Academic Programs in Music Cognition

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Welcome to our academic programs page. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our field, most of our researchers and members have degrees in multiple fields or work in various departments.

In general, if you wish to research music cognition, we suggest choosing a related major that you're interested in (psychology, music, neuroscience, etc.). Then search the Map of SMPC Music Cognition Labs for labs in your area or chosen institution and reach out to ask about options for joining the lab.

• In many cases, you can work at a lab as a major in music, psychology, neuroscience, or related fields. Most of these institutions will have a faculty member that can advise you on a research project, will teach one or two courses in music psychology, and can get your started on your way. 
• At some schools, the degree titles may be generic (i.e. BA in Psychology) but due to a heavy emphasis on music cognition research at the school, you are able to take a variety of courses related to music cognition or create your own specialization.

Specialized degrees in music cognition have been emerging, which are listed below under Academic Programs in Music Cognition. These programs will have highly interdisciplinary coursework and often require fulfilling the requirements of either a psychology or music degree.

(To add a listing, please email the SMPC webmaster: webmaster [a] musicperception.org)

CURRENT OPENINGS AND NEWS:

(Posted by descending due date; Postings without due dates posted last)

• Posted June 8: PhD Position (Di Liberto Lab, School of Computer Science and Statistics, The University of Dublin, Trinity College, Ireland) - Investigating linguistic abstraction in multivariate neural data (PI: Giovanni Di Liberto)

• Posted July 27: PhD in Speech Processing for Motor Speech Disorders (Idia Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland) - automatic characterization of motor speech disorders (PI: Ina Kodrasi).

• Due September 1: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher/PhD student (Division Hearing, Speech and Audio Technology of the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT), Oldenburg, Germany) - The PhD student will carry out theoretical and applied research in the interdisciplinary fields of signal processing, audio processing, communication networks and machine learning and will be fully embedded in the SOUNDS research and training network (PI: Jörg Bitzer and Simon Doclo).

• Due September: PhD Student Position (SONICOM project & Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria) - It aims to create a new generation of immersive audio technologies, specifically looking at personalisation and customisation of the audio rendering by means of machine-learning techniques. (PI: Piotr Majdak)

• Posted September 13 (Open until filled): Multiple PhD studentships (COG-MHEAR, School of Computing at Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK) Cognitively-inspired 5G-IoT enabled, multi-modal Hearing Aids (PI: Amir Hussain). 

• Due September 20: Facebook PhD Fellowship Program 

• Due November 1: PhD Scholarship (Hearing Systems Section, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Lynby) - Deep-Learning based Sound Synthesis for Hearing Diagnostics and Compensation (PI: Torsten Dar) 

• Due December 1: PhD Position - Neuroscience or Psychology (Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA) - (PI: Joel Snyder)

• No Date: PhD Positions (University of Rochester) - Contact individual PIs for openings:

• Norman-Haignere Lab, Computational Neuroscience of Audition
• Maddox Lab, Auditory and Multisensory Processing
• Lalor Lab, Computational Cognitive Neurophysiology
• Carney Lab, Auditory Neuroscience
• Nam Lab, Biomechanics of the Inner Ear Sensory System

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS IN MUSIC COGNITION:

Listed below are programs that lead to a title/specialization in music cognition and related fields.

Canada

• McMaster University (Hamilton, ONT):

• BA in Psychology/Neuroscience/Behavior with Music Cognition Specialization (Psychology Department)
• BM in Music Cognition (Music Department)
• BSc in Psychology/Neuroscience/Behavior with Music Cognition Specialization (Psychology Department)

USA

• Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA):

• BS in Music Technology with Concentration in Acoustics and Vibrations (School of Music)
• MS in Music Technology (School of Music)
• PhD in Music Technology (School of Music)

• Northeastern University (Boston, MA): BS in Music and Psychology (College of Arts, Media, and Design)

• Northwestern University (Chicago, IL):

• BM in Music Cognition (School of Music)
• PhD in Music Theory and Cognition (School of Music)

Continental Europe

• Aalborg University (Denmark): MsC in Sound and Music Computing (Engineering Department)
• Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain): Master in Sound and Music Computing (Department of Information & Communication Technology)

UK

• University of Leeds: BA/MA Music and Psychology (School of Music)
• Durham University: MA in Music and Science (Music Department)
• Goldsmiths University of London: MsC in Music, Mind & Brain (Psychology Department)
• Queen Mary University of London: MsC in Sound and Music Computing (Department of Computer and Data Science)

• Royal College of Music London:

• MsC in Performance Science (College of Music and Centre for Performance Science)
• PhD in Performance Science (College of Music and Centre for Performance Science)

• The University of Sheffield:

• MA in Psychology of Music (Department of Music)
• MA in Psychology in Education, Performance, and Wellbeing (Department of Music; Distance Learning)
• PhD in Psychology of Music (Department of Music)

• The University of York: MA in Psychology of Music (Department of Music) 

RECOMMENDED GRADUATE PROGRAM SEARCH RESOURCES:

Programs 

• Map of SMPC Music Cognition Labs
• Society for Education, Music, and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) Courses and Studies Directory
• International Society for Music Information Retrieval: Research Laboratories
• Sound and Music Computing: Research Centers
• MajoringinMusic.com

• Academic Jobs Wiki: Dissertation Fellowships Database

CAREER AND PERSONAL ADVICE/MENTORSHIP:

General

• The Professor Is In 
• Berklee College Careers in the Performing Arts Database
• Society for Music Theory: Professional Development Committee
• IEEE Signal Processing Society Students & Young Professionals Community

Minority Mentorship Programs

• Women in Music Information Retrieval
• Society for Music Theory: Committee for the Status of Women Mentoring Programs
• Society for Music Theory: Committee on Race and Ethnicity Mentoring
• Disability Studies at the American Musicological Society and Society for Music Theory Support Networks
• Black in Neuro 
 

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