The Degree of Doctor of Music – DMus

1 a A candidate for the degree of Doctor of Music is required to pursue an approved programme of advanced study and research as an enrolled student of the University.

b It is expected that this programme will normally be completed within four years of full-time candidature but in no fewer than three years of full-time candidature. Part-time candidature may also be permitted with the approval of the Board of Graduate Studies.

c The Degree of Doctor of Music is awarded for the successful pursuit of a coherent programme of advanced composition that is supported by a written thesis and carried out over the period of registration for the Degree. Upon completion of the programme, candidates must submit a portfolio which, in the opinion of the examiners and the Board of Graduate Studies, satisfies both the following criteria:

(i) the consistent demonstration of compositional skills (the composition component) at the highest professional levels, meeting internationally recognised standards for such work

and

(ii) the provision of written material (the thesis) that demonstrates a knowledge of the artistic practices and literature relevant to the works contained in the composition component and an ability to articulate critical and analytical judgement relating to them.

d The thesis may not, without the prior permission of the Board of Graduate Studies, exceed 20,000 words in total.

e All research for this degree is to be conducted in accordance with the University of Auckland Guidelines for the Conduct of Research.

2 A candidate for the Degree of Doctor of Music is required to have:

a completed the requirements for the Degree of Master of Music at the University of Auckland with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours First Division, or completed the requirements for the award of a qualification that the Board of Graduate Studies considers to be equivalent to the Degree of Master of Music with First Class Honours or Second Class Honours (First Division) at the University of Auckland

and

b demonstrated, to the satisfaction of the Head of School of Music, in consultation with appropriate Postgraduate Committee, the level of training and ability that is necessary for the pursuit of a programme of advanced doctoral study in music composition and research.

3 Every candidate for the Degree of Doctor of Music must have applied for admission and have been admitted to the University of Auckland.

4 A candidate enrolled for this degree must complete the requirements for this degree, with a total value of 360 points, within not fewer than three full-time years and not more than four full-time years (or the part-time equivalent) from the date of registration, unless permitted to do otherwise by the Board of Graduate Studies under Regulation 8 of these regulations.

5 a Registration and all conditions pursuant to it shall be determined in accordance with Regulation 2 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

b The following provisional goals are required of all candidates:

(i) full proposals for both the composition component and the thesis, including a provisional title, a schedule of research, an outline of compositions yet to be written and a statement of resources required to complete the research, to be approved by the appropriate postgraduate committee

(ii) substantial items of compositional and written material, such as a major section from a composed work and a literature review, completed to the satisfaction of the main supervisor

(iii) presentation by the student of the proposal and/or work in progress to an appropriate forum, e.g., seminar, research group, conference, to the satisfaction of the supervisors

(iv) ethics approval/s and/or permissions obtained for the research (if required)

(v) completion of the standard doctoral milestone goals relating to induction, English language and academic integrity as prescribed by the Board of Graduate Studies upon commencement of the registration

(vi) completion of a health and safety risk assessment and training for any laboratory/studio/field and related work activities

(vii) enrolment in and satisfactory passing of one or more courses as determined by the postgraduate committee.

c Further provisional goals may be added as per Regulation 2 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates and as required after the commencement of registration as per Regulation 4a of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

6 a A candidate for this degree must pass MUS 894 Composition.

b A candidate is to submit for examination a collection of original and substantial musical works of at least sixty minutes’ duration (the composition component), consisting of at least three significant items, each of which may be within any of the following classes:

(i) orchestral work

(ii) work using vocal, keyboard or ensemble resources

(iii) music theatre

(iv) sonic arts.

c Sonic arts may be included in work within classes (i), (ii) or (iii) listed in Regulation 6b.

d A candidate is also to submit for examination a thesis which may address a single research topic or more than one related research topics or provide detailed analytical commentary on the compositions submitted, and which will be linked to the composition component in such a way that the candidate’s creative and aesthetic ideals are clearly articulated.

7 Reviews of registration will be made in accordance with Regulation 3 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

8 Changes to supervision, extensions of time, and suspension or termination of registration will be made according to Regulation 4 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

9 Enrolment and payment of fees will be determined according to Regulation 5 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

10 a Copies of Portfolio

All candidates are initially required to submit one copy of a portfolio in temporary binding and one electronic copy in pdf format to the School of Graduate Studies. The portfolio consists of the composition component and the thesis, which are to be supplemented by three copies of any accompanying audio or audiovisual files, or those involving other media. Copies should include the following statement to examiners on the first page:

“This portfolio is for examination purposes only and is confidential to the examination process.”

b Time for Submission

Unless permitted to do otherwise by the Board of Graduate Studies, a candidate must normally submit the portfolio in no fewer than three and no more than four years from the Date of Registration if they are full-time students, or no fewer than six and no more than eight years in the case of candidates who have been registered as part-time students for the whole period of their registration. In the case of candidates who have been permitted to change between full-time and part-time registration, the submission times will be calculated on a pro rata basis.

c Notification of Submission

Three months prior to the expected date of submission, candidates should notify the School of Graduate Studies in writing of their intention to submit. If the candidate has reason to believe that any person would be unsuitable to serve as an examiner of the portfolio on the grounds of conflict of interest, then the candidate may also submit at this time the name of this person or persons and a statement in writing as to the nature of the conflict of interest to the Dean of Graduate Studies.

d Declaration as to Originality

The portfolio is to be accompanied by a statutory declaration, signed by the candidate, stating:

(i) that the portfolio is the candidate’s own work

(ii) that no part of the portfolio has been submitted or accepted for any other degree or diploma

(iii) that written permission has been obtained for any third-party copyright material reproduced in the portfolio that represents a “substantial part” of the other work

(iv) that the temporary-bound copy and electronic copy of the composition component and thesis are identical, and that the three copies of the accompanying files are identical.

e Language of Portfolio

The portfolio is to be presented in English unless otherwise approved by the Board of Graduate Studies at the time of first registration of the candidate.

11 The examination process will follow that of Regulation 9 of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016, except that Regulations 9f, 9g, 9l, 9o, 9r (iv–vii), 9s (iv–vii) and 9u of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 will not apply.

a Nomination of Examiners

On notification of intention to submit under Regulation 10c, the Head of School of Music will, on the advice of the supervisor/s, nominate at least two suitably qualified persons to the Board of Graduate Studies for selection as examiners. The nominees should each hold a doctoral degree, or have equivalent expertise and experience, and be expert in the field of study represented by the portfolio. At least one nominee must be from outside New Zealand. The examiners may not be staff members of the University or have been involved in either the research for or the preparation of the portfolio. Examiners will be appointed in accordance with Regulation 9d of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016.

b Appointment of Examination Committee

The Board of Graduate Studies will also appoint an Examination Committee, which will normally be composed of:

(i) the Head of School of Music

and

(ii) an Associate Dean (Postgraduate), who will chair the Examination Committee

and

(iii) one other person (“the Head of Department Nominee”), nominated by the Head of School of Music. This person will have knowledge of the general field of the portfolio, but not necessarily of the portfolio’s techniques and topics, and will normally be a staff member of the University. No member of the Examination Committee may be a supervisor or have been involved in either the research for or the preparation of the portfolio. The Associate Dean will normally be from the same faculty as the candidate, but if that person is in the same department as the candidate then an Associate Dean from another faculty must be substituted.

c Examiners’ Reports

Each examiner will be provided with electronic copies of the portfolio, together with accompanying audio or audiovisual files, or those involving other media, and, acting independently, is required to provide the School of Graduate Studies, within two months of receipt of the portfolio, with a written report in English on the quality of the work according to the criteria outlined at Regulation 1c. One copy of the portfolio will be provided to the Examination Committee.

d The examiners will include with their reports one of the following recommendations:

(i) to award the degree, subject to satisfactory performance at the oral examination;

The portfolio can be passed without any further amendment or correction. Sometimes examiners may wish to include a list of suggested amendments for the candidate to use when publishing any of the material contained in the portfolio.

or

(ii) to award the degree after specified “minor corrections” have been made to the portfolio to the satisfaction of one of the examiners or a nominee (who may be the main supervisor) and by a specified date, and subject to satisfactory performance at the oral examination;

This recommendation can be made when the composition component has reached the required standard but for minor problems such as those involving notation or performance logistics and/or when the thesis has reached the required standard but for minor problems such as inconsistency in terminology, problems connected with referencing or typographical errors. These changes can normally be made within a three-month period. When these corrections are made, the portfolio will meet the standard and then will be ready for permanent binding and placement in the Library.

or

(iii) to award the degree after specified revisions have been made to the portfolio to the satisfaction of the examiner or nominee (who will be the Head of School of Music), by a specified date, and subject to satisfactory performance at the oral examination;

This recommendation is made when an examiner concludes that the revisions required are not minor, but are substantial, for example in the case of the composition component the need to reshape the structure of a piece, reconsider the use of performing media or achieve higher standards of presentation, or in the case of the thesis the need to analyse data further, rewrite chapters or sections, correct significant lapses in logic or coherence, or achieve higher standards of presentation. These changes can normally be made within a 3–6 month period.

or

(iv) to permit the candidate to revise the portfolio and resubmit it for examination on one further occasion only.

This recommendation is made when an examiner concludes that the portfolio is not yet of doctoral standard. It may require in the case of the composition component a reconsideration of structure, a higher level of understanding of performing media or greater evidence of creative control, and/or in the case of the thesis further research, rewriting of specific sections, reconceptualisation or reorganisation in order to reach the required standard. The candidate will be permitted to resubmit, normally within a twelve-month period.

or

(v) not to award the degree, but refer the portfolio to the appropriate authority within the University for consideration of the award of another degree.

This recommendation is made when an examiner is of the opinion that the portfolio demonstrates substantial flaws incompatible with the requirements of a DMus.

or

(vi) not to award any degree.

e Replacement of Examiners

If a report has not been received within two months, the School of Graduate Studies will send a reminder to the examiner and advise them that unless the report is received within two further months the appointment of the examiner will be terminated. If the report has not been received within two months of the date of the reminder, the Board of Graduate Studies may appoint a replacement examiner.

The Board of Graduate Studies reserves the right to appoint a replacement examiner in the event that an examiner provides an inappropriate report.

f Consideration of Examiners’ Reports

The examiners’ reports will be referred to the Examination Committee as in Regulation 9k of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016. The Examination Committee, which will be provided with a copy of the portfolio and any accompanying audio or audiovisual material, will make a report to the Board of Graduate Studies which includes the nature and outcome of any communication with the examiner/s and/or supervisor/s made under Regulation 9k and which recommends one of the following:

(i) to appoint one or more further independent examiners to report on any areas of conflict

or

(ii) to proceed to the oral examination

or

(iii) to permit the candidate to revise the portfolio and resubmit it for examination on one further occasion only

or

(iv) not to award the degree, but refer the portfolio to the appropriate authority within the University for consideration of the award of another degree

or

(v) not to award any degree.

g Further Examiners

In the event that the examiners’ reports are in serious conflict the Board of Graduate Studies may appoint independent external examiners, as specified in Regulation 9m of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016, to report on any matters it may specify. Such examiners will be provided with copies of the portfolio.

h Oral Examination

In the event that the Board of Graduate Studies accepts a recommendation to proceed to an oral examination, Regulation 9n of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 will apply.

i Recommendation of the Oral Examination

On completion of the oral examination, the Chair will provide a written report and recommendation, endorsed by the Head of Department Nominee and the Oral Examiner, to the Board of Graduate Studies. The report will include one of the following recommendations:

either

(i) to award the degree

or

(ii) to award the degree after specified “minor corrections” (see Regulation 11d(ii)) have been made to the portfolio, to the satisfaction of the Oral Examiner or nominee (who may be the main supervisor), and by a specified date

or

(iii) (a) to award the degree subject to revising part or parts of the portfolio, to the satisfaction of the Oral Examiner or nominee (who will be the Head of School of Music), by a specified date. When the Head of School of Music acts as the Oral Examiner’s nominee, the nature of the revisions must be such that they can certify that compliance has been achieved. In such cases, the Head of School of Music may discuss the revisions with the Head of Department Nominee on the Examination Committee and/or the main supervisor. If the Head of School of Music is unable to assess whether the revisions have been made to the required standard, the revisions to the portfolio must be assessed by the Oral Examiner

(b) to award the degree subject to revising part or parts of the portfolio to the satisfaction of the Examiner or Examiners by a specified date

or

(iv) to permit the candidate to revise the portfolio, and resubmit it for examination on one further occasion only, but only if the candidate has not already been permitted to revise and resubmit under Regulation 11f(iii)

or

(v) not to award the degree, but refer the portfolio to the appropriate authority within the University for consideration of the award of another degree

or

(vi) not to award the degree.

In the case of recommendations 11i(iii) and 11i(iv), the report must also state clearly the nature of the revisions recommended.

j When minor corrections are required, Regulation 9p of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 applies. When revisions are required, Regulation 9q of the Statute for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 applies.

k Revision and Resubmission

In the event that the Examination Committee recommends to the Board of Graduate Studies that the candidate should be permitted to revise the portfolio prior to an oral examination, the Examination Committee will recommend

(i) a timeframe for the resubmission

The date of resubmission of the portfolio may not be fewer than six months or more than twelve months from the date the examiners’ reports were forwarded to the Examination Committee by the School of Graduate Studies. If the Board of Graduate Studies accepts the recommendation, Regulations 9r(i to iii) of the Statutes for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Statute 2016 apply

and

(ii) the candidate is required to enrol and pay the prescribed tuition and research fees from the month in which the decision was made to the month in which the portfolio is to be resubmitted. The registration of the candidate is to continue under the conditions applying at the first date of submission

(iii) if the portfolio is not resubmitted by the prescribed date, the registration of the candidate will normally be terminated

(iv) upon resubmission, the portfolio is to be examined by the same examiners in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation, excepting that a further resubmission may not be recommended. If one or both of the original examiners is unavailable to re-examine the portfolio, the Board of Graduate Studies will appoint alternative examiner/s.

(v) upon receipt of both of the examiners’ reports, the School of Graduate Studies will provide copies of the new examiners’ reports and the original examiners’ reports to the Examination Committee and to the supervisor/s on a confidential basis. The procedure followed by the Examination Committee will be that in Regulation 11f. Following consideration of all examiners’ reports, the Examination Committee will make a report to the Board of Graduate Studies which includes the nature and outcome of any communications with the examiners and/or supervisor/s made under Regulation 11f. If the Examination Committee recommends that an oral examination be held, and the Board of Graduate Studies accepts this recommendation, the School of Graduate Studies will release the examiners’ reports to the candidate no fewer than five working days before the oral examination. The procedure for the oral examination will be that in Regulations 11h and 11i of these regulations. If the Examination Committee recommends that an oral examination should not be held, its report will include one of the following recommendations:

(a) not to award the degree, but refer the portfolio to the appropriate authority within the University for consideration of the award of another degree

or

(b) not to award the degree.

l In the event that the Board of Graduate Studies requires the candidate to revise the portfolio after an oral examination, the Oral Examination Committee will recommend a timeframe for the resubmission. The date of resubmission may not be fewer than six months or more than twelve months from the date of the oral examination. In such cases, Regulation 9s(i–iii) of the Statute for the Degree for the Doctor of Philosophy 2016 and the following provisions apply:

(i) the candidate is required to enrol and pay the prescribed tuition and research fees from the month in which the decision was made to the month in which the portfolio is to be resubmitted. The registration of the candidate is to continue under the conditions applying at the first date of submission

(ii) if the portfolio is not resubmitted by the prescribed date, the registration of the candidate will normally be terminated

(iii) upon resubmission, the portfolio is to be examined by the same examiners in accordance with the provisions of this Clause, excepting that a further resubmission may not be recommended. If one or both of the original examiners is unavailable, the Board of Graduate Studies will appoint alternative examiner/s.

(iv) upon receipt of both of the examiners’ reports, the School of Graduate Studies will provide copies of the new examiners’ reports, the original examiners’ reports and the oral examination report to the Examination Committee and to the supervisor/s on a confidential basis.

The procedure followed by the Examination Committee will be that in Regulation 11f. Following consideration of all examiners’ reports the Examination Committee will make a report to the Board of Graduate Studies which includes the nature and outcome of any communications with the examiners and/or supervisor/s made under Regulation 11f. The Examination Committee report must recommend one of the following:

(a) to proceed to a second oral examination (in which case Regulations 11h and i of these regulations apply)

or

(b) to award the degree

or

(c) to award the degree after specified “minor corrections” (see Regulation 11d(ii)) have been made to the portfolio to the satisfaction of the Examiner or nominee (who may be the main supervisor), by a specified date

or

(d) not to award the degree, but refer the portfolio to the appropriate authority within the University for consideration of the award of another degree

or

(e) not to award the degree.

If the Examination Committee recommends that a second oral examination be held, and the Board of Graduate Studies accepts this recommendation, the School of Graduate Studies will release the examiners’ evaluations of the work (Part 2 of the report) to the candidate no fewer than five working days before the oral examination.

m Final Decision

After considering all of the reports of the examiners and Examination Committees, the Board of Graduate Studies will make the final decision as to the award of the degree.

n Copies for Deposit

On completion of the examination the candidate must deposit two hardbound copies of the portfolio, corrected or revised as may be required, and of any accompanying audio or audiovisual material, with the School of Graduate Studies. These must be accompanied by a statutory declaration signed by the candidate stating that the hardbound copies and the digital copy are the same. The degree will not be conferred until the candidate has complied with this requirement.

12 In exceptional circumstances the Board of Graduate Studies may approve a personal programme which does not conform to these regulations.

13 Appeals regarding the examination process or decisions of the Board of Graduate Studies must be made according to Regulation 6 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

14 Disputes are to be resolved in accordance with Regulation 7 of the General Regulations – Named Doctorates.

15 a These regulations came into force on 1 January 2016. The 2006 regulations for the Degree of Doctor of Music were thereby repealed.

b For a candidate initially registered under earlier regulations for this degree the Board of Graduate Studies may agree to vary the provisions of these regulations to ensure consistency with the provisions of the regulations under which the candidate was enrolled.