The thesis is original scholarship and makes a distinct contribution to knowledge. It shows familiarity with previous work in the field, and demonstrates the ability to plan and carry out research, organize findings, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. It is succinct and reflects the standards of the discipline, recognizing the value of music and music research beyond the 鈥渁cademia鈥�.
Below you will find general thesis information for music students. For more comprehensive guidelines, visit McGill's GPS website and for writing tips, visit Student Resources.
Thesis Evaluation Criteria
The thesis document will be reviewed by an expert from outside the University (external examiner), and a Schulich School of Music faculty member in discipline expertise (internal examiner).
Each of the following criteria are ranked on the following scale: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fail.
- Evidence of originality and creativity;
- Resourcefulness, alertness to significance of findings;
- Diligence, care, technical skill in the research;
- Usefulness of the results to other workers in the field; value as a contribution to knowledge;
- Grasp of subject, powers of criticism and general adequacy in review of previous work;
- Quality of presentation (coherence, lucidity, grammar, style, freedom from typographical errors).
Dissertation Committee
The committee consists of a minimum of two professors - your supervisor and one other.
Dissertation Proposal
A dissertation proposal will be prepared for presentation and discussion, under guidance of the supervisor(s), usually following the successful completion of the comprehensive examinations and required courses. At the time of submission of the proposal, a date will be suggested for the Proposal Oral Presentation which is to occur in the same semester. The goal of the dissertation proposal is to provide an opportunity for the student and committee to constructively feed back on the research protocol and ensure:
- The research questions are relevant, specific and achievable;
- The project has a feasible, reasonable and realistic design and timeline, appropriate for a Ph.D. thesis;
- The student has the opportunity to review the thesis work and receive feedback at an early stage of research design development;
- The student has an opportunity to gain experience in developing and presenting a research protocol.
Format of the dissertation proposal
A complete dissertation proposal consists of the following elements:
- The main body of the proposal (2 pages, Arial 11 pt., double space, submitted as PDF) should include the following elements:
- Title; Research question or objectives; Rationale (theoretical and practical relevance of the project, review of previous work and existing gaps, and new knowledge to be obtained); Research design; Contributions and applications; knowledge mobilization and translation strategy.
- 1-page proposed Table of Contents for the thesis (this may differ from the structure of the proposal)
- A reference list including all sources listed in the main body of the proposal (2-3 pages).
- Completed Ph.D./D.Mus. Dissertation Proposal Form including confirmation of REB Ethics Submission/Approval if required.
Oral Presentation Proposal
The proposal should be submitted in the semester (excluding summer) immediately following the candidate's completion of their comprehensive examinations. The primary readerships of the proposal are the main supervisor(s) and members of Proposal Oral Presentation committee. After submission, you should agree with your supervisor(s) a date to discuss and approve the proposal which is to occur in the same semester.
The oral presentation committee will consist of three members:
- The candidate鈥檚 supervisory committee
- A third committee member from another area who will serve as Committee Chair.
The oral presentation will consist of a question and answers session of approximately 60 minutes. Since all committee members will have read the submitted proposal in advance of the oral discussion, the presentation should be used as an opportunity to go into greater detail, to provide additional context, and/or to discuss an example that demonstrates the proposed methodology.
Evaluation of the oral presentation
The Oral Presentation Committee will deliberate to reach a consensus on one of the following three outcomes:
- Pass (with no revisions): indicates that the proposal and the proposal form may be forwarded to Graduate Studies Office by the Oral Presentation Committee Chair, who will sign the proposal form on behalf of the committee to indicate that the oral presentation has been successfully passed.
- Provisional Pass (with minor revisions): indicates that the candidate must revise the proposal based on feedback provided by the committee. The final proposal will be approved by the candidate鈥檚 supervisory committee who will confirm with the Oral Presentation Committee Chair. Once approved, the final proposal and the proposal form may be forwarded to Graduate Studies Office.
- Fail (major revisions required): indicates that major revisions are needed and that a new proposal presentation must be scheduled.
For Ph.D. proposals only, it will be standard practice for Graduate Studies to circulate the approved proposals to the Graduate Music Research Sub-Committee members, so that further comments and suggestions may be offered to the candidate.
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 | 听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 鈥淚ntent to Submit Thesis鈥� 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.
Doctoral 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 鈥淐omplete鈥� or 鈥淚n Progress鈥�.
- Day of submission:
Submit your thesis through the submission page on myThesis on the date submitted in your 鈥淚ntent to Submit Thesis鈥� 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
- 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.
- Submit online as per instructions by the date in the above table.
- Notify your supervisor(s) that this has been completed. 听Your supervisor will review and issue the final confirmation.
- Check out the convocation website for further details, and prepare to celebrate!
Keys for a Successful Oral Defense
Many helpful hints about content, developing the right mindset, and practice can be found on the Graduate Supervision website. 听ProDeans,听who oversee the defenses, remind us that they come hoping to hear some music!
Colleagues' Tips for Surviving the Thesis Journey
- Begin using a bibliography such as endnotes or Zotero at the beginning of your research process.
- Decide if you are doing a chapter- or manuscript based thesis early. Know the elements comprising the final document and review periodically in light of the evaluation criteria.听
- Take time for fun, nourishment and living life鈥攅ach day, each week, each month!
- Assemble all software packages that your work will require at the outset (e.g., statistical or other analytical tools, notational, word processing, bibliography, illustration tools, etc.). Write a short 鈥渢est鈥� document and apply the McGill software package formatting to understand style implications and any potential challenges for your work (e.g., margins, fonts, headings, etc.).听
- Review the Schulich School of Music Style Guide pertaining to style manuals and music.
- Attend a concert, a movie, or some other live cultural event at least once a week.
- Keep a file tracking the style choices you make from the very beginning.
- Assemble musical examples, figures, and illustrations in a separate file, even in preliminary sketch form, keeping an overall tracking record that details what each requires for final thesis inclusion (e.g., formatting, copyright release and permissions, etc.). Check and update the tracking file periodically. Use the talents of others to format musical examples as a major time-saver and to facilitate proof-reading.
- Consider copyright practicalities at the outset. Collect written permission to use materials as soon as possible.
- Attend the thesis defenses and lecture-recitals of your colleagues 鈥� enjoy in particular the wine!
- Develop a schedule with your supervisors and other dissertation committee members. Think of each marker 鈥� not as a deadline, but as a checking in moment, a reporting that always involves some element of writing even if it involves only two lines of summary that will eventually become the basis for determining the 鈥渉eader鈥� of an outline, the first line under the header, or a working hypothesis. This way, the research and the writing can become inter-connected and benefit from the clarity of thought and direction that each provides the other. For other helpful hints on how to develop the schedule as you define your topic see here. Recognize that any step involving human interactions will require more time than anticipated. Plan well ahead when organizing trips to archives, festivals, research labs, etc.
- Share the results of your work in a variety of formal and informal settings throughout its evolution, giving at least one presentation a year. The more people you share with, academic and non-academic, musical, non-musical, the clearer the expression becomes! /gradsupervision/timelines/emergence-independent-re...
- Draw on the resources of the whole Schulich School of Music Team and beyond: become long and lasting friends with the Library Faculty, attend grant writing sessions for funding tips, the labs of other supervisors, and call upon the expertise of Prof. Lena Weman, the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in Music, and Helene Drouin, Graduate Studies for questions small or large, research or procedural, or if you are merely feeling the pressure and angst of this and that. Writing assistance may also be obtained through Graphos.
- For other helpful hints, see the Graduate Supervision website. Know that usually you are not the most effective proof-reader, 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.
- And did we say, take time for fun, nourishment and living life鈥攅ach day, each week, each month!
Other Resources
Tools for writing and research (including the Schulich School of Music Style Sheet)
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