Overview

We are particularly strong in Western music from the twelfth century to the present day, jazz, opera, film music, performance studies, and the music of the Middle East, South and South East Asia, Latin America, and West Africa.

Features

Music Research PhDs at King's College London can be co-supervised with other arts & humanities or social sciences departments at King's, or with a department at another of our London Arts & Humanities Partnership (LAHP) partners.

As a department, we believe in the complete equality of all areas of music research, and welcome students from all backgrounds, especially those who are currently under-represented in musicology, ethnomusicology, performance, and composition.

Programme Structure

Recent publications:

Lessons in Love and Violence, and Written on Skin, operas (George Benjamin).

The Influence of Technology on Performance: Classical Perspectives (Amy Blier-Carruthers).

The Sense of Sound: Musical Meaning in France, 1260-1330 (Emma Dillon).

Thinking on our Feet: A Somatic Enquiry into a Haydn Minuet (Joseph Fort).

Paris Blues: African American Music and French Popular Culture, 1920–1960 (Andy Fry).

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months
Part-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-25 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2026-07-25 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-02-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-20 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2026-10-20 00:00:00 , International
Starting 2027-06-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-04-11 00:00:00 , National
- Apply before 2027-03-20 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

London, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Music Musicology Music Composition View 9 other PhDs in Musicology in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A Bachelor's degree with 1st class or 2:1 honours in Music or a related humanities or social science discipline.

A Master’s degree in Music or a related humanities or social science discipline; if the Bachelor's degree is not in Music, the Master’s degree should be. Equivalent qualifications or experience may be considered in exceptional cases.

Master's degrees in performance will usually only be considered suitable qualifications for the PhD in creative practice. Please contact the PhD coordinator if you are unsure of any of these requirements.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

27100 GBP / year

≈ 27100 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

6600 GBP / year

≈ 6600 GBP / year

Living costs

London

United Kingdom

1137 - 2157 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Music Research.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Features

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Living costs

London

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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