The Department offers Master of Music (MMus) and Doctor of Music (DMus) programmes in Composition, and MPhil and PhD programmes in Music.
Our research postgraduate programmes foster cutting-edge and interdisciplinary explorations of music across its plural expressions, traditions, and contexts. Our faculty offer extensive supervisory expertise across theoretical, historical, ethnographic, philosophical, intercultural, and practice-based approaches to the study of music. From archival studies to critical theory, Western art music traditions to popular music, colonial legacies to decolonial visions, our faculty cultivate a research environment that embraces productive dialogues between diverse methodologies, perspectives, and subjects of inquiry. Our programmes equip students with the skills and sensibilities to innovate scholarship, social engagement, and practice that speak to the powerful relevance of music in a globally connected and changing world.
We welcome students aspiring to academic careers, and equally those seeking to utilise their research postgraduate training in cultural and creative industries, media, public sectors, or other professional domains. Our curriculum offers substantial flexibility so that students can tailor their studies according to individual orientations and goals. In addition to departmental seminars, our research postgraduate students benefit from a rich array of scholarly activities, including the department’s colloquium series featuring leading scholars, Faculty- and University-wide interdisciplinary lectures, forums and conferences, and international exchange programmes.
The MPhil and MMus programmes provide students with a strong foundation for advanced research while also serving as valuable stand-alone qualifications. Students develop their work through the completion of a thesis (MPhil) or a compositional portfolio (MMus), supported by coursework that prepares them to conduct rigorous research. These programmes equip graduates for a variety of career development paths, including doctoral studies, research and teaching positions, professional composition, and roles in cultural and creative sectors.
The PhD and DMus programmes emphasise original research leading to the submission of a dissertation (PhD) or a compositional portfolio (DMus) that makes a substantial contribution to the field. These programmes support students in developing distinctive research profiles suited to both academic and non-academic careers. While there are no formal coursework requirements, students may enroll in courses recommended by their supervisors.
Note: We do not have any practice-led postgraduate degree programme in music performance.
Normative Study Period
The tuition fee for all research postgraduate programmes in 2027–28 regardless of study mode (part-time or full-time) is HK$49,500 per annum.
|
|
Full-time |
Part-time |
|
MMus |
1 Year |
2 Years |
|
MPhil |
2 Years |
3 Years |
|
DMus/ PhD |
36 Months1 |
48 Months1 |
|
48 Months2 |
64 Months2 |
1 Entering with a research master’s degree
2 Entering without a research master’s degree
| Faculty | Supervision Areas |
| CHAN Kai Young BA, MMus (CUHK) LMusTCL, LTCL (Trinity College of Music, London) AM, PhD (Penn) |
- Contemporary Music Compositions - Algorithmic, AI, and Computer-Assisted Composition - Cantonese Contemporary Music |
| CHEONG Wai Ling BA (CUHK) Cert. Japanese Studies (Kyoto) MPhil, PhD (Cantab) |
- Alexander Scriabin - Olivier Messiaen - Intercultural Music Theory and Musicology - 12-tone Music and Theory in Mainland China - Interwar Japanese Music (Yōgaku) |
| CHOW Sheryl BA, MPhil (HKU) PhD (Princeton) |
- Chinese Music - History of Music Theory - Global Music History |
| KIELMAN Adam BA, MA, PhD (Columbia) |
- Popular Music - Ethnographic Methods - Musics of China and East Asia - Music and Mobility - Sound Studies |
| LEE Wan-Ki Wendy BM (Toronto) ARCT (RCM, Toronto) LTCL, FTCL (Trinity College of Music, London) MM, PhD (Michigan) |
- Contemporary Music Compositions - Creative Collaborations - Music Composition Pedagogy - Music by Chinese and Chinese-American Composers - Piano Works |
| LI Edwin BA (HKU) AM, PhD (Harvard) |
- Aesthetics - Affect - Decolonization - Global Music Theory and Musicology - Music and Philosophy |
| LIAO Yvonne BA (Oxon) MA (SOAS) MA (Columbia) PhD (KCL) |
- Postcolonial Studies - Global and Material Histories of Music, Media, Culture - Archives, Heritage, Community - Performing Arts and Society - Interdisciplinary Thought and Practice |
| WONG Hei Yin Boris BA, MPhil (CUHK) PhD (SOAS) |
- Musics of East and Southeast Asia - Global Music Circulation - Military and Wind Band - Musical Theatre |
CUHK Postgraduate Studentships
Students who are admitted to full-time research postgraduate programmes would generally be offered Postgraduate Studentships (PGS). Students receiving PGS awards are required to assist in the teaching and research work of the Department. The PGS monthly stipend (2026–2027) is HK$19,100–19,660.
CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship
Outstanding full-time PhD applicants are automatically considered for this Scholarship. The Scholarship offers:
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS)
Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC), the HKPFS aims to attract the best and brightest students from across the globe to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong universities. The HKPFS package for the 2027–28 intake at CUHK includes financial support totalling up to HK$1.81 million (~US$232,420). Please visit the Graduate School website for details. PhD candidates who are nominated by CUHK to the HKPFS but not selected by the RGC will be admitted to the University’s regular PhD programme on a postgraduate studentship. They will also receive the CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s PhD Scholarship of HK$80,000 (payable in three installments), subject to satisfactory progress in their studies.