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Oxford University

Faculty of Music

The Faculty of Music is one of the largest and perhaps liveliest music departments in the UK. As a globally renowned centre of teaching and research in all aspects of music, it is an exciting and stimulating environment for work and study.

Exeter College chapel

Exeter College Chapel. Credit: Marie Wong / Graduate Photography Competition

Overview

The Faculty of Music is situated in specially adapted premises in the Stephen A Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, which includes:

  • teaching and lecture rooms
  • offices
  • the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments
  • a rehearsal/lecture hall
  • a suite of practice rooms
  • three music studios
  • access to the Recital Hall
  • The Black Box, a technology-enabled space to use for experimental electronic music compositions, multimedia works, experimental performances, and practice-based research. It will be possible to rig the space in various ways, including with a 56-speaker array to create an immersive sound experience.

Students have the benefit of international experts to supervise research, access to outstanding libraries, and the stimulus of a committed group of like-minded students and scholars in a range of subjects.

A (post)graduate introduction to music at Oxford, featuring DPhil student Lyndsey Marie. Oxford's Faculty of Music is an internationally renowned centre of teaching and research in all aspects of music. It is an exciting and stimulating environment in which to work and study.

Subject areas, approaches and modes of study are very varied. Students may concentrate on, for example:

  • Western music history (from chant to the present day)
  • popular music studies
  • ethnomusicology
  • music psychology
  • music education
  • sound studies
  • source studies
  • music theory
  • aesthetics and criticism
  • composition and analysis
  • musical instruments
  • musical performance and interpretation

Many individual research projects are unique in their blend of approaches. Frequently, these extend into other academic disciplines such as literature, art history, psychology, philosophy, anthropology or general history.

Courses offered

Humanities Division

Oxford is at the forefront of international research in the humanities, with five subject areas judged to have the highest volume of world-leading 4*-rated research in the UK in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.

“As we delve into our particular subjects, we’re invited not to lose sight of the general awe of what it means to be human,” said Julia, an MPhil student in Linguistics and Comparative Philology. Oxford offers an unparalleled range of Humanities subjects, from music and fine art to ancient and modern languages.

The Humanities Division comprises around a third of the University's community of staff and students, offering taught graduate and research degrees in a very wide range of subjects. Humanities departments and faculties attract outstanding students, academics and researchers from across the globe. As a result, graduate students have the opportunity to undertake their studies and research in a stimulating, challenging and highly rewarding intellectual environment.

Some of these subjects are relatively new, and cross the boundaries of traditional disciplines. Others are areas of academic research that have long been recognised as of central importance, and they include some that few other universities are still able to support. In each case, the objective is to sustain and to teach the highest standards of scholarship. The dynamism of intellectual activity is evident in the wide variety of open lectures and seminars, in addition to those for specific courses.

You will have access to an immense range of research material, including digital resources. These resources are provided through Oxford’s impressive library system, based on the central Bodleian libraries, through the work produced by the University's research projects, and through the rich and diverse holdings of its museums.

In addition to materials and support focused on conveying subject-specific knowledge, there are a wide range of facilities aimed at the personal and professional development of students, strengthening their existing skills, developing new skills, and preparing them for careers after they have completed their studies.

Further information