PhD Studentship in Music Department

PhD Studentships in Music Department at The Open University 

The Open University Music Department is offering a fees-only studentship to applicants intending to start their doctoral studies on 1 October 2026.

This fees-only award will cover Open University fees for a UK student. It can be for either full-time or part-time study and may be via the Open University’s distance learning PhD programme.

This is an open project call – that is, the subject of the PhD project is to be defined by the applicant, with the stipulation that it should be in an area that falls within the research interests of the Music Department. We have a wide range of expertise, from music of the medieval period to the present day, including ethnomusicology, film music, historical musicology, music and gender, music computing, music education, music and technology, popular music and sound studies. For more information on research areas and staff interests, see our Research Prospectus.

The Department will consider all shortlisted applicants to its self-funded PhD programme for this award. 

Applicants should have a first degree and an MA in a relevant discipline. Applicants will need to submit an application form, HESA form and a research proposal of around 1,000 words, to [email protected]

The deadline for applications is noon on 31 March 2026.

 Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be conducted online in April 2026.

For more information on the application process, including a link to the application form and guidance on how to structure the research proposal, please follow the Open University's research degrees application process.

We encourage applicants to discuss their application with the Department before applying. In the first instance, please contact the Department’s Postgraduate Convenor, Dr Helen Barlow, at [email protected]

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or ability, and we particularly encourage applicants from global majority backgrounds. We have a strong record of supporting students with a range of disabilities to successful completion of PhDs. If you have any questions at all about how we can accommodate your study, please get in touch with us.