Music PhD Programme

We have a global reputation for our world-leading research in composition, ethnomusicology, musicology, music technology, performance and psychology of music. Join our inspirational research community as a PhD student and start making a difference.

The Department of Music is ranked 6th nationally for the quality of our research environment (REF 2021). Our academics produce world class and internationally recognised research and the University takes pride in its research-led critical thinking that aims to make an impact in the world.

Central to this is our large body of postgraduate research students in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Our Doctoral Academy at Sheffield offers postgraduate researchers personalised skills training, expert careers advice and the opportunity to become part of an inspiring, collaborative group of researchers from across the disciplines.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities

The Faculty is recognised for our world class research, our diverse range of research centres and our highly employable postgraduates. We explore, share and recreate expressions of the human experience and are known for our interdisciplinary and diverse approaches, our extensive public engagement and collaborative work, and our innovations in the digital humanities.

The Department of Music  

Our research is organised into six main areas of activity: performance, composition, musicology, ethnomusicology, psychology of music, and music technology. Most research students pursue their own individual projects, although we also host large-scale research projects.

We have excellent opportunities to share and present research to peers and the wider academic community. We run Graduate Study Days, a Visiting Research Seminar series and several reading groups, which foster a sense of community and a culture of lively engagement and intellectual enquiry.

Research activity is supported by fully equipped practice facilities, electroacoustic and recording studios, as well as facilities for empirical research in the psychology of music and the transcription of fieldwork materials.

There are many opportunities for performers within the University ensembles and student-led bands and societies. The city of Sheffield supports numerous amateur and semi-professional choirs and orchestras. The department hosts regular lunchtime and evening concerts series, and beyond the University there is all manner of musical fare on offer, including the celebrated Music in the Round series at the Crucible, the Sheffield Jazz season and larger scale events held in the City Hall and Cathedral.

Funding Opportunities 

The Department has a variety of sources of postgraduate funding available.

For further information please visit: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music/phd