Studying at the University of Vienna
Tima Miroshnichenko auf pexels.com

Musicology (master's programme)

Would you like to go beyond the basics and engage with musicological topics in a more research-oriented and specialised way? The master's programme in Musicology builds precisely on this – you will deepen the competences you have acquired in a targeted manner within a specialisation of your choice: Historical Musicology focusing on music before or after 1600, Ethnomusicology, Popular Music, or Systematic Musicology covering acoustics and music psychology. Engage critically with sound and its place in our society!

What is it about?

During your degree, you will learn to explore musicological questions in research-led seminars. The focus is on giving you creative freedom within your chosen field of interest: in ethnomusicology, for example, you might ask yourself what role fieldwork methods play in understanding music, and you will sharpen your perspective through field trips and engagement with current academic discourse. In the Acoustics and Psychology specialisation, you’ll combine perception with technology – how do specific sound characteristics affect listeners’ perception, and what methods are used to measure this? Similarly, in the field of Historical Musicology, you can explore, for example, how social and political networks shaped Renaissance music, what influence opera or film music had on social and cultural trends, or how new digital possibilities are expanding the editing and understanding of musical scores. In addition to your chosen specialisation, you will tailor your degree programme with supplementary elective modules and practice-oriented courses in applied musicology and professional practice.

Ian Ehm

Insight into the course content

How is my degree programme structured? You can see a list of the course contents here:

Facts and figures

  • 135 students
    in total
    There were 36 graduates in the past academic year.
    Info about the calculation
    Data updated November 2025
  • 8.6 semester
    average study duration
    Info about the calculation
    Data updated November 2025
  • Appropriate 3.1
    level of difficulty of the degree programme
    This is how graduates rate their degree programmes. You can find the results in the Graduation Survey.
    Data updated 2025
  • € 3,386
    average gross monthly income 3 years after graduation
    What career paths are available after graduation? Answers in the Graduate Tracking.
    Data updated 2025

What can you expect after your studies?

Continue studying or start your career straight away? After completing your masters programme, all paths are open to you. Whether you decide to pursue a doctoral/PhD degree or take the plunge into the world of work, the possibilities are endless. The following overview shows you what options you have and where you can find the right support.

Ian Ehm

Berufsbilder

The master's programme in Musicology equips students to carry out independent academic research, take on leadership roles and develop subject-specific expertise. Depending on your specialisation, specific career paths will open up to you:

Ian Ehm

  • Dramaturgy & Festival Management: Head of Dramaturgy at opera houses and theatres; programme planning for festivals, concert halls and ensembles.
  • Scholarly Editions & Publishing: Proofreading and editorial work for specialist and music publishers (e.g. production of critical complete editions, Urtext editions).
  • Research & Teaching: Academic career (PhD position, project collaboration), work at academies and research institutes.
  • Museum & Archive Management: Curation, academic direction of music museums, memorial sites, sheet music and sound archives.

  • Room & Building Acoustics: Acoustic consultancy and measurement in engineering firms specialising in room acoustics, recording studio design or noise control.
  • Sound Design: Design and analysis of vehicle interior and exterior sounds; acoustic brand identity for devices (acoustic branding).
  • Computational Musicology: Development of algorithms for streaming services, music recognition software or audio editing tools.
  • Advertising, Media & Music Psychology: Audio branding, functional music planning for retail environments, brand development.
  • Research & Teaching: Academic career (PhD position, project collaboration), work at academies and research institutes.

  • Cultural sector, interculturalism & NGOs: Specialist consultancy for international cultural projects, UNESCO World Heritage initiatives, and migration and integration agencies.
  • Media & pop culture analysis: Specialist editorial services for popular music, world music, ethnomusicology, gender and cultural studies in public service media.
  • Archiving & Sound Archives: Curation, digitisation and recontextualisation of historical audio documents and field research collections.
  • Policy & Cultural Consultancy: Expert consultancy for cultural foundations, public funding bodies and international organisations.
  • Research & Teaching: Academic career (PhD position, project collaboration), work at academies and research institutes.

You have further questions?

StudiesServiceUnit

Do you have any questions about registering for courses and exams? Or about grades and recognition? The StudiesServiceUnit Musicology is the right place to go.

To the StudiesServiceUnit

StudiesServiceCenter

Do you have any questions about graduating? The StudiesServiceCenter of the Faculty of Philological and Cultural Studies will be happy to help!

To the StudiesServiceCenter

Students' Representatives

Do you have any questions about your degree programme, the curriculum or general matters, and would you like consulting from other students? The students' representatives are here to help.

To the Students' Representatives

To top

What else should you know?