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Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Duration:
Expected to be three years FT, four-six years PT. October to October, February to February or June to June
The department has an international reputation for music research in history, theory, anthropology/ethnography, composition, and creative practice. We are particularly strong in film music, jazz, opera, performance studies, Western music from the 12th century to the present, and the music of Latin America, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, and West Africa.
For 2025/26 entry, we welcome applications for PhDs in all supervisory areas.
PhDs 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 (www.lahp.ac.uk).
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.
Department of Music – jointly ranked 4th in the UK with Film (REF 2021). 100% per cent of the research impact and research environment was rated either ‘world leading’ (4*) or ‘internationally excellent’ (3*).
Current number of academic staff: 14.
Current number of research students: 19 FT and 15 PT.
Recent publications:
- Picture a Day Like This [opera] (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).
- Sovereign Feminine: Music and Gender in Eighteenth-Century Germany (Matthew Head).
- That Man Stephen Ward [chamber opera] (Thomas Hyde).
- Songs of Sorrow, for baritone and piano (Edward Nesbit).
- Music and Musicians in Late Mughal India: Histories of the Ephemeral, 1748–1858 (Katherine Schofield).
- Music and Citizenship (Martin Stokes).
- Listening for Realism in Charpentier’s Louise (Flora Willson).
Current research projects:
UKRI Major Research Projects:
- Beyond 1932—Rethinking Musical Modernity in the Middle East and North Africa;
- Musical Lives—Towards an Historical Anthropology of French Song, 1100–1300;
- Dissemination, Ownership, and Reading of Music in Early Modern Europe.
British Academy:
- The Invention of Lightness, Or, Musical Politics of 1920s Italy
Joint PhDs available: opportunities exist to gain a joint PhD with Hong Kong University.
Our department forms part of the London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP), which offers Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) studentships (www.lahp.ac.uk)
Head of Department: Dr Katherine Schofield
Head of PhD Programme: Dr Flora Willson
1. Find a supervisor
For 2025/26 entry, we welcome applications for PhDs in all supervisory areas.
You are encouraged to contact the academic member of staff you would like to supervise your research before applying, to discuss your proposed research project. We will need to be sure that your research proposal will make a significant contribution to scholarship and that it can be completed to PhD level within 3–4 years (or part-time equivalent). We will also need to feel that we can offer you sufficiently expert supervision to give you the very best support; the right fit between student project and supervisory expertise is paramount. Admission to our research programmes will initially be for the MPhil, with the expectation that students transfer to the PhD via examination within 9–18 months of full-time registration (or part-time equivalent).
2. Personal statement and supporting information
Applicants are encouraged to approach potential supervisors prior to application. To identify a supervisor please see: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/
Additional requirements differ for applications to the Music Research, Composition and Creative Practice pathways: please read carefully the instructions below. You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
|
Personal Statement |
Yes (all applicants) |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Give your reasons for applying and achievements to date. In the first sentence of your personal statement, please make clear which pathway you are applying for: Music Research, Composition or Creative Practice. |
|
Research Proposal |
Yes (all applicants) |
The proposal (1,000 words) should explain in some detail precisely the field of study that you want to contribute to and current research gaps, what you want to do and how you propose to do it. For advice on how to write a winning application. |
|
Previous Academic Study |
Yes (all applicants) |
A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
|
Reference |
Yes (all applicants) |
One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
|
Portfolio |
Composition applicants only |
Applicants in Composition should scan and upload a portfolio of recent scores electronically, not in hard copy, including an A4 page of links to recordings if available. |
|
Writing Sample |
Music Research and Creative Practice applicants only |
Applicants for Music Research and Creative Practice should upload a Master's dissertation (if available) or a substantial recent essay to the Admissions Portal. Your work should engage with the existing scholarly literature (so essays that are purely descriptive or technical are unlikely to be appropriate). Creative Practice applications only, if selected for interview, will either be required to perform on their instrument/voice, or provide links to examples of their creative practice Please note that all applications are handled in the first instance by Admissions. All documentation should be scanned and uploaded to your application, NOT sent to the Music Department postal address. |
|
Other |
Optional |
You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application |
Course website
Find out more by visiting the course website
Course intake
6 FT, 6 PT approximately.
Joint PhDs - Application advice
Applicants for the Joint PhD programme must contact the relevant departments at both universities before submitting an application in order to discuss the suitability of their topic for the joint programme and to locate potential supervisors. Applications should initially be submitted to the proposed home institution only, i.e. where the student will start and finish their programme. Students should note that acceptance onto the programme may take slightly longer than for single-institution PhDs because of the additional steps involved. Further details, including FAQs, can be found on the King’s Worldwide web pages.
Applicants who choose King’s as their home institution should apply through the online system, selecting the appropriate Joint PhD option from the drop-down list. In addition to the standard supporting documentation, applicants should submit a Travel Plan form indicating how they intend to divide their time between the two partner institutions. Students must spend a specified amount of time in each institution, details of which can be found in the ‘Notes’ section of the Travel plan form.
It is recommended that students submit applications for the Joint PhD programme by the end of March to begin the following October.
3. Application closing date
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process.
The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.
- February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 for Home fee status
- June 2025 entry – 20 March 2025 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2025 for Home fee status
- October 2025 entry – 25 July 2025 for Overseas fee status and 25 August 2025 for Home fee status
- February 2026 entry – 20 October 2025 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2025 for Home fee status
- June 2026 entry – 20 March 2026 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2026 for Home fee status
Please note that funding deadlines may be earlier than the application deadlines listed above.
Submit a formal application
To submit a formal application, please register on our online application system King's Apply. If you have applied to King's previously, including via UCAS, you should already have an account. If are unable to access the online postgraduate application form, please contact our King's Advisors for advice. Please find more information here.
UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £3,084 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£6,600 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£6,600 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £3,300 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£27,100 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£27,100 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £13,550 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
The department has an international reputation for music research in the areas of history, theory, anthropology/ethnography, composition, and creative practice. We are particularly strong in film music, jazz, opera, performance studies, Western music from the 12th century to the present, and the music of Latin America, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, and West Africa. In our PhD programmes in Music Research you will write a thesis of max. 100,000 words; in Creative Practice write a thesis of c. 50,000 words alongside a creative practice portfolio; and in Composition create a portfolio of compositions with technical commentary.
Please note that King’s does not have a doctoral pathway purely in performance (e.g. a DMA); performers should consider whether the creative practice pathway might suit their abilities and interests.
Prospective students are welcome to contact any academic member of staff whose field of research interests them. Alternatively, applicants may discuss their plans in the first instance with the Head of department Dr Katherine Schofield or the PhD programme lead Dr Flora Willson.
Joint PhD Opportunities
The joint PhD in Music with Hong Kong University affords students the opportunity to work with leaders in the fields of Ethnomusicology, Musicology and Composition. We invite applications on any area of research represented by faculty interests. We also draw your attention to areas of overlapping interest among faculty in the departments of Music at King's College London and University of Hong Kong: composition; 19th-century music studies; music and film. Students in the joint PhD programme will benefit from one-to-one supervision with a number of scholars working in their field. The programme also offers them access to the lively intellectual communities in these two world-class centres for music research, as well as to all the cultural riches on offer in the cities of London and Hong Kong.
Postgraduate training
The London Arts and Humanities Partnership offers a full and varied programme of training events to King's students, whether or not they are recipients of LAHP doctoral scholarships.
UK 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.
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
C
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
1. Find a supervisor
For 2025/26 entry, we welcome applications for PhDs in all supervisory areas.
You are encouraged to contact the academic member of staff you would like to supervise your research before applying, to discuss your proposed research project. We will need to be sure that your research proposal will make a significant contribution to scholarship and that it can be completed to PhD level within 3–4 years (or part-time equivalent). We will also need to feel that we can offer you sufficiently expert supervision to give you the very best support; the right fit between student project and supervisory expertise is paramount. Admission to our research programmes will initially be for the MPhil, with the expectation that students transfer to the PhD via examination within 9–18 months of full-time registration (or part-time equivalent).
2. Personal statement and supporting information
Applicants are encouraged to approach potential supervisors prior to application. To identify a supervisor please see: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/
Additional requirements differ for applications to the Music Research, Composition and Creative Practice pathways: please read carefully the instructions below. You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
|
Personal Statement |
Yes (all applicants) |
A personal statement is required. This can be entered directly into the online application form (maximum 4,000 characters) or uploaded as an attachment to the online application form (maximum 2 pages). Give your reasons for applying and achievements to date. In the first sentence of your personal statement, please make clear which pathway you are applying for: Music Research, Composition or Creative Practice. |
|
Research Proposal |
Yes (all applicants) |
The proposal (1,000 words) should explain in some detail precisely the field of study that you want to contribute to and current research gaps, what you want to do and how you propose to do it. For advice on how to write a winning application. |
|
Previous Academic Study |
Yes (all applicants) |
A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents. |
|
Reference |
Yes (all applicants) |
One academic reference is required. A professional reference will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago. |
|
Portfolio |
Composition applicants only |
Applicants in Composition should scan and upload a portfolio of recent scores electronically, not in hard copy, including an A4 page of links to recordings if available. |
|
Writing Sample |
Music Research and Creative Practice applicants only |
Applicants for Music Research and Creative Practice should upload a Master's dissertation (if available) or a substantial recent essay to the Admissions Portal. Your work should engage with the existing scholarly literature (so essays that are purely descriptive or technical are unlikely to be appropriate). Creative Practice applications only, if selected for interview, will either be required to perform on their instrument/voice, or provide links to examples of their creative practice Please note that all applications are handled in the first instance by Admissions. All documentation should be scanned and uploaded to your application, NOT sent to the Music Department postal address. |
|
Other |
Optional |
You may also wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application |
Course website
Find out more by visiting the course website
Course intake
6 FT, 6 PT approximately.
Joint PhDs - Application advice
Applicants for the Joint PhD programme must contact the relevant departments at both universities before submitting an application in order to discuss the suitability of their topic for the joint programme and to locate potential supervisors. Applications should initially be submitted to the proposed home institution only, i.e. where the student will start and finish their programme. Students should note that acceptance onto the programme may take slightly longer than for single-institution PhDs because of the additional steps involved. Further details, including FAQs, can be found on the King’s Worldwide web pages.
Applicants who choose King’s as their home institution should apply through the online system, selecting the appropriate Joint PhD option from the drop-down list. In addition to the standard supporting documentation, applicants should submit a Travel Plan form indicating how they intend to divide their time between the two partner institutions. Students must spend a specified amount of time in each institution, details of which can be found in the ‘Notes’ section of the Travel plan form.
It is recommended that students submit applications for the Joint PhD programme by the end of March to begin the following October.
3. Application closing date
We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed. We may need to request further information from you during the application process.
The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.
- February 2025 entry – 20 October 2024 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2024 for Home fee status
- June 2025 entry – 20 March 2025 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2025 for Home fee status
- October 2025 entry – 25 July 2025 for Overseas fee status and 25 August 2025 for Home fee status
- February 2026 entry – 20 October 2025 for Overseas fee status and 20 November 2025 for Home fee status
- June 2026 entry – 20 March 2026 for Overseas fee status and 11 April 2026 for Home fee status
Please note that funding deadlines may be earlier than the application deadlines listed above.
Submit a formal application
To submit a formal application, please register on our online application system King's Apply. If you have applied to King's previously, including via UCAS, you should already have an account. If are unable to access the online postgraduate application form, please contact our King's Advisors for advice. Please find more information here.
UK Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £3,084 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
International Tuition Fees 2024/25
Full time tuition fees:
£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£6,600 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£6,600 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £3,300 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees:
£27,100 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
£27,100 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research with University of Hong Kong)
Part time tuition fees: £13,550 per year (MPhil/PhD, Music Research)
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
The department has an international reputation for music research in the areas of history, theory, anthropology/ethnography, composition, and creative practice. We are particularly strong in film music, jazz, opera, performance studies, Western music from the 12th century to the present, and the music of Latin America, the Middle East, South and South East Asia, and West Africa. In our PhD programmes in Music Research you will write a thesis of max. 100,000 words; in Creative Practice write a thesis of c. 50,000 words alongside a creative practice portfolio; and in Composition create a portfolio of compositions with technical commentary.
Please note that King’s does not have a doctoral pathway purely in performance (e.g. a DMA); performers should consider whether the creative practice pathway might suit their abilities and interests.
Prospective students are welcome to contact any academic member of staff whose field of research interests them. Alternatively, applicants may discuss their plans in the first instance with the Head of department Dr Katherine Schofield or the PhD programme lead Dr Flora Willson.
Joint PhD Opportunities
The joint PhD in Music with Hong Kong University affords students the opportunity to work with leaders in the fields of Ethnomusicology, Musicology and Composition. We invite applications on any area of research represented by faculty interests. We also draw your attention to areas of overlapping interest among faculty in the departments of Music at King's College London and University of Hong Kong: composition; 19th-century music studies; music and film. Students in the joint PhD programme will benefit from one-to-one supervision with a number of scholars working in their field. The programme also offers them access to the lively intellectual communities in these two world-class centres for music research, as well as to all the cultural riches on offer in the cities of London and Hong Kong.
Postgraduate training
The London Arts and Humanities Partnership offers a full and varied programme of training events to King's students, whether or not they are recipients of LAHP doctoral scholarships.
UK 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.
Equivalent International qualifications
English language requirements
English language band:
C
To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.
For information on our English language requirements and whether you need to complete an English language test, please see our English Language requirements page.
Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Duration:
Expected to be three years FT, four-six years PT. October to October, February to February or June to June
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