DCMS://Postgraduate/Research_Degrees
(Masters and PhD level)
Postgraduate Applications Procedure
All intending applicants should contact Professor Philip Hayward to discuss their proposed research prior to applying via the postgraduate office of the University.
All applicants will be asked to submit a 500 word (max) proposal on their intended topic together with a one page CV noting previous research experience and qualifications. This material will then be considered by the Department's higher degree sub-committee - currently comprising Professor Philip Hayward, Dr Adrian McNeil and Dr Denis Crowdy - with regard to the suitability of the candidate and project for the Department's research profile and supervisory expertise.
Research Degree Offered by DCMS
The DCMS offers research degrees at two levels - MPhil and PhD.
* MPhil - available to students who have completed a Bachelors Honours Degree (or a Masters degree with a minimum 40% research component) in Music (or an appropriate related field - such as Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Linguistics or Media Studies) (Required thesis length: minimum - 60,000 words, maximum- 75,000 words)
* PhD - available to students who have completed a Bachelors Honours Degree (or a Masters degree with a minimum 40% research component) in Music (or an appropriate related field - such as Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Linguistics or Media Studies) (Required thesis length: minimum - 85,000 words, maximum- 100,000 words)
Fees:
Higher Research degrees are currently HECS exempt for Australian citizens/ permanent residents (ie effectively no-fee). International students should contact the International office for cost information.
Formats - Research degrees at the DCMS can either be traditional written theses or a combination of an abbreviated thesis with a musical production/performance/recording product. There are no standard formulae for the latter, individual projects should be negotiated with the head of DCMS prior to student enrolment.
Supervison
The role of a supervisor is to guide and monitor a student’s research and writing of a thesis (and/or production project). Reflecting the fact that individual students work at different paces, and may prefer various combinations of face-to-face, e-mail and/or phone contacts with their supervisors, there is no standard, prescribed frequency of on-campus supervisory meetings - the frequency and nature of these are individually negotiated between supervisors and students. Supervisors will discuss and monitor students' research and writing schedules and will assist students with applying for research funds and completing ethics clearance forms (when applicable).
Staff available as supervisors:
Professor Philip Hayward is available to supervise theses in the areas of Pacific music studies; island studies; western popular music; and music and audio-visual media.
Dr Denis Crowdy is available to supervise theses in the areas of Melanesian music; popular music in the Pacific; and music and new technologies.
Dr Mark Evans is available to supervise in the areas of Christian music; western popular music; and screen soundtracks.
Dr Adrian McNeil is available to supervise in the areas of Indian music and ethnomusicology.
Dr Bruce Johnson is available to supervise in the areas of jazz; music regulation; and aural identification.
Dr Guy Morrow is available to supervise theses in the areas of music industry and western popular music.
Supervisory Grievance Procedures
If a student has a grievance with any aspect of their supervision (or associate supervision) they should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their supervisor. If this does not resolve the issue, they can arrange a meeting to discuss the matter with the head of the Humanities Division’s HDR Committee.
Progress Monitoring:
All students will be subject to a mid-year review of progress, which will take the form of the student giving a verbal progress report to the HD sub-committee. Dependent on the outcome of this meeting, the student will either be noted as ‘progress satisfactory’ or else be asked to meet revised schedules. In extreme cases, where students have failed to meet minimum progress requirements, they will be asked to show ‘just cause’ as to why they should be allowed to continue in the degree program. End of year reviews will assess students’ progress with regard to the outcomes of mid-year review meetings.
As a minimum progress requirement, all students will be expected to deliver a paper on their research at an annual postgraduate students’ conference, which will be held over weekends in April and November (dates to be notified) notified).