Course content

The master’s thesis in musicology is based on an independently chosen topic and designed in consultation with a supervisor. Whether it’s a study of Nordic hip hop, music therapy, Baroque opera, Sámi music, music education, or queer pop stars, the thesis gives students a chance to specialise in their own particular area of interest. Building on skills at bachelor level, students will further develop competencies in pursuing and completing a longer, independently developed, written academic text. With guidance from their supervisor, students will strengthen a range of academic skills, such as bibliographic searching, information retrieval, research ethics, empirical data collection, interviews, archival research, data management, musical analysis, source criticism, discourse analysis, applying theory, interdisciplinarity, and large-scale writing. The required length of the thesis is 36,000 to 45,000 words (without bibliography, footnotes, and appendices. For students interested in pursuing a more artistic-based study, there is the possibility of combining the thesis with an artistic project, and the thesis word-count would be adjusted accordingly. The thesis marks the summation of a student’s academic studies and provides a foundation for further independent research at doctoral level.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

Examinees with completed qualifications in MUSV3006 will have

• In-depth knowledge of their topic of study and how it fits within the larger international field of musicology.
• Strong knowledge of relevant research methods.
• Strong understanding of relevant theoretical traditions.

Skills:

Examinees with completed qualifications in MUSV3006 will have

• Learned how to write, structure, and format a large-scale academic text.
• Developed strong skills in empirical data collection and management.
• Gained fluency in analysing primary and secondary sources.
• Learned how to integrate data, practice, theory, and reflection.

General competence:

Students who complete MUSV3006 successfully will have:

• Gained a strong understanding of disciplinary conventions and interdisciplinary inquiry.
• Developed strong skills in reflecting on their own research methods and academic practice.
• Developed a strong sensitivity toward research ethics and academic citizenship.

Learning methods and activities

The main form of teaching for this course is individual supervision with an assigned supervisor. Each student is entitled to up to 60 hours of supervision. There is a possibility of receiving 5 hours of supervision from a secondary supervisor, to be agreed upon with the Department.

Please see link for the numbers of hours of supervision eligible for your master's thesis.

Compulsory assignments

• Mid-term evaluation to assess whether students are on course to submit their thesis by the deadline

Specific conditions

Credit reductions