Transition to Postgraduate Study: the MA in Music

• Project Team: Rosemary Golding Byron Dueck
• Subject Discipline: Arts and Humanities
• Theme: Employability/CareersEquality, diversity and inclusionOnline and blended tuition
• Project Aim: Enables more students to achieve their study goalsImproves and enhance the learning experience of students
• Status: Complete

This project considers some of the barriers students might face when moving onto the MA in Music, either from within the OU or with prior experience of higher education from external institutions. The Music MA draws a wide range of students, from those who have studied Music at undergraduate level to those who have an interest and experience in music but have studied humanities, science or vocational subjects. Among Music graduates we have those with an academic background in music, but also students with qualifications in performance, composition, music technology or other specialisms. Some come directly from their undergraduate studies, but many more are returning to university after a number of years in work or with caring responsibilities.

The ’Transitions’ project aims to find out more about our students and their experiences of moving from undergraduate to postgraduate in a bid to improve student outcomes. We have implemented a number of innovations, including early access to the module forums, and an initial orientation session, and we plan to review the impact of these. More generally, we will seek information about student pathways, expectations and initial experiences of the MA.

We aim to use this information to improve our understanding of our student body, to update our advice, guidance and information, and to streamline the process of moving from BA to MA. In time, we hope to build on this to engage students from a wider range of backgrounds and ensure our MA offer meets the needs of a diverse student population.