STUDY SCHEME
PhD in Music
Specializations: Ethnomusicology/ Musicology/ Theory
Coursework Requirement

For Students admitted in 2025–26

The programme is basically research-oriented and a student may be required to enrol in formal courses as deemed necessary. All students must meet their Supervisors for prescription of courses every academic year before course selection.

- PhD, Ethnomusicology:
A student should have taken courses in ethnomusicology equivalent to MUSC6200, 6201, and a minimum of 1 course from this group: MUSC6250, 6251, 6252, and 6253 as required in the MPhil programme in Ethnomusicology at this University. Otherwise, a student may be required to take these courses. A student may also be required to take additional graduate courses as prescribed by the Graduate Panel. If the student does not have a Master's degree in music, additional make-up courses may be required.
- PhD, Musicology:
No course work requirement. Students to propose study plan for Graduate Panel approval.
 
- PhD, Theory:
No course work requirement. Students to propose study plan for Graduate Panel approval.
 
Thesis monitoring course: MUSC8026
From the 2nd term of the first year of attendance, students are required to enrol in MUSC8026 each term until they submit their dissertations. (They are recommended to enrol in MUSC8026 in the 1st term of the first year of attendance.)
Comprehensive/Qualifying Examination

Advancement to Ph.D. candidacy is conditional upon the passing of a written qualifying examination. The written qualifying examination should only be taken after the satisfactory completion of all prescribed course work, if any. In case of failure, the student may re-attempt the failed part(s) of the written qualifying examination once, but should not exceed the maximum period stipulated below.

Applicable to students admitted on 1 August 2010 and thereafter:
Students are required to pass the qualifying examination within the maximum period counting from the date of first registration stipulated below:

With research Master's: Full-time
Part-time		 24 months
36 months
Without research Master's: Full-time
Part-time		 36 months
36 months

Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Dissertation/Proposal – All Ph.D. students, should submit a dissertation proposal after passing the qualifying examination to the Graduate Panel for approval. Only after approval is granted may the candidate proceed to write the dissertation. An oral defense is required after the submission of the dissertation.
  4. Language – Ability to use a language other than Chinese and English, for research purposes, is required of students with specialization in Historical Musicology and Theory, and may be required for students with specialization in Ethnomusicology.

    5. Students are required to complete the following Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) in their first year of study for partial fulfillment of candidacy requirements:
  5. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website.
  6. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP), with effect from the 2025-26 intake.

    7. In addition to completing the IPL modules stipulated for partial fulfillment of cadidacy requirements, students are also required to complete the following IPL modules for graduation:
  7. Complete an IPL module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  8. Complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.
  9. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
MPhil in Music
Specialization: Ethnomusicology
Coursework Requirement

For Students admitted in 2025–26
Students are required to complete a minimum of 15 units of courses for graduation.

For Full-time and Part-time Students
i. Required courses:
MUSC6200, 6201		 6 units
ii. Elective courses:
Any one course of MUSC6250, 6251, 6252, 6253		 3 units
  Two additional elective courses numbered 6000 or above in Music (MUSC) or a related subject to be chosen with the approval of the thesis supervisor 6 units
Total 15 units

Thesis monitoring course: MUSC8025
From the 2nd term of the first year of attendance, both full-time and part-time students are required to enrol in MUSC8025 each term until they submit their theses. (They are recommended to enrol in MUSC8025 in the 1st term of the first year of attendance.)

Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Language – Ability to use a language other than Chinese and English may be required for research purposes.
  4. Students are required to submit a research thesis and pass an oral examination for graduation.
  5. Students are required to complete an Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  6. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website. Students are required to complete and pass the module in their first year of studies, with effect from the 2022-23 intake.
  7. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP) during the first year of study, with effect from the 2025-26 intake. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
  8. Students are required to complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.
MPhil in Music
Specialization: Musicology
Coursework Requirement

For Students admitted in 2025–26
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 units of courses for graduation.

For Full-time and Part-time Students
i. Required courses:
MUSC6401, 6402		 6 units
ii. Elective courses:
Any 6 units of courses from the "Course List" (except MUSC8025 and 8026)		 6 units
Total 12 units

Thesis monitoring course: MUSC8025
From the 2nd term of the first year of attendance, both full-time and part-time students are required to enrol in MUSC8025 each term until they submit their theses. (They are recommended to enrol in MUSC8025 in the 1st term of the first year of attendance.)

Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Language – Ability to use a language other than Chinese and English may be required for research purposes.
  4. Students are required to submit a research thesis and pass an oral examination for graduation.
  5. Students are required to complete an Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  6. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website. Students are required to complete and pass the module in their first year of studies, with effect from the 2022-23 intake.
  7. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP) during the first year of study, with effect from the 2025-26 intake. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
  8. Students are required to complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.
MPhil in Music
Specialization: Theory
Coursework Requirement

For Students admitted in 2025–26
Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 units of courses for graduation.

For Full-time and Part-time Students
i. Required courses:
MUSC6401, 6402		 6 units
ii. Elective courses:
Any two 3-unit courses from the "Course List"
(except MUSC8025 and 8026)		 6 units
Total 12 units

Thesis monitoring course: MUSC8025
From the 2nd term of the first year of attendance, both full-time and part-time students are required to enrol in MUSC8025 each term until they submit their theses. (They are recommended to enrol in MUSC8025 in the 1st term of the first year of attendance.)

Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Language – Ability to use a language other than Chinese and English may be required for research purposes.
  4. Students are required to submit a research thesis and pass an oral examination for graduation.
  5. Students are required to complete an Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  6. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website. Students are required to complete and pass the module in their first year of studies, with effect from the 2022-23 intake.
  7. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP) during the first year of study, with effect from the 2025-26 intake. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
  8. Students are required to complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.
DMus in Composition
Coursework Requirement
The programme is basically research-oriented and a student may be required to enrol in formal courses as deemed necessary. All students must meet their Supervisors for prescription of courses every academic year before course selection.

Thesis monitoring course: MUSC8026
From the 2nd term of the first year of attendance, students are required to enroll in MUSC8026 each term until portfolios are submitted. Students are recommended to enroll in MUSC8026 in the 1st term of the first year of attendance.
Comprehensive/Qualifying Examination

Advancement to D.Mus. candidacy is conditional upon the passing of a written qualifying examination. The written qualifying examination should only be taken after the satisfactory completion of all prescribed course work, if any. In case of failure, the student may re-attempt the failed part(s) of the written qualifying examination once, but should not exceed the maximum period stipulated below.

Applicable to students admitted on 1 August 2010 and thereafter:
Students are required to pass the qualifying examination within the maximum period counting from the date of first registration stipulated below:

With research Master's: Full-time
Part-time		 24 months
36 months
Without research Master's: Full-time
Part-time		 36 months
36 months
Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Portfolio – An oral defense is required after the submission of the portfolio.

    4. Students are required to complete the following Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) in their first year of study for partial fulfillment of candidacy requirements:
  4. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website.
  5. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP), with effect from the 2025-26 intake.

    6. In addition to completing the IPL modules stipulated for partial fulfillment of cadidacy requirements, students are also required to complete the following IPL modules for graduation:
  6. Complete an IPL module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  7. Complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.
  8. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
MMus in Composition

Coursework Requirement

Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 units of courses for graduation.

For Full-time Students

i. Required courses:
First Year of Attendance:
MUSC6100, 6101, 6401, 6402		 12 units
Total 12 units

 

For Part-time Students

i. Required courses:
First to Second Years of Attendance:
MUSC6100, 6101, 6401, 6402		 12 units
 

Portfolio monitoring course: MUSC8025
  After completion of MUSC6100 and 6101, both full-time and part-time students are required to enrol for MUSC8025 each term if the portfolio is not yet finished.  
Total 12 units

 

Other Requirements
  1. Students must fulfill the Term Assessment Requirement of the Graduate School. For details, please refer to Section 13.0 “Unsatisfactory Performance and Discontinuation of Studies” of the General Regulations Governing Postgraduate Studies which can be accessed from the Graduate School Homepage
  2. A student must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in order to fulfill the graduation requirement, unless special approval is granted by the Graduate Council.
  3. Portfolio – The portfolio consists of musical works written after the first date of registration. Students are required to complete a major work, or an equivalent group of smaller works.
  4. Students are required to submit a research thesis and pass an oral examination for graduation.
  5. Students are required to complete an Improving Postgraduate Learning (IPL) module on "Observing Intellectual Property and Copyright Law during Research". This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website
  6. Students are required to complete and pass an IPL module on “Basics of Research Data Management” in their first year of study with effect from the 2022–23 intake. This is an online module and relevant information can be accessed from the website. Students are required to complete and pass the module in their first year of studies, with effect from the 2022-23 intake.
  7. Students are required to submit a Data Management Plan (DMP) during the first year of study, with effect from the 2025-26 intake. The final DMP should have been shared to the CUHK community on DMPTool or the relevant platform that CUHK provides when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio to the Graduate School. Students are required to have published the data on the CUHK Research Data Repository or an open data repository with a valid Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or other forms of permanent identifier when submitting the final version of the thesis/portfolio. Upon thesis supervisor’s endorsement, students can decide on how much data from the research project is to be published.
  8. Students are required to complete an online Research Ethics Training (RET) module on "Publication Ethics" offered by the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS) and obtain a valid Publication Ethics Certificate for graduation. Relevant information can be accessed from the RET website.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES
  1. Our research programmes aim to educate researchers to embark on careers that would allow them to become world leaders in their fields, working as university professors, principal investigators in research institutes, senior managers in enterprises, or experts in other professions related to the pursuit and application of knowledge.
     
  2. The University expects doctoral degree graduates of research programmes to have acquired in-depth knowledge in a number of major areas of an academic discipline while maintaining a broad understanding of other related fields. Doctoral degree graduates should have accumulated enough educational experience and background learning to be capable of performing independent research to advance scholarship, with global standards. In particular, doctoral graduates should have the ability to identify research trends and opportunities, venture into new research areas when appropriate, define long-term research objectives, formulate original research problems, and originate and develop solution methodologies. Doctoral graduates should be capable of producing research output at a level that can either lead to publications in high-ranking scholastic venues, or to novel applications in relevant industrial, commercial, or other public sectors, or to other forms of useful knowledge transfer to society. They should have gained proficiency in techniques of knowledge dissemination through presentation and writing and some teaching experiences through student tutoring.
     
  3. The University expects master's degree graduates of research programmes to have acquired advanced knowledge in major areas of an academic discipline while maintaining a broad understanding of other related fields. Master's degree graduates should have gained enough background knowledge to enable them to perform research with minimal supervision. In particular, they should have the ability to formulate individual research tasks and to develop solution methodologies under minimal supervision. Master's degree graduates should be capable of producing original, innovative research output, some of which may lead to publication in well-respected scholastic venues. They should have gained proficiency in techniques of knowledge dissemination through presentation and writing.
     
  4. For graduates of research programmes at both doctoral and master's level, communication and language skills at a level appropriate to university graduates are expected already at the time of admission. In particular, fluent communication skills are expected in the language(s) essential to their research areas. In general, a high level of proficiency in English is expected as it is commonly regarded as the default international research language. Ability in a second language is encouraged.