Coursework (32 Units)

Core (16 Units)

• MUA6163 Advanced Research Practices in Music (4 Units) – *If a strong applicant lacks research background, they will need to first take MUA5163 Research Practices in Music before taking MUA6163
• MUA6771-MUA6774 Doctoral Seminar (4 x 2 Units)
• NG5001 Academic Communication for Graduate Researchers (4 Units) – ^Students who are required to sit for the Diagnostic English Test (DET) may need to complete ES5000 and/or ES5001A before enrolling in NG5001, depending on their DET results.

Electives (16 Units)

Level-5000 and above courses from any department within NUS, subject to approval from the programme director and doctoral supervisor.

• 4 Units from YST
• 12 Units from outside YST or from a given list

Notes

• Students required to take MUA5163 Research Practices in Music before enrolling in MUA6163 must complete it in addition to the elective requirements.
• Exemptions are allowed for up to 8 Units for students who have completed eligible electives previously with good academic standing, subject to approval.

Qualifying Examination (QE)

The QE should be taken 12 to 24 months from the start of the doctoral study. In the event that the student fails the first attempt at QE, they are allowed one additional attempt. All students must successfully pass the QE by the end of the 24th month from the start of doctoral study in order to continue in the programme; as such, students are recommended to do their first attempt within 12 to 18 months from the start of doctoral study.

There are two comprehensive examinations (CE) as part of the QE:

• The first CE (CE1) is a research-oriented paper, in which the student draws upon course content from their electives to write an essay that explores how this content can be integrated into their practice as a musician. Students will be evaluated on their critical thinking abilities, strength of communication, creativity, and the depth and breadth of their considerations of related issues.

• The second CE (CE2) is a presentation of a representative portfolio, in which the student displays evidence of work accomplished within their area of interest, accompanied with self-evaluative essays that detail the strengths and weaknesses of the output, how it aligns with their chosen artistic and career trajectories, and potential paths moving forward. At least 75% of the work in this portfolio must have been completed during the time that the student has been enrolled in the degree programme. A typical portfolio would comprise at least two significant performances/productions/papers/presentations, each accompanied by a reflective essay of at least 800 words.
  
  

Thesis sample

The thesis sample should outline in detail the research question and context that the student would like to investigate in their thesis, with a full literature review as pertaining to background/contextual research. It should also include a description of their methodology and planned timeline. Thesis samples are usually between 30 and 50 pages in length (double-spaced, 12-point-font, Times New Roman).

Oral defence of thesis sample

This oral defence involves an extended discussion of the thesis sample between the student and the faculty panel, in which the student is given the opportunity to further elaborate on their proposed thesis and respond to questions and feedback from the faculty panel. The faculty panel comprises the thesis advisor (appointed by the programme director in agreement with the faculty member involved), and two other faculty members, one of whom must be from an NUS faculty/school other than YST.

Thesis

As part of the thesis requirements, students will need to complete the following:

1. Artistic output — the format of the output will be dependent on the chosen research area, and must demonstrate integral connections with the written thesis. The artistic output should be documented in an archivable format.
2. A written thesis in English, of minimum 40,000 and maximum 100,000 words (including footnotes but excluding appendices, illustrations, etc.).
3. Oral examination comprising a final public presentation and a closed-door oral defence of research project.