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Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř.CA / Music / Programs / Music Theory; M.A.

Thesis

In this section: Thesis criteria and deadlines. ĚýFor writing tips, visitĚýStudent Resources.

Important information for both thesis options

Thesis Submission Timeline

Graduation date

Initial submission

Thesis evaluation semester

Final submission deadline

May/June

December 15

Winter

April 15

Fall (October, November)

April 15

Summer

August 15

Winter (no convocation)

August 15

Fall

December 15

Initial Submission Steps

Your supervisor may find some useful tips for selecting examiners on the Graduate Supervision website.

  • At least two months before initial submission:

Students must submit their “Intent to Submit Thesis” through myThesis.

You will be asked to provide your thesis title, abstract, length of thesis and date of submission.
You will also be asked to nominate examiners (please discuss the examiners with your supervisor(s) prior to submitting the names). Once this is submitted, the request will be sent to your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music for approval. Then an invitation to the examiner will be sent through myThesis for the examiner to accept or decline. This whole approval process must be completed prior to your submission date.

Master’s students can access myThesis through the GPS website. Detailed guidelines and an instructional video are available on this page.

Verify MyProgress to ensure that all components of the program are complete or components of the program are marked as “Complete” or “In Progress”.

  • Day of submission:

Submit your thesis through the submission page on myThesis on the date submitted in your “Intent to Submit Thesis” form. Your supervisor(s) and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music will be advised of your submission and they will be asked to approve it.

Final Submission Steps

  1. Review the examiner's comments with your supervisor and make revisions if required. Consult the Associate Dean (Graduate Studies in music) and the GPS website if the thesis has not been passed.
  2. Submit online as per instructions by the date in the above table.
  3. Notify your supervisor that this has been completed. Your supervisor will review and issue the final confirmation.
  4. Check out the convocation website for further details, and prepare to celebrate!

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Colleagues' Tips for Surviving the Thesis Journey

  1. Begin talking about your thesis or paper topics as early as the first semester and develop a schedule for developing the idea and completing the research with your supervisor. For helpful hints on how to develop the schedule as you define your topic, visit the Graduate Supervision website.
  2. Begin using a such as endnotes or Zotero at the beginning of your research process.
  3. Take time for fun, nourishment and living life—each day, each week, each month!
  4. Assemble all software packages that your work will require at the outset (statistical or other analytical tools, notational, word processing, bibliography, illustration tools, etc.). Write a short “test” document and apply the Ŕ¦°óSMÉçÇř software package formatting to understand style implications and any potential challenges for your work (margins, fonts, headings, etc.). Visit the Graduate Studies website for troubleshooting tips.
  5. Review the Schulich School of Music Style Guide pertaining to style manuals and music. Keep a file tracking the style choices you make from the very beginning.
  6. Attend a concert, a movie, or some other live cultural event at least once a week.
  7. Collect written permission to use materials as soon as possible and track the progress of this process by assembling musical examples, illustrations, photographs, etc. in a separate folder.
  8. Use the talents of others to format musical examples as a major time-saver and proofreading.
  9. Attend the thesis defenses and lecture-recitals of your colleagues – enjoy in particular the wine!
  10. Share the results of your work in a variety of formal and informal settings. The more people you share with, academic and non-academic, musical, non-musical, the clearer the expression becomes! You can find tips on the Graduate Supervision website.
  11. Draw on the resources of the whole Schulich School of Music Team, Library, and beyond.
  12. For other helpful hints, go to the Graduate Supervision website. Know that usually, you are not the most effective proofreader, that it takes much longer than you ever imagined and that, at least once, the computer, the electricity, the plumbing or some other critical disaster will occur at the most inopportune moment.

Other Resources

Tools for writing and research (including the Schulich School of Music style sheet)

Thesis (in-depth monograph-style thesis)

Thesis Criteria

The M.A. thesis demonstrates familiarity with previous work in the field and the ability to carry out research and organize results. It must be written in good literate style.

  • An exhaustive review of work in the particular field is not required, nor is original scholarship necessarily expected.

Length: Typically between 80-100 pages (excluding musical examples and other illustrations). It cannot exceed 150 pages in total, including all preliminary pages.

Thesis Evaluation Criteria

  1. Is situated in a broader context and appropriately acknowledges the larger field of research (e.g. citations/references).
  2. Details methodology and method.
  3. Reports results clearly.
  4. Justifies analyses and conclusion.
  5. Discusses implications.
  6. Is presented appropriately for disciplinary norms (grammar, style, coherence, cohesion).

Format of Thesis Proposal

A complete thesis proposal consists of the following elements:

M.A. Thesis

The primary readerships of the proposal are faculty members in the Music Theory area and (if applicable) any co-supervisor outside the Music Theory area

Thesis Proposal Submission Deadline

After the proposal has been approved by the candidate’s supervisor (or co-supervisors, if applicable), it should be submitted to the Music Theory Area Coordinator by:

  • November 1 (for approval during the Fall Term)
  • March 1 (for approval during the Winter Term)

The Area Coordinator will schedule a proposal presentation as soon as possible at a meeting of the Music Theory Area.
The Area Coordinator will distribute the proposal to all members of the Music Theory Area at least one week in advance.

Thesis Proposal Presentation

  • The candidate’s presentation will take place at a meeting of the Music Theory Area.
  • A quorum of 50% of faculty members in the Music Theory Area (not counting faculty members currently on leave or serving in administrative positions) will be required to evaluate the presentation.
  • The candidate or any faculty member may participate via teleconference.
  • Any faculty member participating via teleconference will be considered to be present for the purpose of meeting the quorum,and will retain voting rights.
  • The candidate’s supervisor will normally be present at the presentation. If the candidate has a co-supervisor outside the Music Theory Area, that co-supervisor will be invited to the presentation and will have voting rights.

The proposal presentation will include the following components:

  • An oral presentation by the candidate providing an overview of the topic (maximum of 10 minutes)
  • A brief period in which the candidate will respond to questions from the faculty (approximately 5–10 minutes)

Candidates are advised to respect the ten-minute guideline for the brief presentation.
Since all faculty members will have read the submitted proposal in advance, the presentation should be used as an opportunity to go into greater detail and to provide additional context.
The candidate may elect to have the proposal presentation be open to the Schulich School of Music community.

Evaluation of the Proposal and Presentation

Faculty members in the Music Theory Area (and any co-supervisor outside the Music Theory Area, if relevant) who are present at the proposal presentation (in person or via teleconference) will vote on one of the following three outcomes, to be determined by a simple majority:

  • Pass (with no revisions): indicates that the Area Coordinator may sign the Thesis Proposal Form, and the proposal and the proposal form will be forwarded to the Graduate Studies Office.
  • Provisional Pass (with minor revisions): indicates that the candidate must revise the proposal based on feedback provided at the proposal presentation.
    • The revised proposal will be approved by both the Area Coordinator and the candidate’s supervisor(s).
      Once they are satisfied with the revisions, the Area Coordinator may sign the Thesis Proposal Form, and the revised proposal and the proposal form will be forwarded to the Music Graduate Studies Office.
  • Fail (major revisions required): indicates that major revisions are needed. Once those revisions are complete, a new proposal presentation must be scheduled.

Once the proposal has been forwarded to the Music Graduate Studies Office, it is considered to be approved.

Thesis (research-paper-based)

Thesis Criteria

The portfolio thesis will consist of two papers significantly expanded from seminar papers, framed by an introduction and conclusion. The expanded versions should be at least 7500 words each.

Thesis Evaluation Criteria

  1. Is situated in a broader context and appropriately acknowledges the larger field of research (e.g. citations/references).
  2. Details methodology and methods.
  3. Reports results clearly.
  4. Justifies analyses and conclusions.
  5. Discusses implications.
  6. Is presented appropriately for disciplinary norms (grammar, style, coherence, cohesion).

Format of Thesis Proposal

A complete thesis proposal consists of the following elements:

  • The proposal for a portfolio thesis should identify the broader context of the papers, summarize each paper’s research questions, methodology, and analytical results, and explain how the two papers relate to each other. The proposal should consist of up to two single-spaced pages of text, plus up to two additional pages of musical examples/figures and up to two pages of bibliography for both papers, either separate or, if appropriate, combined. Completed proposals should be submitted to the Music Theory Area for approval. A presentation to the area is not required.
  • Completed PDF icon M.A. Thesis Proposal Form (research-paper-based) including confirmation of REB Ethics Submission/Approval if required.

Thesis Proposal Deadline

After the proposal has been approved by the candidate’s supervisor (or co-supervisors, if applicable), it should be submitted to the Music Theory Area Coordinator by:

  • November 1 (for approval during the Fall Term)
  • March 1 (for approval during the Winter Term)

The Area Coordinator will distribute the proposal to all members of the Music Theory Area at least one week in advance.

Once the proposal has been approved, it will be forwarded to the Music Graduate Studies Office.

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