PhD Studentships in Music at the Open University; Deadline: 13.02.2026
For students intending to start their doctoral studies on 1 October 2026, two specific funding schemes are available. Please note these have different deadlines (see details below).
AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award Studentships
Closing Date: 13 February 2026, 12:00
The Open University is pleased to offer doctoral funding to three outstanding PhD applicants through its Doctoral Landscape Awards. The studentships are open to all PhD applicants who meet the entry criteria at the OU. Any PhD project under the AHRC subject areas – including those based outside of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences – are eligible. At the OU, disciplines under the AHRC include Art History, Classical Studies, English and Creative Writing, History, Languages and Linguistics, Law, Music, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
We especially welcome interdisciplinary project proposals, and prospective supervisors may be drawn from more than one discipline.
Applications may be made for full-time or part-time study, but distance learning is not permissible under this scheme.
Successful doctoral students are eligible for a full award (3.5 years), which includes a stipend to support living costs, research costs and coverage of tuition fees.
Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact potential supervisors to discuss their project ideas and how these may fit with existing research in the OU and with the AHRC’s remit. In the first instance, please contact the Department’s Postgraduate Convenor, Dr Helen Barlow, at FASS-Music-Enquiries[at]open.ac.uk
Further information on the application process can be found at AHRC PhD Landscape Awards
Music Department fees-only studentship
Closing date: 31 March 2026, 12:00
The Open University Music Department is offering a fees-only studentship to self-funded applicants intending to start their doctoral studies on 1 October 2026.
This fees-only award will cover Open University fees for a UK student. It can be for either full-time or part-time study and may be via the Open University’s distance learning PhD programme.
This is an open project call – that is, the subject of the PhD project is to be defined by the applicant, with the stipulation that it should be in an area that falls within the research interests of the Music Department. We have a wide range of expertise, from music of the medieval period to the present day, including ethnomusicology, film music, historical musicology, music and gender, music computing, music education, music and technology, popular music and sound studies. For more information on research areas and staff interests, see our Research Prospectus.
The Department will consider all shortlisted applicants to its self-funded PhD programme for this award.
Applicants should have a first degree and an MA in a relevant discipline. Applicants will need to submit an application form and any accompanying documentation specified on the application form, including a research proposal of around 1,000 words, to FASS-PhD-Applications[at]open.ac.uk
The deadline for applications is noon on 31 March 2026.
Interviews of shortlisted candidates will be conducted online in April 2026.
For more information on the application process, including a link to the application form and guidance on how to structure the research proposal, please follow the Open University's research degrees application process.
We encourage applicants to discuss their application with the Department before applying. In the first instance, please contact the Department’s Postgraduate Convenor, Dr Helen Barlow, at FASS-Music-Enquiries[at]open.ac.uk
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or ability, and we particularly encourage applicants from global majority backgrounds. We have a strong record of supporting students with a range of disabilities to successful completion of PhDs. If you have any questions at all about how we can accommodate your study, please get in touch with us.