General Description
The Department offers PhD supervision in a number of fields and sub-disciplines pertaining to Musicology and Music Education, depending on staff availability. Faculty members that hold the post of Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor are allowed to supervise up to 5 candidates at any time. Candidate selection is normally made twice a year, at the end of each semester. Candidates should hold a Higher Education Institution Master’s degree from a Greek or foreign institution recognized by the Greek state. Candidates submit their application to the Secretariat, accompanied by a CV and a 1000-word proposal, stating the topic, background, aims, methodology and objectives of the proposed research. The application deadlines for each semester are announced by the Secretary’s office, following current institutional policy and depending on staff availability for each year.
Selection Criteria
Candidates interested in applying are advised to contact the Secretariat for an up-to-date list of selection criteria, as regulations are currently under revision and subject to change. Aside from a high average mark in their first degree, candidates are expected to demonstrate relevance to their proposed area of study with transcripts documenting successful completion of relevant course subjects during previous undergraduate or postgraduate studies. Selection criteria also include fluency in at least one language other than Greek (English at Proficiency level, French at Sorbonne 1 or DALF level, German at Oberstufe level), as documented through relevant certificates, and documented high competence in one or more disciplines of music studies, through research and/or performance. Candidates who have completed a degree in an English, French or German-speaking country may qualify for admission without submitting the language certificates stated above. Furthermore, a number of additional criteria may be taken into account on a case-by-case basis. Such criteria may include:
• Publications in peer-reviewed journals
• Paper presentations in international conferences
• Other documented research activity
Candidates who hold a first degree in subject areas other than music, musicology or music education, as well as those who hold degrees from other institutions in Greece or abroad, may be admitted upon condition to complete a number of undergraduate courses, as recommended and agreed with their supervisor and approved by the Special Departmental Board. These courses should be completed within no more than two semesters, and an average mark of at least 7 out of 10 should be achieved for each individual course prescribed. The final decision to admit candidates into the PhD in Musicology / Music Education programme rests with the Special Departmental Board.
Programme outline
Upon selecting a candidate for admission, the Special Departmental Board appoints a three-member advisory committee, including the candidate’s supervisor and two advisors from the department, or any other department within A.U.TH. or from another Higher Education Institution.
The Special Departmental Board is also responsible for approving the topic of research. The total duration of the programme itself must be no less than three years following the date of approval of the topic by the Special Departmental Board. Should a candidate choose to change the topic of their research at any time during the programme, this has to be discussed with their supervisor and then formally proposed to the Departmental Board in consultation with the advisory committee, which will make the case for the proposed change during the relevant departmental board meeting.
At the end of every year of study, each candidate is expected to submit an annual progress report, which is discussed, along with any recommended revisions or suggestions, at a Special Departmental Board meeting, during which it is decided whether a candidate qualifies for continuation of their studies.
Candidates are also expected to contribute to the department’s teaching and research activities where appropriate, and depending on current needs.
Submission / Examination
Once a candidate has completed their research, this is presented to the advisory committee, which decides whether any revisions or additions are required. If not, then the candidate is permitted to proceed to the writing up phase of their research, which culminates in a first draft of the complete dissertation.
This final draft is submitted to the advisory board for comments and suggestions. The candidate is not obliged to take the comments on board, and remains responsible for the content and ideas contained in his or her final submission.
The final submission should include appropriate credits for all citations, illustrations and images, and contain a brief summary or abstract in English or a second language other than Greek. Once the dissertation has been submitted to the Departmental Secretariat, the advisory committee recommends a seven-member examination committee which includes members of the home department / institution or other departments/ institutions, and which are chosen on the basis of relevance to the dissertation subject.
The final viva-voce examination takes place in the department, 30 to 45 dates after the assignment of the examination committee. During this examination, candidates present their topic and elaborate on it for no longer than 45 minutes, answering to any questions or issues raised by the examination committee to the best of his or her abilities. The question and answer session should not last longer than an hour and a half, and candidates are allowed to use any audiovisual aids necessary for the demonstration and elaboration of their ideas. Following the examination, the committee decides on the final outcome, taking into account the originality of the dissertation, its essential contribution to the discipline, the completeness of the research, the robustness of its methodology, the appropriateness of the use of sources and bibliography, the clarity of its style and the accuracy of the candidate’s responses to the oral question and answer session. The final decision is reached through an open verdict. The outcome examination is successful if at least five out of seven members of the committee vote in favour of the candidate receiving the PhD degree. Subsequently, a grade (Excellent, Very Good, Satisfactory) is assigned. The procedure is recorded and documented in detailed minutes.