4 required courses (2.0 credits):

• 9640 Theories of Music Education
• 9641 Philosophical & Historical Inquiry
• 9651 Qualitative Research
• 9652 Quantitative Research 

3 electives (1.5 credits)

Check timetable for current course offerings.

To support success in graduate studies, all incoming graduate students are required to complete the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (SGPS) Academic Integrity Module in order to progress beyond the first term of their degree. Eligible students can access the module in the Graduate Student Web Services Portal.

Students who do not complete the module will not be able to progress beyond the first term of their degree.

New doctoral students in Music are required to complete the TCPS 2: CORE-2022 (Course on Research Ethics) in their first term.

The Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans (TCPS 2) is a joint policy of Canada’s three federal research agencies: CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC.

This policy is a Canadian guideline for the ethical conduct of research involving human participants. TCPS 2: CORE-2022 is an online, self-paced tutorial featuring interactive exercises and examples from each of the three agencies that help to familiarize researchers with the TCPS 2 guidelines. The course consists of nine modules and a knowledge consolidation exercise.

The qualifying examination is normally completed in Term 6. The student must identify a dissertation supervisor and second reader upon completion of course work, before formally embarking on the qualifying examination. The examination is assessed by the proposed dissertation supervisory committee. A note is added to the student's record when this program milestone has been completed. 

The qualifying examination consists of two papers:

• Paper 1 situates the research area in the literature and develops a ratinale for research in this domain.
• Paper 2 locates the research within potential methodological frameworks and begins to develop a methodology for the proposed dissertation research.

Normally in term 7 (Fall of year 3), candidates for the Phd in Music Education must submit a research proposal to their dissertation supervisory committee, and make an oral presentation to the committee (to which all faculty and graduate students in music education will be invited).

Once the written proposal and oral presentation are approved by the dissertation supervisory committee, the student submits a final version of the proposal to the office of the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies) for approval by the Graduate Committee. This marks the completion of the milestone.

Guidelines for writing a dissertation proposal 

Title page for dissertation proposal

The length of a PhD dissertation in music theory is usually 200-250 pages.

All procedures and formatting found in the School of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies' (SGPS) Thesis Regulation Guide must be followed in the preparation of a dissertation.

Please note the deadlines set by SGPS for dissertation submission and scheduling of the defense.

All PhD candidates must present a public lecture (approximately 45 minutes) which is usually on the same day just before the defense. 

Guidelines for requesting a doctoral defense