Overview

Dalhousie University 's Master of Arts in Musicology programme gives you the opportunity to investigate music’s role and meaning in various social and historical contexts, through text-based analysis informed by cultural studies.

You'll learn at one of the few Canadian universities offering classes in popular music taught by internationally recognized experts. Our faculty are experts in music from the Middle Ages to the present day, opera and politics, chant and colonialism, performance studies, child prodigies, classical and popular music studies and cultural history of the backbeat.

As a musicologist, you’ll explore how music reflects and directs human experience. Musicologists are interested in music from every style, genre, place, and time. You’ll study musical works as artifacts that teach us about the past and the present.

The small size of the programme guarantees a great deal of specialized attention and the possibility of tailoring courses of study to suit your interests.

Careers:

Many of our MA graduates go on to pursue doctoral degrees (PhDs) and eventually to positions in postsecondary education. Others follow their passion for writing about music through careers in journalism and criticism or pursue work in arts administration and cultural leadership. You could also build a career in forensic musicology offering analysis in legal cases about copyright.

Possible careers include:

Music Historian

Arts Administrator

Music Journalist/Critic

Programme options

Thesis: Pursue independent and original research guided by a supervisor to develop and defend your thesis.

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Programme Structure

Courses include:

Writing About Performance

Writing About Music

Topics in Music and Cinema

Road to Rock 'n' Roll

The Rock 'n' Roll Era and Beyond

The History of Jazz

Modern Guitar

Middle Eastern Music

Choral Techniques

Russian Music from Baroque to Rock

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Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 16 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-06-01 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-09-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-04-01 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

92

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PTE Academic

65

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IELTS

7

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Halifax, Canada

Disciplines

Musicology View 18 other Masters in Musicology in Canada

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Academic requirements

GPA

3

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

92

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

65

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

7

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Four-year bachelor's degree.

Minimum grade point average of 3.0 (B average) in the last 60 credit hours of study.

Degree granted by a university of recognized standing.

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

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Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Dalhousie University and/or in Canada, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

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Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

17325 CAD / year

≈ 17325 CAD / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

9559 CAD / year

≈ 9559 CAD / year

Additional Details

International fee includes:

Tuition: $9,558.99

International: $7,766.00

Living costs

Halifax

Canada

1235 - 1956 CAD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Financial information

At Dalhousie, they want their students to focus on their studies, rather than worry about their personal finances. It offers competitive tuition rates and funding programmes to support graduate students in almost all of its degree programmes.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Musicology.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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About

Overview

Careers:

Programme options

Get more details

Programme Structure

Check out the full curriculum

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

Explore more key information

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure you meet all requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Halifax

Funding

Financial information

Check for any work restrictions

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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