Brookes Research in Music and Sound (BRIMS) Scholarship

Course: MA by Research

Eligibility: Home (UK) only

Bursary/award: Home tuition fee only.

Closing date: 8 June 2026

Start Date: September 2026

Requirements: Applicants must meet the entry requirements for the MA by Research and must have already submitted their application for a Music and/or Sound related MA by Research in Arts to apply for this scholarship. 

Those who have already started an MA by Research course in Music and/or Sound at Brookes are not eligible to apply; the course start date must be after the scholarship has been awarded.

We apply a broad definition of excellence, valuing professional and creative experience alongside academic achievement. Our inclusive admissions policy welcomes applicants from all backgrounds, including those with non-traditional educational paths. We offer tailored support to our students, including to those with disabilities, neurodivergence, and caring responsibilities, and to those from care experienced, estranged or refugee backgrounds.

We particularly encourage applications from individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the Arts and Humanities and in postgraduate research.

Project Description: The School of Arts at Oxford Brookes University is delighted to offer a fee-waiver scholarship for a MA by Research project in the field of Music and/or Sound, for a project starting in September 2026.

We welcome applications from motivated candidates who wish to undertake innovative research aligned with the research expertise of Music and Sound academics within the School of Arts. This includes screen music studies, music and sound production, music education, and popular music. 

Suggested areas of study include (but are not limited to):

• Screen music and transmedia franchises (music and/or sound across media such as film, television, video games, musicals, theme parks etc.)
• Screen music and representations of trauma (9/11, genocide, war, tragedy etc.) 
• John Williams studies 
• A study of the need for music training for non-specialist primary school teachers in the UK
• Music Recording and Production research-within-practice encompassing self producing or producing for other musical artists (methodologies, techniques, expanding current practice, immersive music, etc.)
• Album art and iconography
• Sound and production methodologies, including sound design; developing tools for audio processing; immersive and spatial audio, acoustic design.
• Liveness in the context of screen media
• The role of the music supervisor

Project contact: Dr Alexandra Bickley-Trott – atrott@brookes.ac.uk

To apply for this scholarship, you must first apply for a Music and/or Sound related MA by Research.  

As part of that process, you will be asked to produce (among other things) a summary of your research proposal (1500 characters) and a personal statement (6000 characters).  You must include copies of these, and your applicant ID number (which you receive on submission of your MA by Research application), when applying for the scholarship via the linked form. 

Interview date if known:  TBC

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