Music and Wellbeing PGDip
Year of entry 2023
- Start date
- September 2023
- Delivery type
- On campus
- Duration
- 12 months full time
- 24 months part time
- Entry requirements
- A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in music, psychology, healthcare, arts therapies, sociology, or a related discipline
Full entry requirements - English language requirements
- IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component
- UK fees
- £7,167 (total)
- International fees
- £16,000 (total)
- Contact
- pgtmusic@leeds.ac.uk
Course overview

Develop a range of research and analytical skills needed to evaluate and evidence the relationship between musical engagement and wellbeing.
Your contextual understanding of the topic will be expanded through the core Music, Wellbeing and its Evaluation module, and you’ll develop the skills needed to conduct independent research.
You’ll examine the physical and mental benefits and problems associated with musical participation, exploring current research in the field, and the innovative Applied Professional Practice module will provide you with opportunities to take a proactive and self-reflective role in your work, developing professional relationships with our partner organisations.
The course is ideal for existing practitioners wishing to enhance their skills or undertake continuous professional development, or students wishing to develop their interests by taking a smaller selection of modules than the 180-credit MA Music and Wellbeing course.
Course details
The course is built around three core subject-area modules exploring Music, Wellbeing and its Evaluation, Applied Professional Practice, and Empirical Research Techniques.
Through these modules you’ll expand your understanding of the relationship between musical engagement and wellbeing, learn to identify the methodological and ethical challenges of researching in real-world settings, and develop the empirical skills you need to conduct independent research.
In particular, the innovative Applied Professional Practice module will provide you with opportunities to take a proactive and self-reflective role in your work, developing professional relationships with our partner organisations (e.g North Yorkshire Music Therapy Centre). You’ll complete the course by researching and writing a Short Dissertation on an aspect of music and wellbeing of your own choosing.
If you choose to study part-time, you will study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
Course structure
The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.
Year 1 compulsory modules
Module Name | Credits |
---|---|
Music, Wellbeing and its Evaluation | 30 |
Applied Professional Practice | 30 |
Empirical Research Techniques | 30 |
Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)
Module Name | Credits |
---|---|
Short Dissertation | 30 |
Learning and teaching
On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.
Applying
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) in music, psychology, healthcare, arts therapies, sociology, or a related discipline.
We will consider other relevant professional experience if you can demonstrate a good level of musical understanding or practical experience when you apply.
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).
We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. You could study a part-time online course starting in January, or a full-time course in summer. Find out more about online pre-sessionals.
You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.
How to apply
The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.
If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.
Documents and information you need
Your degree certificate and transcript, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying. Please also include official translations in English if applicable.
If English is not your first language, you’ll need to provide evidence of your English language qualification.
If you are an international applicant and have previously studied in the UK on a Student Visa, please provide a copy of your Visa (and Residence Permit if applicable) to cover all the dates of your time in the UK, a copy of your CAS summary, and a copy of your completion/award certificate if applicable.
A fully referenced essay or dissertation, in English, of a minimum of 2,000 words, on the topic of an aspect of music and wellbeing. Please include a bibliography.
A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form.
Applicants are often invited for interview as part of the admissions process.
References may be requested.
Please note that there are some optional modules available as part of our courses for which new students may be required to provide an example of their work, audition, or liaise with the relevant Module Leader first in order to assess suitability for entry on to the optional module. Assessment for optional modules with pre-requisites is not part of the admissions process. Offer holders are normally contacted by the School of Music regarding optional modules in advance of their studies.
The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.
Admissions policy
University of Leeds Taught Admissions Policy 2023
Contact us
Postgraduate Admissions
Email: pgtmusic@leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:
Fees
UK: £7,167 (total)
International: £16,000 (total)
Read more about paying fees and charges.
Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.
Additional cost information
There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more about additional costs.
Scholarships and financial support
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Find out more about scholarships and funding opportunities available in the School of Music.
Career opportunities
You'll gain a range of transferable skills in research, self-reflection and evaluation, interpretation and oral and written communication.
All of these can be applied in musical as well as non-musical contexts. Recent postgraduates from the School have gone on to launch careers within the fields of music education, music advertising, business development, marketing and administration, and artist management.
Others have also continued with their research at PhD level. We also offer additional support as you develop your career plans: the School of Music boasts an Alumni Mentoring Network, where students can be supported by past students as they start to plan their next steps.
Hear more about the School and Faculty support you can access from our employability lead, Professor Karen Burland.
Careers support
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. Thats one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.
The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.
Student profile: Tom Andrews
The opportunity to evaluate research and back up my beliefs about music and wellbeing with knowledge of research was a big driving factor to apply.Find out more about Tom Andrews's time at Leeds