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Teaching
The course offers training for music-specific research skills, alongside transferable skills, of approximately 40 hours per year for full-time students.
In the course of their third year, doctoral students present a 20-minute paper (in the style of a conference paper) on a topic related to their PhD project, followed by a ten-minute Q&A session.
| One to one supervision | Full-time students can expect a minimum of 9 hours of 1-2-1 supervision in the first year. Thereafter, supervisions are offered as appropriate or required. The University of Cambridge publishes an annual Code of Practice which sets out the University's expectations regarding supervision. |
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| Taught/Research Balance | Entirely Research |
Feedback
Students can expect to receive an online feedback report each term as a way to monitor progress.
Assessment
Thesis / Dissertation
The PhD is examined by a thesis and a viva (oral examination). The PhD thesis should not exceed 80,000 words, excluding notes, appendices, bibliographies, musical transcriptions, and examples. Candidates whose work is practice-based may include as part of a doctoral submission either a portfolio of substantial musical compositions or one or more recordings of their own musical performance(s).
Other
PhD students are probationary in the first instance and undergo a formal assessment towards the end of their first year (second year for part-time students). Students submit a progress report and often a sample chapter. These are discussed at an oral assessment to determine whether the student may be formally registered for the PhD. Progress reviews take place at the end of each year.