PhD in Music Theory

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.

This module is designed to provide students with the necessary knowledge and resources to abide by academic principles during their graduate career and to help combat scholastic offenses. After reviewing the material and finishing the readings, students are required to complete both a multiple-choice assessment and a series of short case studies to evaluate their knowledge of academic integrity. Students have unlimited opportunities to pass the module. 

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
• Supplemental work is required 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).

 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 (approx. 45 minutes) which is usually on the same day just before the defense. 

 Guidelines for requesting a doctoral defense