Current overview of courses


Mandatory subjects

For the first phase of study (synopsis) please click under standard vaiation on the upper column "Exposé-Phase"
For the second phase of study (research) please click on the lower column "Forschungs-Phase"
More information on the mandatory subjects can be found here: Scheme of the programme


Elective course requirements
20 ECTS credits must be completed from the elective course requirements during the exposé and/or research phase. 

Courses can be combined freely from those listed below and/or from the “Catalog of creditable achievements” (pdf will be available online shortly). Consultation with the primary supervisor is recommended. Students who enter the research phase directly (see During the doctoral studies) must also complete the compulsory elective module.

The following courses can be selected:

  • Research seminar (independent of the dissertation topic), SE 2 SWS, 8 ECTS

  • Colloquium, KO 2 SWS, 8 ECTS

  • Communicative competence, UE 2 SWS, 2 ECTS

  • Seminars/lectures from master's programmes and seminars/lectures from diploma programmes (from the phase stage of study) at the mdw, 2 SWS, totaling 8 ECTS (see below)



Seminars/lectures from master's programmes and seminars/lectures from diploma programmes

As part of our Master's programmes and Diploma programmes (from the second phase of study onwards), the mdw offers a wide range of advanced courses. These courses are aimed at advanced students and cover current issues, theoretical foundations, and practical applications within their respective subject areas. For the Elective Course Requirements these must be completed during the PhD programme.
Below, you will find a selection of seminars and lectures. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and that course offerings are regularly updated and expanded.

We invite you to explore the wide variety of courses available and to learn more about their content, dates and registration procedures by consulting the current course catalogue.
 

  • Selected Chapters of Theory and History of Popular Music – v. Appen, Department of Popular Music
    In this lecture series international scholars present their current research projects and discuss them with the students. Topics include musicological research on hiphop; nature and sustainability; the white racial frame in music studies; methods of sound analysis; melodic hooks in popular music; praxeology and new materialism and many more. Among the presenters are researchers from Australia, Canada, Austria, Germany, the US and more.

  • Special Topics in Musicology - Glanz, Master Musicology
    This lecture will examine the work from various perspectives, including its genesis, relationship to preceding and subsequent works, formal structure, musical characteristics, and the contemporary historical and cultural context of 'Vienna around 1900'. It will also explore its interpretive history and, above all, divergent readings and possible interpretations.

  • Theories and Methods of Musicology 01 - Urbanek, Master Musicology
    The lectures provide an overview of the subject areas, methods and theories of musicology, with a particular focus on the specialisations offered at the IMI. The course is organised, introduced and supervised by a lecturer throughout the semester. As part of the lecture series, the five research areas of focus will be presented by IMI lecturers in two sessions each. In addition to imparting knowledge, the course also serves to support students in choosing their area of focus at the end of the first semester.

  • Music Sociology (Music in Society) - Reitsamer, Master Music in Society
    In this course, theoretical positions on the interdependence of music and society are elaborated and discussed on the basis of concrete examples from the worlds of music and art. Starting with early sociological approaches to music, students will get an overview of interactionist, reproduction-theoretical, feminist and decolonial positions that explore the meanings of music in the everyday lives of individuals and social groups while capturing inclusion and exclusion mechanisms in music-cultural worlds in the context of globalization, digitalization and music streaming.

  • Gender and Diversity in the Music Industries 02 - Reitsamer, Master Music in Society
    An in-depth theoretical and empirical study of the social inequalities in the music and art business from feminist, queer and post-/decolonial perspectives.

  • Formats of Music Mediation - Petri-Preis, Master Music in Society

    Overview of the diverse formats of music education. A special focus is on presentation formats at the interface of art and cultural education, which are Objectiveed at different audiences.

  • Cultural Institutions Studies - Gaupp / Glauser, Urban Music Studies

    In this seminar, students examine the interplay between music, sound, (built) spaces and social interactions.

     

Crediting of extracurricular achievements

The new PhD curriculum (beginning winter semester 2025) allows also other science-related activities and achievements to be recognised as ECTS credits in the elective area.
More information can be found here. (in German)

The list of recognised activities can be found here.

The form for crediting extracurricular achievements can be found on our page Forms. Information on how to fill out the form can be found on the website of the Office of the Director of Studies. The Director of Studies has an eight-week decision period, as stipulated by the study regulations.