Course content and focus areas
The master's degree program in musicology focuses on scholarly reflection on music in its diverse historical and contemporary forms and contexts. Students are encouraged to conduct independent research in various areas of musicology. As part of historical and cultural studies, musicology explores the emergence, function, and impact of music. The program focuses on the cultural and historical interconnections of European and non-European music. In terms of history, the subject matter ranges from the earliest documented beginnings to the present and systematically addresses the acoustic, anthropological, and sociological aspects of music as a phenomenon. The program allows students to study the full scope of the discipline, including historical, systematic, ethnomusicological, and cultural studies, and to develop their own areas of expertise. In-depth engagement with musical and music-related phenomena is interlinked with intensive reflection on methods. The program's main research areas include recent concepts of music philology; the history and theory of musical theater; contemporary music; musical interpretation; the interrelations between music and media; the exploration and representation of non-European music; and the analysis and interpretation of jazz and popular music.
Successful completion of the program qualifies graduates for international careers in diverse cultural and academic fields. Noteworthy professional opportunities include theater, opera, and concert management; music publishing; music, book, and academic publishing; broadcasting; press and online journalism; archives; libraries; museums; foundations; cultural policy; academies of sciences and humanities; editorial institutes; research centers; and academic teaching and research at universities and conservatories of music.