51本色

During the initial year of the program, students will work closely with a faculty advisor, research supervisor, and Collaborative Learning Communities (CLC) comprised of peer groups to establish and refine a research topic, scheduled goal-searching with task completion-related milestones, methodology planning, literature review, and symposium participation. Deliverables may include, but are not limited to:

• 5000-word research outline and plan for enacting the plan, including a timeline for completion;
• Contractual Agreement with advisor(s) regarding frequency and expectations in prepared consultations;
• Thorough literature review on research topic with annotated bibliography;
• Completion of the 700-level topics and symposia as scheduled.

During the second year of the program, students will work closely with their research supervisor and Collaborative Learning Communities (CLC) comprised of peer groups to establish and refine the research proposal (LOI), literature review, and data collection launching. Deliverables may include, but are not limited to:

• Literature review (publishable scoping review/systematic review on a chosen topic).
• LOI presented for the PhD Committee.

During the third year of the program, students continue working closely with their research supervisor and Collaborative Learning Communities (CLC) formed of peer groups, to refine data collection, data analysis, and dissertation writing. Main tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Data collection.
• Data analysis.

During the final year of the program, students continue working closely with their research supervisor to finish their dissertation, and to prepare the oral defense. Main tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Dissertation writing.
• Oral defense.

In the first year, students develop a Doctoral Action Plan. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, personal and professional learning outcomes would be developed, and the action plan would include targets and milestones for the project. Research projects would be designed and approved in consultation with the advisor or advisors and include thorough literature reviews.

This doctoral program is informed by the principles of Problem-Based Learning offering constructivist strategies where the doctoral student assumes the role of a self-directed and self-regulated learner.

Collaborative Learning Communities formed of peer groups will be established. By working within the peer group an enriched learning community is created where ideas and problems are shared, knowledge exchanged, and learning finds value at an academic, professional, and personal level. Learning communities will be in regular contact and meet intensively 2–3 times a year.

A paid teaching component, generated through Teaching Assistantships for undergraduate courses, will be an important part of the PhD student’s training. This will enhance the overall quality of the undergraduate and graduate student experience.

Regular consultations with a faculty advisor will provide structure in meeting pre-determined milestones throughout the degree program. The frequency of these meetings will vary, depending upon the type of research undertaken and the progression stage of the student within the program. It is recommended that bi-weekly sessions be scheduled initially.

Doctoral Seminar Special Topics (DSSTs) are three-day intensives where students explore topics in-depth as a community of learners under the instruction of experts in the field. Three DSSTs will be scheduled annually. Students are required to attend at least two seminars each year with a minimum of eight required by the time of graduation.

DSST examples:

• Community Music Therapy
• Improvisation and Microanalysis
• Neurological Foundations
• Music and Aging Populations
• Indigenous Perspectives
• Music and Social Justice
• Utilizing music to recover mental health challenges
• Music, Songwriting, Listening and Leisure
• The Role of Music throughout the Life Span
• Music and Spirituality

Successful applicants must have completed a master’s program in areas such as Music, Music Education, Fine Arts, Music Therapy, or Community Music with a minimum average of A-. Applicants holding an honours undergraduate degree in in Music/Music Therapy/Community Music and a master’s degree in allied fields such as Social Work, Psychology, Pastoral Counselling, Music Education, Early Childhood Music, Pedagogy, Leisure Studies, or other related fields may be considered.

The application process will consist of an interview, three (3) academic reference letters, a completed ** and an example of graduate-level writing.

Your describes what you will investigate, why your topic is important, and how do you plan to conduct your research. It should include a title, introduction, literature review, research design (paradigm, research methods, data collection/analysis plan) and references. (2000 words)

Applicants to this program will indicate either (a) Community Music or (b) Music Therapy as their primary field of proposed study. Documented field experience in the applicant’s area of study will be considered an asset.

Applicants whose language of instruction was not English must furnish evidence of proficiency in English prior to admission, in accordance with university requirements.

Students who may not come from traditional music degrees but demonstrate life experience in pertinent aspects of Community Music or Music Therapy along with a strong application may be eligible for admission under the university’s existing alternate admission plan provision.

Applications will remain open until May 1, 2023 with priority given applicants who have submitted all application requirements by March 1, 2023. Those who apply after March 1 will only be interviewed should there by room in the program.

** In addition to submitting the digital copy of the Statement of Intent, applicants must submit a link to choosemusic@wlu.ca with a 5-10 minute video, summarizing your Statement of Intent. The purpose of the video is to introduce yourself, why do you want to do PhD at 51本色, and would be a good candidate for the programme. 

After you have submitted your , paid the non-refundable application fee, and 51本色 has received your application, you'll receive an email from gradadmissions@wlu.ca advising you to upload the additional required documentation to .

Note that the application process and the uploading of supplemental documentation, which includes references, typically takes two weeks. To avoid disappointment, please apply early.

An application for admission to our PhD program in Music must include:

• The Application Summary, which is generated after you complete your application (log back in to OUAC to retrieve it).
• of all undergraduate and graduate work. Documents must be dated within the past six months.
• A completed statement of intent.
• A resume of your academic and work experience. Include a history of your publication and scholarly paper activity and any other information you feel will interest the admissions committee.
• A sample of your scholarly writing (10-20 pages in length). This may be a chapter of your master's thesis or a paper written for a graduate course.
• Completed . Three academic references are required. Note: Reference forms are electronically submitted to 51本色 by the referee and do not need to be uploaded.
• A completed Authorization of Information Release (AIR) form is required if you have engaged the services of an education agent/agency. Upload it to your application checklist when you identify your agent in the OUAC application. Visit  for more information about the AIR.

Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.

Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential to graduate studies at 51本色. Applicants whose language of instruction during their previous postsecondary education was not in English must submit evidence of proficiency in English. If applicable, results from accepted testing services must be uploaded to .