Master's in Musicology

Students in the Master program in Musicology expand the knowledge and abilities they have gained in the Bachelor program. The focus here is on the application of music-history methods in clearly defined subject areas that the students choose themselves in some cases. The program prepares students for careers in music journalism, music publishing, concert and opera dramaturgy, concert management, and music research and instruction.

The Master program (both for major and minor) is designed to offer students the opportunity to develop their own scholarly skills. Depending on the subject area in question, most of the lectures and seminars can be freely chosen by the student. Emphasis is placed on written work, among other things as a means of preparing for the master thesis. However, this aspect is also supplemented by a practical component. The program prepares students for careers in music journalism, music publishing, concert and opera dramaturgy, concert management, and music research and instruction. Details on the organization and structure of the program can be found in the study plan.



Basic information
Degree: Master of Arts in Musicology, Universität Bern
Number of credits: 120 ECTS credits
Degree programs:
  • Major 90 ECTS credits


Offer for other degree programs:

  • Minor 30 ECTS credits
Combination possibilities: several
Duration: 4 semesters
Language: German
Beginning studies: Fall or spring semester

Details of program

The goal of the study of Musicology is:

  1. To enable students to engage independently and intellectually with music,
  2. To provide students with a deeper analytical understanding and advanced methods to systematically analyze musical or music-cultural phenomena from both the past and the present, and to communicate the insights gained both within and outside of academia,
  3. To impart comprehensive, music-relevant knowledge, techniques, and methods, and to foster an understanding of historical, sociological, performative, aesthetic, cultural, and political contexts.

The Master seminars and lectures are assigned to three main areas of study, which, depending on the chosen study profile, may also be listed as "With Special Qualification" on the Master's diploma (more information on current courses in these areas can be found here):

  • Historical Musicology
  • Cultural Anthropology of Music
  • Music Theater Studies

Scheme of program

Study program structure (Document in German) (PDF, 10KB)
Model and sample course of study (Document in German) (PDF, 13KB)

Combination possibilities

The Master's degree program in Musicology consists of a major with 90 ECTS credits and a minor with 30 ECTS credits.

Any subject taught in a sufficient scope at the University of Bern can be chosen as a minor. However, students are not permitted to have a major and minor in the same branch of study.

Structure
Major ECTS
 Minor ECTS 
90  30 

Requirements

Individual academic requirements

The following academic qualifications are required for admission to the master’s degree program in Musicology (major):

a) Bachelor's degree from the University of Bern with a major in Musicology
b) Bachelor's degree from a Swiss university with a major in Musicology
c) Bachelor of Arts in Musicology (major) or a similar degree from a recognized foreign university. Degrees from another university must be recognized as being equivalent to the bachelor's degree from the University of Bern.
d) Bachelor's degree from a recognized foreign university with a major in a different branch of studies, provided that the master's degree can be successfully completed with an additional maximum 60 ECTS credits. *
e) Bachelor's degree from the University of Bern with a minor in Musicology. Additional attainments (in subjects that complement the student's previous studies) for a total of 39 ECTS credits, as well as a scholarly Type B paper (6 ECTS credits). In this manner, the difference between the Bachelor major (without electives: 105 ECTS credits) and Bachelor minor (60 ECTS credits) is compensated for, as is the lack of a Musicology Bachelor thesis. These attainments must be fulfilled in order to complete the master's degree program. 
* Additional attainments can either be admission requirements which must be fulfilled in order to complete the master's degree program or admission requirements which must be fulfilled before admission to the master's degree program. The ECTS credits will be listed separately in the diploma supplement as extracurricular attainments.

Please consult the admission requirements for the minor as presented in the plan of studies.

The bachelor's degree may not be more than ten years old. Exceptions are possible where justified.

Language requirements

No language diploma (in Latin or any other foreign language) is required to start a degree program in Bern. The language of instruction is generally German. Some seminars or lectures are also conducted in English. Therefore, in addition to proficiency in German at the C1 level, knowledge of English is required to enable fluent reading of English-language research literature. Written assignments can be submitted (after agreement with the instructors) in English, French, or Italian.

 
For questions regarding application and admission, please contact the Admissions Office.

Application and admission

Current UniBE students

Apply for a change to the M A in Musicology, Universität Bern by self-service as part of the re-registration for the next semester.
Renewal of semester registration → Self-service
Recognition of academic achievements
Procedure and timing of the renewal of semester registration
   

Application with a Swiss degree

Online application
Assessment
Steps from application to registration
 

Application with an international degree

Online application
CHECKLIST - Documents for your application / Important information
Steps from application to registration

 
For questions regarding application and admission, please contact the Admissions Office.