The Department of Music is at the forefront of current research and postgraduate teaching across music styles and repertoires from a wide variety of critical perspectives. From 19th century classical music to game music our staff and postgraduate researchers undertake cutting edge, internationally recognised research, at a university home to the first academic centre, founded in 1988, created specifically to study popular music.
In a UNESCO City of Music with a wealth of musical institutions, organisations, festivals and events, our PhD researchers have the opportunity to both study and participate through partnership with locally based cultural and creative industries.
The Department of Music offers a stimulating research environment. Our critically acclaimed research encompasses a wide spectrum of music studies. With two supervisors assigned to every PhD researcher, we encourage imaginative combinations of discipline and repertoire to explore new approaches to creative musical excellence and research innovation.
Our world-leading expertise in music encompasses numerous methodological approaches and critical perspectives including critical musicology, popular music studies, composition, music psychology and ethnomusicology.
Our lecturers and postgraduate researchers conduct research on a wide variety of topics in a vibrant and diverse department within an internationally renowned city of music.
We particularly welcome research proposals that match those of our researchers, including:
As a postgraduate researcher, you’ll participate in the full range of the Department of Music’s research activity. From presenting papers at research seminars to working as teaching assistants within the Department, with pedagogical training and support provided. There are also weekly research, careers and teaching seminars for all postgraduates, as well as a series of research seminars involving guest speakers from a variety of relevant disciplines and sub-disciplines.
We are also home of the Institute of Popular Music (IPM), the first popular music research centre in the world, founded in 1988. More recently we established the Interdisciplinary Centre for Composition and Technology (ICCaT), investigating how music composition and sonic art forms intersect with new technology, performance and perception.
The Department also has an extensive network with national and international academic institutions and organisations. These include the International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM), Society of Music Analysis and Royal Music Association (RMA).
Potential supervisors for this PhD include:
View the staff list for the Department of Music for details of potential supervisors across the department.
If you’d like any help finding a supervisor, please email sscARTS@liverpool.ac.uk.
You may need the following documents to complete your online application:
Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.
In general, we would expect applications for September entry to be received by 15 May. While you’re welcome to start year-round, we encourage you to begin your studies in September, where possible.
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Full-time place, per year - £5,006
Part-time place, per year - £2,503
Full-time place, per year - £24,600
Part-time place, per year - £12,300
Fees stated are for the 2025-26 academic year.
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this degree.
If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.
There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding. These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition fees and living expenses.
If you’re awarded this prestigious scholarship, you’ll receive significant funding to support your postgraduate research. This includes full payment of your PhD fees and a cash bursary of £17,000 per year while you study. One award is available in each academic year.
If you’re a UK student, either born in or with strong family connections to Merseyside, you could be eligible to apply for financial support worth up to £12,000 per year for up to three years of full-time postgraduate research (or up to five years part-time pro-rata).
Apply to receive tailored training support to enhance your sporting performance. Our athlete support package includes a range of benefits, from bespoke strength and conditioning training to physiotherapy sessions and one-to-one nutritional advice.
The departmental facilities for performance, composition and music technology include practice rehearsal spaces, Solid State Logic (SSL) studio, iMac suites, electronic music research studio and video game research laboratory. In addition to the extensive music section in the University’s main Sydney Jones Library, the Department of Music also houses an extensive collection of recorded sound materials.
The dedicated postgraduate study room in the department is a hub for our PhD community. It offers designated desk spaces and computers, in addition to a couple of hot desks for those who want an occasional study space.
These are the trailblazers, the leaders, the true originals. Our postgraduate researchers are shaping their future, and the future of the world we live in, advancing knowledge with each discovery.
Want to find out more about studying a PhD with us? Chat with our postgraduate research student ambassadors and ask any questions you have.
Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.
The typical requirement is an undergraduate degree at 2:1 or above, or equivalent, in music or another relevant subject. Applicants with a joint honours degree in music or another relevant subject, in combination with an alternative subject, are encouraged to apply.
We would usually consider a taught master’s level qualification to be an important precursor to research.
All applicants should send an outline of their proposed topic and a sample of their written academic work with their application. An interview typically forms part of the selection process.
We look at candidates not simply in the light of conventional profiles, but with regard to individual qualities. Those with first degrees obtained from music conservatories (both from EU and overseas institutions) and mature students with non-traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country.
We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications.
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
| Qualification | Details |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.5 |
| TOEFL iBT | 100 overall, with minimum scores of listening 21, reading 21, writing 21 and speaking 23. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted. |
| Pearson PTE Academic | 69 overall, with no component below 61 |
Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests, to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.
Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.
| Your most recent IELTS score | Pre-sessional English course length | On campus or online |
|---|---|---|
| 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.5 | 6 weeks | On campus |
| 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0 | 10 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 6.5 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 12 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 20 weeks | On campus |
| 5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 30 weeks | On campus |
| 5.0 overall, with no more than one component below 5.0, and no component below 4.5 | 40 weeks | On campus |
If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.
Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.5, for further details.
Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.