Feeling Fab: Liverpool student becomes the first person to graduate with a degree in The Beatles



A former Miss Canada finalist has become the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in The Beatles.



Canadian singer Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy, 53, was one of the first students to sign up for the course on the Fab Four when it launched at Liverpool Hope University in March 2009.



Twelve full-time students joined the Master of Arts course in 'The Beatles, Popular Music and Society' and Mary-Lu is the first of her class to graduate.



I saw her standing there: Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy, 53, has become the first person to graduate with a Masters degree in The Beatles

A hard day's night: The Beatles MA examines the significance of the music of The Beatles and their impact on Western culture

She said: 'I am so proud of my achievement. The course was challenging, enjoyable and it provided a great insight into the impact The Beatles had and still have to this day across all aspects of life.



Liverpool Hope University officials believe the MA offers the first advanced degree based on the life and times of the Fab Four.

Eight days a week.. But now Mary-Lu has finished her course she is the first person in the world to hold a degree in The Beatles

The ground-breaking course looks at the studio sound and composition of The Beatles and how Liverpool helped to shape their music.



It examines the significance of the music of The Beatles and their impact on Western culture.

Mike Brocken, founder and leader of the Beatles MA, said: 'This programme is the only postgraduate degree in the world of its kind.



'Mary-Lu now joins an internationally recognised group of scholars of Popular Music Studies who are able to offer fresh and thought-provoking insights into the discipline of musicology.'



Ms Zahalan-Kennedy is a professional singer and actress with three CDs recorded and a Juno nomination for Most Promising Female Vocalist in Canada in 1983.

She will return to her husband and two adult daughters in Canada and continue to teach Popular Music Studies in Ontario.

