Shanghai Conservatory of Music considers doctoral degrees

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music is looking at setting up a "professional" doctoral system amid rising popularity of education for music performances in China. 

Currently only bachelor’s and master’s degrees in majors of professional music performance are offered, while a doctoral degree is only available for academic research.

Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the oldest university of music in China and which was established in 1927, is examining two plans.

One is to pilot doctoral education in professional performance majors, such as conducting, vocal music, piano, national instruments, contemporary instruments and percussion, within its existing academic doctoral education system.

The trials are expected to accumulate experience and find out the best ways for doctoral education in professional music performance.

The pilot program will start next year and students will be tutored by renowned violinist Yu Lina and baritone singer Liao Changyong.

The second plan is to cooperate with the University of Music and Theater Hamburg, to enable students to gain a professional qualification equivalent to a doctorate degree in China.

Under this program students will spend a year in Shanghai and another year in Hamburg to acquire special certificates according to exactly the same standards used by the German institution to grant the certificate for senior performers.

The certificates are seen as being equivalent to a doctoral degree.