of period instruments
  • instrument builders/researchers seeking historical techniques found in evidence from the original instruments

Training and support

All of our research students benefit from ECA’s interdisciplinary approach and all are assigned two research supervisors.

Your second supervisor may be from another discipline within ECA, or from somewhere else within the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences or elsewhere within the University, according to the expertise required.

On occasion, more than two supervisors will be assigned, particularly where the degree brings together multiple disciplines.

All research students undertake a research-methods training course at the beginning of their programme.

Regular individual meetings with the supervisor provide guidance and focus for the course of research undertaken.

All students also have access to the University's Postgraduate Skills Training courses.

Facilities

The University offers one of Britain's largest and oldest-established music centres, with:

  • two international collections of historical instruments
  • state-of-the-art electronic and computer studios
  • a special commitment to composition at an advanced level

PhD by Distance option

The PhD by Distance is available to suitably qualified applicants in all the same areas as our on-campus programmes:

  • Art
  • Design
  • History of Art
  • Music
  • Architecture
  • Landscape Architecture

The PhD by Distance allows students who do not wish to commit to basing themselves in Edinburgh to study for a PhD in an ECA subject area from their home country or city.

There is no expectation that students studying for an ECA PhD by Distance study mode should visit Edinburgh during their period of study. However, short-term visits for particular activities could be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For further information on the PhD by Distance please see the ECA website:

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2023/24 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2024/25 academic year will be published on 2 October 2023.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application. Your portfolio should contain either three pieces of composition or examples of work related to your proposed field of study.

If you do not meet the academic entry requirements, we may still consider your application on the basis of your portfolio and/or relevant professional experience.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than three and a half years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Additional programme costs

No additional costs.

Tuition fees

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
PhDCreative Music Practice3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDCreative Music Practice6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees
PhDCreative Music Practice by Distance3 YearsFull-timeTuition fees
PhDCreative Music Practice by Distance6 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Scholarships and funding

Featured funding

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

  • your programme
  • the duration of your studies
  • your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

Further information

  • Music Postgraduate Research Director, Dr Benedict Taylor
  • Phone: +44 (0)131 650 2423
  • Contact: B.Taylor@ed.ac.uk
  • Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Office
  • The University of Edinburgh
  • Evolution House, Grassmarket
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH1 2LE

Application deadlines

Programme start dates Application deadlines
11 September 2023 1 August 2023
8 January 2024 1 November 2023

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

You should submit a research proposal that outlines your project's aims, context, process and product/outcome. Read the application guidance before you apply:

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application. You won't be able to submit your portfolio immediately, but you'll receive an email prompt within a few days of submitting your application that will explain how to upload your portfolio.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • Music Postgraduate Research Director, Dr Benedict Taylor
  • Phone: +44 (0)131 650 2423
  • Contact: B.Taylor@ed.ac.uk
  • Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Office
  • The University of Edinburgh
  • Evolution House, Grassmarket
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH1 2LE
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