Develop your academic voice in music

Music Thesis Diplomas

About LCME Music Thesis Diplomas exams

LCME's Music Thesis Diplomas offer a structured pathway for developing scholarly research skills and contributing to musical knowledge through focused, academic writing.

Our qualifications provide a framework for exploring topics across musicology, performance practice, teaching methods, musical analysis, and other music-related fields, with assessment by specialists in music research and academia.

Composition & Music Thesis Syllabus 2025 (PDF)

Qualification structure

LCME offers three levels of Music Thesis Diplomas:

• ALCM

• LLCM

• FLCM

All levels require candidates to submit an original dissertation on a music-related topic of their choosing.

For full requirements, please download the Composition & Music Thesis Diplomas Syllabus (PDF).

What's new for 2025

Our updated syllabus introduces significant enhancements:

• Three research approaches: Explicitly welcoming empirical, theoretical, and practice-based research methodologies

• Digital submission: Streamlined submission process with thesis accepted as PDF files

• Balanced assessment: Revised criteria with equal weighting across understanding, research quality, argument structure, and writing style

Topic areas

Candidates may explore a wide range of music-related topics, including but not limited to:

• Historical musicology

• Performance or teaching practice

• Biography of significant musicians

• Ethnomusicology

• Contemporary music issues

• Music education

• Aesthetics and philosophy of music

Important dates

• The Composition & Music Thesis Diplomas Syllabus 2025 is valid from 19 May 2025

• The Composition Grades, Composition Diplomas and Diplomas by Thesis Syllabus 2016 remains valid until 31 December 2025