Graduate Brochure – Music and Culture 2021-2022 (PDF)
Graduate Handbook – MA in Music and Culture 2023-2024 (PDF)
Carleton University’s School for Studies in Art and Culture (SSAC) is proud to offer an exciting MA in Music and Culture designed to give students a dynamic forum where perspectives in “cultural musicology” can be explored in a uniquely flexible and integrated fashion.
Few other MA degrees of any kind in Canada highlight music as a central focus of interdisciplinary interest. Grounded in the practices of various musics but conducted from within a wide range of theoretical approaches—including sociology, linguistics, critical theory, feminism, cultural studies, and ethnomusicology—the program’s distinctiveness is grounded in critical interdisciplinary. In this program students can choose from three primary streams to complete their degree: 1) thesis with courses; 2) major research essay with courses; 3) coursework-only. In addition to the MA in Music & Culture, students can also attain an MA in Music & Culture with a concentration in Digital Humanities.
We believe that good teaching is enhanced by committed research, and our faculty embodies a diverse range of specialties including Aesthetics, Musicology, Ethnomusicology, Feminism, Cultural Studies, Sociology/Anthropology, Communications, Globalization, Philosophy, and Semiotics—not to mention research interests in Canadian music, European art music, popular, folk, and world musics, as well as music for a variety of media (radio, film, television, and interactive media).
In addition to the offerings of the program itself, students will benefit from the rich intellectual environment that exists within the nation’s capital. With access to an unparalleled number of libraries, museums, galleries, and scores of year-round cultural activities and festivals, Carleton students get to experience the distinctive edge of enriching their learning at Canada’s Capital University.
For further information, please contact: Dr.Anna Hoefnagels, Graduate Supervisor or Kristopher Waddell, Graduate Administrator.
- Graduate Brochure – Music and Culture 2020-21 (PDF)
- Practicum Program (to be updated for Graduate Studies)
- Music Graduate Guidelines for Thesis / Research Essays
- FAQ’s and Checklist pages on the Graduate Studies (FGPA) website
- Music and Culture (MA) | Graduate Admissions (carleton.ca)
The Capital Advantage
Students enrolled in the Master of Arts in Music and Culture program benefit from the diverse cultural and intellectual environment that exists within the nation’s capital. Students at Carleton have access to leading cultural institutions, including the National Arts Centre, the Library and Archives of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Moreover, the city’s large émigré communities and diplomatic representatives from around the world provide a stimulating context for studying music in culture.
Ottawa’s wide range of cultural offerings, from rock concerts at the Canadian Tire Centre and jazz performances at intimate clubs in the Byward Market, to the full season of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, provide the student with ample opportunities to experience the different genres and styles of music in performance.