Master & Doctoral Scholarships in Music at University of Southampton

The Department of Music at the University of Southampton is one of the leading centres of musical research in the UK. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise 80% of our work was judged to be of international significance, leaving the department ranked between second and fourth nationally. We are pleased to announce 27 studentships for MMUS, MRES and PhD students, part of a major, multi-year initiative to strengthen postgraduate research and study.

Applications are invited for 25 full and part-time studentships, covering UK/EU fees, for students at Masters and PhD level. Students of all nationalities may apply.

AHRC Studentships for PhD Study

Applications are invited for:

* 1 AHRC BGP Studentship for entry in fall 2009 in composition or musicology. This studentship will cover full fees for up to three years. Home students will be eligible to receive a stipend of £12,940 p.a. for full-time study and £8,960 for part-time study (2008-2009 figures).
* 1 AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award for the FICTOS (Franco-Italian Culture Transfer in Opera and Song, 1800-1850) in musicology, offered in conjunction with Opera Rara. This studentship will cover full fees for up to three years for a candidate proposing a dissertation in the field of Franco-Italian cultural transfer in nineteenth-century music. Home students will be eligible to receive a stipend of £12,940 p.a. for full-time study and £8,960 for part-time study (2008-2009 figures).

Both UK and EU students are eligible to apply for these awards; see the AHRC’s Guide to Student Eligibility for information on residence regulations.

Departmental Studentships for Postgraduate Study
Students of all nationalities may apply for the following departmental studentships (all fees refer to 2008/09, the studentships will be in the amount of the respective 2009/10 fees):

* 1 Full-Fees Merit Studentship (£3300), renewable for up to three years, for PhD study in composition
* 1 Full-Fees Merit Studentship (£3300), renewable for up to three years, for PhD study in musicology
* 12 Half-Fees Merit Studentships (£1128), renewable for up to three years, for PhD study in musicology or composition
* 2 Full-Fees Merit Studentships (£3300) for MMus/MRes study in composition. Preference will be given to candidates who plan to remain at Southampton for PhD study
* 2 Full-Fees Merit Studentships (£3300) for MMus/MRes study in musicology. Preference will be given to candidates who plan to remain at Southampton for PhD study
* 1 Full-fees Merit Studentship (£3300) in performance
* 6 Half-Fees Merit Studentships (£1128) for MMus/MRes study in musicology or composition

All of the half-fees studentships may be applied toward full-time fees.

Instrumental and Vocal Scholarships

In addition to designated postgraduate studentships, all taught and research postgraduate students are eligible to apply for departmental accompanying, vocal and organ scholarships, which are also open to undergraduates and which have separate application procedures and deadlines from those described here. See our Vocal and instrumental studentships page for details.

How to Apply

The deadline for receipt of applications for all postgraduate studentships is 20 April 2009. NB: The following supersedes all previous instructions on application to postgraduate programmes in music, including those on the university application form.

If you are interested in the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award (FICTOS project) in musicology see the special instructions under ‘Useful Downloads’ below.

For all other awards:

* Fill out an online application for admission to the University of Southampton. If you have already applied you do not need to fill in a new application.
* Do not attach the personal statement requested in the university application. Instead, complete the School of Humanities AHRC and Bursary Application form. As part of this application you will be asked to supply a 500-word personal statement. You can download guidelines for MMus/MRes and PhD students on how to write the personal statement in the ‘Useful Downloads’ section to the left.

Please supply the following additional material to support your application, according to your proposed degree programme. Send your supporting materials electronically, if possible, together with your School of Humanities application form to the School of Humanities Postgraduate Admissions office at pghums@soton.ac.uk. Please send scores and recordings to: Postgraduate Admissions, School of Humanities, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ (to arrive by 20 April 2009).

* MMus/MRes musicology: one extended piece of academic writing (at least 2000 words)
* MMus/MRes composition: two contrasting scores (no more than ten minutes of music total)
* MMus performance: a recording of two contrasting pieces (no more than ten minutes total)
* PhD musicology: one or two extended pieces of academic writing (up to 5000 words)
* PhD composition: three contrasting scores (no more than 15 minutes of music in total)

Please arrange for two references to be sent to the School of Humanities Postgraduate Admissions office at pghums@soton.ac.uk by 20 April 2009. If you have applied for admission in fall 2009 and references have already been supplied, you do not need to solicit these references a second time. For PhD students, one of the references should be from your prospective supervisor.

If you have any questions on the above procedures, please contact Dr Thomas Irvine at tairvine@soton.ac.uk

Useful Downloads

* Guide to the Personal Statement- PhD students
* Guide to the Personal Statement- MRes/MMus students
* Collaborative Doctoral Awards document