Master of Arts in Musicology
Utrecht, Netherlands
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 20,605 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for Non-EU/EEA students (institutional fee) | Dutch and other EU/EEA students (statutory fee, full-time) 2025-2026: € 2.601
Key Summary
How can we think and write about music, its production, its distribution, its reception? Our innovative research Master’s in Musicology programme builds on a 95-year-long history of musicology at Utrecht University and enriches it with the newest perspectives on the field and its entanglements with other disciplines. It prepares you for music careers within and beyond academia where critical engagement, reflection and writing skills are key. Therefore, our research Master’s in Musicology will train you in advanced research while giving you academic insight into the theoretical and artistic principles underpinning how music is understood and practiced across history and cultures.
Western music from the Middle Ages to the present; music and media
The Musicology programme at Utrecht University focuses on Western music from the Middle Ages to the present, the impact of media on the reception and conceptualisation of music, and digital musicology. Interdisciplinary work is central to the programme, and there are particularly strong links with Medieval and Renaissance Studies, New Media & Digital Culture, Gender Studies, Postcolonial Studies, Computational Humanities, as well as Game Research.
Career prospects
Graduates of the programme are equipped to operate in the international field of musicology and, in particular, the field of their research specialism. They often continue their studies at doctoral level and subsequently pursue careers in academic teaching and research. Graduates who do not wish to pursue doctoral studies have found employment in museums, archives, libraries, publishing houses, music labels, as freelance consultants in the cultural sector, research coordinators at universities, broadcast editors, and research advisors in cultural and public policy offices.
Academic careers
After successfully completing the research Master's programme in Musicology, you will be able to formulate a PhD research proposal on a particular aspect of musicology. You will have a clear idea of the positioning of your own research within the context of international musicological research.
You will also be qualified to compete successfully for admission to a doctoral programme in Musicology in Europe, the USA, and elsewhere.
Professional careers
Below you find some examples of jobs that require an expertise in the field of musicology or other academic skills. Recent graduates found employment as:
- Curator at Museum Speelklok
- Operations and Artist & Repertoire Coordinator at Hunchback Studios external link and Pentatone
- Archivist at the Dutch Music Institute, The Hague
- Marketing and Communications Editor for Organisatie Oude Muziek , Utrecht
- Marketing and Editor for Early Music Television, Organisatie Oude Muziek, Utrecht
- Online broadcast editor at NPO Klassiek
Compulsory
- Humanities Today
- Current Musicology
- Perspectives on Music Historiography
- Musical Encounters and Confrontations: Postcolonial Perspectives on Music, 1600-Present
- Digital Humanities: Applications for Musicologists
- Research Design for Musicologists
- Singing of Heaven and Earth
- Digital Music Cultures
- Cultural Institutions: an Interdisciplinary Seminar
- Research School I
- Thesis RMA Musicology
Electives
- Computational Musicology
- Tutorial RMA Musicology I
- Tutorial RMA Musicology II
- Elective RMA Musicology I
- Elective RMA Musicology II
- Music and the Moving Image
- Research School II
Internship or Study Abroad
- Study Abroad / Across the Border
- Internship RMA Musicology