Recognising Talent,
Rewarding Achievement

Dissertation Examinations

Candidates can choose any topic related to any musical subject, theory or focus.

If a candidate prefers to submit more than one essay, the titles and content must not share the same source material or be on a closely-related subject.

The viva section of the examination may be conducted by post at the discretion of the examiner.

Details of the available dissertation examinations are listed below:

NMSM Dissertation Examinations

DiplomaANMSMLNMSMFNMSM
Outline ProposalUp to 300 words + proposed titleUp to 300 words + proposed titleUp to 300 words + proposed title
Essays1-21-21-3
Length (excluding references)7,500 – 9,000 words11,000 – 12,000 words13,500 – 15,000 words
AppendiciesYesYesYes
ReferencesYesYesYes
BibliographyYesYesYes
VivaYesYesYes
DiplomaANMSM
Outline ProposalUp to 300 words + proposed title
Essays1-2
Length (excluding references)7,500 – 9,000 words
AppendiciesYes
ReferencesYes
BibliographyYes
VivaYes
DiplomaLNMSM
Outline ProposalUp to 300 words + proposed title
Essays1-2
Length (excluding references)11,000 – 12,000 words
AppendiciesYes
ReferencesYes
BibliographyYes
VivaYes
DiplomaFNMSM
Outline ProposalUp to 300 words + proposed title
Essays1-3
Length (excluding references)13,500 – 15,000 words
AppendiciesYes
ReferencesYes
BibliographyYes
VivaYes
Join the NMSM
About the NMSM
Contact the NMSM