PhD Music Theory

Develop a deeper understanding of music

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Admissions

Application Deadline

December 1

Admission Requirements

A Master's degree in Music Theory (or equivalent)
Minimum 70% average in the Master's.

Application Materials

In the online application, you will be prompted to upload the following supplementary materials:

Statement of interest (one page)
Two essays (3,500-5,000 words) that demonstrate the ability to articulate and carry out research in music theory.
Transcripts - Upload a transcript from each university or college program you've attended.
Three academic references - Provide their names and email addresses and a unique link will be emailed to each referee to submit an online reference or upload a reference letter.
Proof of English language proficiency (if applicable)
- Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of their proficiency in English through satisfactory achievement on an accepted language test within the past two years:
  - The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT (internet-Based Test): For tests taken before January 21, 2026, Western requires a minimum overall score of 86, with no individual section score below 20. For tests taken on or after January 21, 2026, Western requires a minimum overall score of 4.5, with no individual section score below 4. Western’s TOEFL ID is 0984.
  - International English Language Testing Service Academic (IELTS Academic). The minimum acceptable score is 6.5 out of 9.
  - The Duolingo English Test. Applicants must attain a minimum score of 115.
  - For the full list of acceptabel proficiency tests, please see the SGPS website.

In their words

Adam Roy, PhD, Music Theory, 2021

Making the most of graduate studies

"If you are looking for opportunities to form leadership roles, this is a great place to do it. There is just the right amount of people and just the right amount of opportunities to give you a leg up, and put you on a path of success."

View Adam's video

Program Requirements

Duration: 4 years (12 terms)

6 courses (3.0 credits) in music theory and related subjects

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 examination requires students to demonstrate breadth of knowledge in their field and indicates their readiness to write a dissertation.

Written over a 4-week period in summer term, students write 3 papers of approximately 20 pages each. The questions, developed by the student’s advisory committee, cover the categories of methodology, recent literature, and issues. Students select one question from each category.

The student’s advisory committee reviews the papers and the possible outcomes are:

Pass
Pass conditional on revisions within a given time period
Fail (the student is invited to repeat the exercise or to withdraw from the program).

This milestone is meant to help students conceptualize and develop their dissertation proposal while also completing courses and the comprehensive examination. The milestone encourages regular contact between a PhD student and their Advisory Committee.

Completed over approximately 16 months, the Dissertation Proposal Development milestone is begun in Term 3 (Summer term of Year 1) with an approved draft of a dissertation proposal delivered in Term 7 (Fall term of Year 3).

Title page template for dissertation proposal

Timeline for dissertation proposal development

Guidelines for writing a dissertation proposal

The proposal defense brings together the members of the student’s advisory committee, plus the supervisor and second reader if either or both are not already members of the committee. All in attendance should receive a copy of the proposal in advance. At the defense, all in attendance may pose questions or comments to the student and determine that the proposal meets expectations.

Following the proposal defense, 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 this milestone.

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

Timeline

Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	Year 4
4 courses	2 courses	No courses	No courses
Academic Integrity Module Research Ethics Tutorial TCPS-2 CORE	Dissertation Proposal Deveopment: Committee reviews term 3 work and refines direction. Potential supervisor & second reader identified during terms 4-5.	Dissertation Proposal Development: by term 7 student drafts proposal with supervisor for second reader's review. Milestone complete upon supervisor's and second reader's approval.	Dissertation Research and Writing
Dissertation Proposal Development milestone: Advisory committee meeting to discuss dissertation directions. Deliverable due end of term 3 (annotated bibliography with research questions, or preliminary outline).	Summer (term 6): Comprehensive Exam Supervisor and second reader formally identified.	Dissertation proposal defense Dissertation Research and Writing	Completion of dissertation, public lecture, and dissertation defense

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

4 courses

2 courses

No courses

Academic Integrity Module

Research Ethics Tutorial TCPS-2 CORE

Dissertation Proposal Deveopment: Committee reviews term 3 work and refines direction.

Potential supervisor & second reader identified during terms 4-5.

Dissertation Proposal Development: by term 7 student drafts proposal with supervisor for second reader's review.

Milestone complete upon supervisor's and second reader's approval.

Dissertation Research and Writing

Dissertation Proposal Development milestone: Advisory committee meeting to discuss dissertation directions. Deliverable due end of term 3 (annotated bibliography with research questions, or preliminary outline).

Summer (term 6): Comprehensive Exam

Supervisor and second reader formally identified.

Dissertation proposal defense

Dissertation Research and Writing

Completion of dissertation, public lecture, and dissertation defense