MSc
Music, Mind & Brain
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Why study MSc Music, Mind & Brain at Goldsmiths
This unique programme combines music psychology with neuroscience, focusing on both the biological and cognitive aspects of musical behaviour.
- The MSc Music, Mind and Brain (MMB) is highly interdisciplinary and draws on expertise from leading figures in the field, in areas ranging from music cognition, cognitive neuroscience, empirical aesthetics, big data, computational modelling, music education and music therapy.
- As a student on the MSc, you will learn about topics in music psychology and the cognitive neuroscience of music, and will acquire all the necessary skills to pursue your own high-quality research.
- The programme benefits from good links with institutions such as the University of Cambridge, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, the Royal College of Music, the Center for Music Therapy Research, Roehampton and University of Hamburg among others. We also have strong links with the computing and music departments within Goldsmiths.
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Diana Omigie.
Length
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time
Fees
Home - full-time: £12150
Home - part-time: £6075
International - full-time: £22000
Department
What you'll study
| Module title | Credits |
|---|---|
| Music Perception | 30 credits |
| Cognitive Neuroscience of Music | 30 credits |
| Foundations of Neuroscience | 15 credits |
| Statistics and Experimental Design | 15 credits |
| Research Design and Analysis | 15 credits |
| Research Skills | 15 credits |
| Research Project | 60 Credits |
Modules you can audit
While all modules are compulsory, we encourage our students to audit other highly relevant modules such as Advanced Quantitative Methods, Coding in R and Matlab, and Psychology of the Arts, Creativity and Aesthetics.
How you'll be assessed
You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods. These will include written examinations, written coursework (essays), oral presentations, and a research dissertation.
Watch videos about your course
What kind of research project can I do?
We offer a range of research projects, drawing on a variety of approaches: behavioural, computational, neuroscientific. Students are also invited to propose a project of their own choice, providing appropriate supervision can be offered.
If a student has a contact with an external supervisor, it may be possible to arrange for project supervision outside Goldsmiths with the involvement of a faculty member as co-supervisor.
The following projects, conducted by past students on the MMB programme, exemplify the range of approaches and questions that can be addressed in the final year project:
- A longitudinal flow state study comparing professional musicians and visual artists
- Exploring the neural correlates of music-induced awe experiences using VR and EEG
- Does human-AI collaboration spark music creativity?
- Studying rhythm and executive function in toddlers
- Studying melody cognition through online singing experiments
- Are abilities for music and maths really related?
- Music plagiarism and simulating the evolution of melodies
- Can imagery-based interventions reduce music performance anxiety?
- Studying cross-cultural similarities and differences in music listening behaviour using big music data from Shazam
- Atypical processing of pitch: a behavioural and electrophysiological exploration of the effects of autism traits and musical training
- Sensorimotor synchronisation of non-nutritive sucking to an auditory tempo in term infants
- Exploring absolute pitch in children and young people with visual impairment
- An fMRI study investigating how music impacts on the perception of emotion
- The influence of native language on rhythmic grouping
Explore a list of publications arising from Music, Mind, and Brain theses and collaborations.
Research by the Music, Mind, and Brain (MMB) Group
As a student on the MSc in Music, Mind, and Brain programme, you will play a central role in the research carried out by the Music, Mind, and Brain (MMB) Group.
The Music, Mind, and Brain (MMB) Group is based in the Department of Psychology and studies the biological and cognitive foundations of musical experience and behaviour, as well as their impact on society and culture.
Careers
The programme will appeal to you if you are interested in pursuing doctoral research in this area or if you are already a music professional wishing to approach music scientifically.
Graduates from the Music, Mind and Brain programme have gone on to work in one of the following areas:
- Academia: pursuing a PhD, working as researchers, or engaging in university-level teaching
- Data science
- Music consulting and sonic branding
- Music information retrieval
- Music performance
- Music pedagogy
Other careers that would be informed by this programme include music therapy and neuro-rehabilitation.
MMB students are uniquely placed to apply for highly relevant industry opportunities and PhD programmes including:
- A 6-month paid internship with the sonic branding agency AMP
- The Leverhulme Trust Aural Diversity (LAURA) Doctoral Studentships with which Goldsmiths is partnered
Skills
Some of the skills you'll develop during the programme include:
- Experimental design and statistical analysis
- Critical analysis and evaluation skills in Psychology
- Skills using statistical software such as Jamovi
- An introduction to coding languages such as R and Matlab
- Report-writing skills
- Communication skills
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees
These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2025/2026 academic year.
- Home - full-time: £12150
- Home - part-time: £6075
- International - full-time: £22000
If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.
It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.
If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.
Funding opportunities
Explore the Goldsmiths scholarships finder to find out what funding you may be eligible for.
If you are a UK student you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan.
Meanwhile our Careers Service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies.
Paying your fees
Find out about paying your tuition fees.
Additional costs
In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.
There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.
Entry requirements
The MSc Music, Mind and Brain is a truly interdisciplinary programme that attracts students from diverse backgrounds who want to complement their knowledge on music research, neuroscience or cognitive psychology. As a general rule, you should have a good background in at least one of these areas and preferably have already carried out a piece of empirical research.
You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) the following qualifications:
- An undergraduate degree of at least upper second-class standard in Psychology OR a background in music plus demonstrable knowledge and/or experience of empirical research
Pre-sessional courses will be offered to those who lack the necessary background or need a refresher in statistics or neuroscience.
You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate study.
How to apply
You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.
To complete your application, you will need to have:
- Details of your academic qualifications
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
- Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
- A personal statement
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
When to apply
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We consider applications on a rolling basis.
If you are applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified.
Selection process
Because the programme is highly interdisciplinary, we appreciate that some candidates may not have a strong background in all the key areas (psychology, neuroscience, research methods). However, we expect all applicants to be familiar with some of the music psychology literature and concepts in empirical research.
Further guidance
Read our guide to applying for a postgraduate degree at Goldsmiths.
Current programme director Dr Diana Omigie is joined by an expert teaching faculty, all of whom have international profiles within the fields of music psychology and/or the neuroscience of music. They include:
- Dr Manuel Anglada Tort, Lecturer in Psychology
- Dr Sinead Rocha, Lecturer in Psychology
- Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya, Professor of Psychology
Students have access to the MMB faculty’s international network of collaborators while the Eminent Invited Speaker Series brings world-leading researchers to Goldsmiths to present their latest research to students.
Meet the faculty
- Watch Diana provide an introduction to music perception research
- Watch Diana on a panel discussing the musical mind at the philosophy forum
- Listen to Diana discuss pleasurable music experiences on the BBC Radio 3 Saturday Morning show
- Watch Diana introduce music and emotion research
- Read Diana’s British Psychological Society blog on the Design Museum’s virtual tour, 'Electronic: From Kraftwerk to the Chemical Brothers'
- Read about Manuel’s research profile at Oxford University Press
- Watch Manuel discuss his research on music evolution and empirical aesthetics on the Multiverses podcast
- Learn about Sinead Rocha’s work on baby dancing
- Catch Lauren, Sinead and Diana talking about their research at the Science Museum’s 'Turn it up: the power of Music'
Suggested reading
Acquainting yourself with some of the recommended reading here will equip you well for the course in general.
We recommend that you familiarise yourself with some of the music cognition literature and concepts in scientific research before starting the course in September.
General
Some general advice about suitable background knowledge for a postgraduate programme in music psychology can be found on Dr Victoria Williamson's Music Psychology website.
Music cognition and cognitive neuroscience of music
- Hallam, S., Cross, I., Thaut, M. (2nd Eds.). (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology. Oxford: University Press.
- Deutsch, D. (Ed.). (2013). Psychology of music. Elsevier.
- Hodges, D., & Thaut, M. (Eds.). (2019). The Oxford handbook of music and the brain. Oxford University Press.
- Koelsch, S. (2012). Brain and Music. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Tan, S. L., Pfordresher, P., & Harré, R. (2017). Psychology of music: From sound to significance. Routledge.
Foundations of neuroscience
- Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R.B., & Mangun, G.R. (2018), Cognitive Neuroscience. The Biology of the Mind. London (Fifth Edition): Norton & Co. (Chapters 1-3)
- Kandel, E.R., Koester, J. D., Mack, S. H, & Siegelbaum, S. A (2021), Principles of neural science (Sixth Edition). London: Edward Arnold.
- Purves, D. et al. (2018) Neuroscience (Sixth Edition). Oxford University Press.
- Ward, J. (2020). The student's guide to cognitive neuroscience (Fourth Edition). Routledge.
Statistics
- Navarro, D. J., & Foxcroft, D. R. (2019). Learning statistics with jamovi: A tutorial for psychology students and other beginners (Version 0.70). http://learnstatswithjamovi. com
- Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th Ed.).
Research design and analysis
- Abelson, P. (1995). Statistics as principled argument. Hillsdale, NJ, and Hove, UK: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Coolican, H. (2024). Research Methods and Statistics in Psychology (Eighth Edition.). London: Psychology Press.
- Willig, C. (2021). Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology (Fourth Edition). McGraw Hill Press.
You may also be interested in:
Interdisciplinary and applied music research topics
- Margulis, E. H., Loui, P., & Loughridge, D. (Eds.). (2023). The Science-Music Borderlands: Reckoning with the Past and Imagining the Future. MIT Press.
- North, A., & Hargreaves, D. (2008). The social and applied psychology of music. Oxford University Press.
- Honing H (2018). The Origins of Musicality. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
- Patel, A. D. (2010). Music, language, and the brain. Oxford university press.
- MacDonald, R., Kreutz, G., & Mitchell, L. (Eds.). (2013). Music, health, and wellbeing. Oxford University Press.
- Edwards, J. (Ed.). (2016). The Oxford handbook of music therapy. Oxford University Press.
- McPherson, G. (Ed.). (2022). The Oxford handbook of music performance (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press.
- Minsky, L., & Fahey, C. (2017). Audio Branding: Using sound to build your brand. Kogan Page Publishers.
- Deaville, J., Tan, S. L., & Rodman, R. (Eds.). (2020). The Oxford handbook of music and advertising. Oxford University Press.
Music psychology popular literature
- Huron, D. B. (2006). Sweet anticipation: Music and the psychology of expectation. MIT press.
- Margulis, E. H. (2014). On repeat: How music plays the mind. Oxford University Press.
- Levitin, D. J. (2011). This is your brain on music: Understanding a human obsession. Atlantic Books Ltd.
- Sacks, O. (2010). Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain. Vintage Canada.
- Tomlinson, G. (2015). A million years of music: The emergence of human modernity. MIT Press.
Relevant videos
- Mini-series of short videos on music psychology-related topics
- In the key of genius (Dereck Paravicini and Adam Ockelford)
- How music changes the brain (Robert Zatorre)
- The healing power of music (Robin Spielberg)
- Your brain on music (Alan Harvey)
- Music on the brain (Jessica Grahn)
- Music and memory (Victoria Williamson)
- Audio branding (Steve Keller)
Relevant podcasts
- Cadence – about music, the brain, and its social applications
- Music and the Brain – new research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and music
- So Strangely – new research in music science
- Instru(mental) – featuring music cognition research from a music therapist’s perspective
- Song Appeal – focusing on different catchy songs to try to answer the question “why do we like the music we do?”
- Beatseeker – the stories, science and technology behind how we experience music
