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M.LITT.(RESEARCH)

Qualification : MASTER OF LITERATURE DEGREE

Award Type and NFQ level : RESEARCH MASTERS (9)

CAO/MU Apply code : MHT04 (FT), MHT05 (PT)

CAO Points :

This programme aims to provide a fourth level programme in Music for students who wish to engage in high quality research in selected areas of the discipline. In addition, the MLitt in Music includes a number of generic and discipline specific skills modules that will complement its research oriented elements as part of a Structured Research programme at Maynooth University.

The subject of research for the thesis must be approved by the Head of Department and must be based on original research conducted under the direction of a designated member of the Department.

Closing date
Research applications are generally accepted at any time

Commences
September (or other agreed time)
 

Normally a 2.1 or equivalent first degree in Music or in a related discipline; a 2.1 or equivalent Master’s degree in Music or in a related discipline. Further to application via PAC, an interview will be conducted, where students are expected to present a research plan to the department. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact members of staff in their projected area of research.

Language Requirements
In the case of Musicological research, students are expected to have some knowledge of the language of the composer(s) or author(s) whose work they intend to research. It is strongly recommended that they build up such knowledge to proficiency level during their studies.

Applicants must have a recognised primary degree which is considered equivalent to Irish university primary degree level.

Minimum English language requirements:
Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study. For information about English language tests accepted and required scores, please see here. The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and International applicants..

Maynooth University's TOEFL code is 8850

 

Dr Lorraine Byrne Bodley
Schubert; Goethe and Music; German Song.

Dr Antonio Cascelli
Chopin; Schenkerian studies; sixteenthcentury Italian music; music analysis.

Dr Gordon Delap
Electroacoustic and acousmatic composition; music for video; soundart; speech-based composition.

Dr Alison Hood
Analysis and performance; nineteenth-century piano music; Chopin; Schenkerian analysis.

Dr Victor Lazzarini
Musical signal processing and sound synthesis; computer music languages; electroacoustic and instrumental composition.

Dr Ryan Molloy
Instrumental and vocal composition; engagements between Irish traditional music and contemporary composition.

Prof Christopher Morris
Opera (especially staging practices); music and screen media; German modernism; aesthetics.

Dr Estelle Murphy 
English and Irish music of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, and contemporary popular music (specifically heavy metal).

Dr John O’Keeffe
Vernacular liturgical composition for the Roman Rite; melody/text relationships; plainchant performance.

Dr Martin O’Leary
Instrumental and vocal composition.

Prof Fiona M Palmer
Music and musicians in the marketplace; performance practice; canonisation of the repertoire; socio-economic issues; critical biography; institutional history; orchestras and conducting; long nineteenth century.

Dr Adrian Scahill
History and practice of Irish traditional music; ethnomusicology.

Dr Laura Watson
French music (1870–1940); the relationship between music, text and drama in twentieth-century opera; Irish women composers.

Students will typically take the required and optional modules while also developing their individual investigative work. The department holds an annual Postgraduate Conference, where students have the opportunity of presenting elements of their research. The programme also offers opportunities to study abroad, as the Music Department maintains a number of agreements with institutions in various European countries.  

MLitt students must take a minimum of 10 credits in taught modules (at least 5 in generic/transferable modules and at least 5 in subject specific/advanced specialist modules) from the Structured PhD programme.
 

Course Duration: 2 years Full-time, 3 years Part-time

On completion of the programme, the student will be equipped with both specialist and transferrable knowledge, with the capacity for carrying out research of international standards and pursuing a successful career in his/her chosen area. Areas of employment may include: 3rd- and 4th-level lecturing; media, music technology and software industry; research; consultancy; managerial positions in arts organisations, governmental agencies and other areas; archival, library and museum work.

Online application only. To make an application please click here.                                                                                                                           

Please note: All research applicants should contact the respective department before applying to ensure their research proposal aligns with departmental interests and criteria.

To apply for your chosen postgraduate study at Maynooth University, please ensure you have the following documents to make an application:

  • Evidence of your primary degree
  • Academic transcripts
  • A copy of your passport
  • Proposed Thesis Title and Summary 
  • A personal statement   
  • An academic letter of recommendation
  • A professional letter of recommendation

Applicants for whom English is not their first language are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study. For information about English language tests accepted and required scores, please see here. The requirements specified are applicable for both EU and International applicants. 

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