The MFA Professional Composition and Orchestration is a course run by the University of Chichester and ThinkSpace Education.
We train you for the industry of the future.
This is a course that combines advanced training in scoring and orchestration for film, games and other media with focus on both live and sampled orchestration. Course highlights include a recording session with a 50-piece professional film orchestra, recording sessions throughout the course with live musicians and a choice of inspiring real-world projects from film, television, games, animation and commercials.
You will acquire industry-ready professional skills, both creative and technical. The course will sharpen your powers of analysis and provide you with a much deeper and richer insight into both your own music and the work of others.
A master’s degree from the University of Chichester & ThinkSpace Education is a prestigious qualification and a major personal achievement.
It is validation of your ability as a composer and an internationally recognized qualification that establishes both your technical and creative ability.
All of the materials for PCO can be accessed through our online student campus.
Here you can download all of the course materials to your computer, module by module (yes, ThinkSpace lets you keep all of the tuition content, unlike many other online music courses/colleges).
You can also submit assignments to your tutors for marking and get access to unlimited support from our team of knowledgeable and experienced professional composers via the support ticket system.
PCO also boasts over 80 hours of audio and video interviews with top composers, producers and orchestrators, featuring composers such as:
Just as important are the interviews with producers and directors who tell you exactly what they are looking for and what they expect from the composers they work with.
Modules and themes you may study include:
For more information, please visit ThinkSpace website
Anyone hoping to enter the professional industry for the first time, or to uplift their career trajectory, needs careful guidance from people with knowledge of crucial developments, often completely invisible to those on the outside.
Every one of our tutors works in the industry, many at the cutting edge of innovation, working on major international productions in film, games and television.
In this creative and supportive environment, you have a unique opportunity to develop your own musical voice, a distinctive sound that can be key to unlocking your full potential.
When you become a PCO student, our team of composers are here to support you through all stages of your career.
We can offer help looking over contracts, advising on finding work and setting rates, assisting new purchases (ThinkSpace students are also eligible for student discounts on many pieces of music software and samples), assisting with technical problems & studio setup, and pretty much anything else you can think of!
In the UK an MFA involves 240 academic credits and each credit represents a notional 10 hours of work. That comes to pretty close to a full-time working week for a year.
For Professional Composition & Orchestration there are 30 projects plus the Major Project at the end of the course.
Practice based creative degrees are notoriously difficult to quantify in terms of how long they take to complete. To a large extent it depends on how fast you write music. Some students write 5 minutes of music a day while others write 5 minutes a week. If you work reasonably productively, i.e. 2-3 minutes a day, which is probably average in the professional working industry, you would complete the work in much less time.
The headline figure of 10 hours per credit includes absolutely everything – time spent watching videos, reading, and discussions with tutors and support staff. It also depends on how widely you choose to read around the subject, the depth of your research, the number of additional films you choose to watch and the amount of private composition you do to support your formal projects.
A well organized person, working productively, might be able to complete the course in two or three days a week, whereas another working slower might take 5 days a week. Assume therefore that a full time course lies somewhere between 2 and 5 days a week depending on your work rate.
For more information, please visit the ThinkSpace website
This unique programme trains students to work at the cutting edge of contemporary cinematic music, developing a range of technological and musical skills to produce high quality and innovative scores. Teaching staff include top Hollywood orchestrators who have worked on Oscar nominated scores, blockbusters like Hunger Games, Fast and Furious and the Die Hard series of films. The course builds on the foundations of traditional classical orchestration and then extends this into the rapidly evolving world of contemporary film and games scoring.
The programme team works closely with film, games and music industry bodies and practitioners, to ensure the currency and professional relevance of the programme. The prime purpose of the programme is to enable students to become effective and multi-skilled professionals, capable of meeting complex musical and technical challenges in the arena of film, games and television orchestration.
In this fast developing area of professional practice, the programme will offer substantial and sustained opportunities to engage with the research of others, stimulating interdisciplinary enquiry, furthering your knowledge and developing original solutions and insights into technical and creative problems.
To gain a Postgraduate Certificate students need to complete four out of the first five modules.
To gain a Postgraduate Diploma students need to complete all modules with the exception of the Final Major Project.
To gain an MA students need to have successfully completed all modules, including the Final Major Project (Dissertation).
This is an online course. You must have access to a good internet connection. The course is primarily delivered through the use of downloadable material, however there will be regular online webinars and tutorial sessions.
Film and Television develops technical skills in compositional techniques and studio-based work. Designed for advanced composers, it provides an in-depth specialist training. Contextual knowledge of mainstream repertoire and significant previous experience of composition and orchestration are required.
The MMus in Composition for Film and Television at London College of Music (LCM) is one of the longest-established qualifications of its kind. The course provides an ideal opportunity for in-depth examination of specific techniques (both historical and current) employed in the creation of music for modern media, and for drawing upon these procedures in a practical context by composing music for a diverse range of genres, including…
• television thrillers
• animation
• video game trailers
• science fiction
• dramatic cinema
• silent film
• costume drama
• documentary and…
• …horror!
In addition, you will hone and refine your skills as orchestrators by writing for a variety of specified ensembles. You will also expand your musical and dramatic vocabulary via an imaginative series of compositional pastiche exercises (an integral feature of the portfolio submission during Semester 1).
You will undertake further assessments in film score analysis (taking the form of an extended contextual essay, based upon a score/composer of your own choice) and in-studio ensemble conducting, working 'to click' with a group of 'live' performing musicians.
The course is taught mainly through individual tutorials, but may include group work, workshops, seminars and lectures.
We assess written portfolio work through portfolios of compositions responding to verbal briefs, and in the second semester (or second year for part-time students), composing direct to picture. There is also a practical assessment in the Film and Television Score Production module and an extended essay project for the Business of Music module. There is a viva voce exam as part of the portfolio submissions in both semesters (or both years for part-time students).
Course alumni have gone on to compose music for an excitingly diverse range of projects and for an impressive list of clients, including the BBC, BBC Worldwide, BBC Three, The National Theatre, Youth Music Theatre UK, Projection Pictures, The National Theatre, Sky, Channel 4 and the British Film Institute.
Also, in addition to orchestrating their own music, many specialise in orchestrating and conducting the music of other (notable) film composers.
While most students progress directly into the industry after completing this course, graduates may alternatively choose to undertake a PhD or further their compositional studies with a DMus.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
This course is designed for students working primarily as instrumentalists, composers or conductors. Attendance for lectures is as limited as possible, with the remaining tuition delivered by one-to-one contact time through the tutorial system and via the e-learning platform.
The course aims to equip you with a breadth of skills and information enabling you to develop your careers within today's music industry. Provision is made for students' professional work to form part of the assessment process, particularly with regard to practical components of the course.
The course is structured around the needs of the professional performing musician. Central to this is the further development of advanced, technically assured and artistically informed performance skills. These are supplemented by more narrowly defined skills, which relate to and arise directly from each chosen area of specialist work.
• Instrumental Studies or Conducting (one)
• Instrumental Studies or Conducting (two)
• Negotiated Work-based Learning
• Project or Dissertation.
In addition to these core modules, students will have the opportunity to select three optional modules, ranging from practical based areas such as composition, orchestration and arranging, transcription and chamber music modules, through to theory-based modules in ensemble management:
• Instrumental Studies One and Two
• Postgraduate Conducting Studies One and Two
• Research Methods
• Dissertation
• Negotiated Work-based Learning
• Composition
• Performance Project
• Orchestration and Arranging
• Live Event Management
• Chamber Music Project
• 2nd Study Conducting
• Transcription.
The course is aimed at students who are already working primarily as an instrumentalist or conductor in the music industry, but will enable you to progress in your chosen field.
After completing the course students can progress to the DMus in Performance.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
This course offers intensive training for composers and provides excellent preparation for doctoral work or a career in the professional world. With a strong focus on practical music making and supported by an outstanding programme of workshops and performances by professional musicians, it offers an invaluable opportunity for composers to hone their skills and develop their personal voice.
What makes us distinctive?
In addition to the submission of a final Portfolio of Compositions , all instrumental and vocal composition students take the core course unit Composition Project and the further compulsory taught course unit, Compositional Etudes. Optional course units normally include Contemporary Music Studies , Advanced Orchestration , Fixed Media and Interactive Music , Aesthetics and Analysis of Organised Sound , Historical or Contemporary Performance (subject to audition). For further information about the content of individual course units, see Course Unit Details below.
SALC Placement offers students the opportunity to spend a minimum of 20 days over a period of up to 12 weeks with an arts and cultural organisation, business or service provider. Placements will be established in Semester 1 to take place early in semester 2; they will be supervised by a work-based mentor and overseen by an academic staff member. The placement may take the form of an investigation of a specific business idea, development strategy or management proposition to resolve a problem or particular issue, and will result in a placement report, proposal or essay.
This programme aims to:
Our close links with in-house and Manchester-based ensembles allow us to guarantee that every student taking the MusM Composition programme will have their music performed and/or workshopped by professional ensembles, including the Quatuor Danel, Psappha, Trio Atem and the Manchester Camerata.
In addition, MusM students frequently have their work performed by the University of Manchester's new music ensemble.
The MusM degree consists of 180 credits in total, made up of four 30-credit taught course units and a 60-credit portfolio. Full-time students take two course units per semester; part-time students take one. Most course units are delivered via regular seminars and/or tutorials, supported where appropriate by practical workshops. The composition portfolio is supported by one-to-one supervision and is submitted at the beginning of September. (Part-time students may submit in either September or December following their second year of study.)
Each student meets regularly with their supervisor (for full-time students usually on a weekly basis during term-time, less frequently during vacations), allowing for in-depth exploration of ideas and intensive support for the various course units offered. Other members of the academic staff are also available for individual consultation during designated office hours.
Alongside their taught units, students have access to a range of non-assessed seminars, workshops and training sessions offered by the Graduate School of the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures. All postgraduate students are expected to undertake their own programme of self-directed learning and skills acquisition. This may also involve wider reading, language work, computer training and attendance at research seminars in other parts of the university.
There are no formal examinations. Taught course units - all of which must be satisfactorily completed - are assessed by submission of compositions, coursework essays or other tasks, normally submitted at the end of each semester (January and May). The Composition Portfolio is created over the entire duration of study and is submitted at the end of the academic year (after the summer vacation). All work is double-marked internally and moderated by the External Examiner.
As computer and media technologies continue to converge and develop, the creation of music and sound has become increasingly more sophisticated. This course will immerse you in the technical and creative aspects of the latest emerging music technology.
You will explore the skills, techniques and theory behind the tools and technologies used in the production and performance of electronic music and sonic art. We will encourage you to investigate a range of creative areas, including contemporary music, performing arts, visual arts and live installations.
You will create interactive systems using Max/MSP, explore sensor-based interfaces and develop your expertise in sound creation, manipulation and composition. We have designed this course for those with an academic or professional background in the field, as well as those experimenting with sound through composition, sonic art or technology.
Our high-quality facilities and equipment, regular guest speakers from the industry and our links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations will help you get the most from the course.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will have access to a suite of high quality, professional music studios, approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers' Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services. This, combined with visiting speakers from the music industry and our links to local and national music, arts and festival organisations, ensures that you get the most from your course.
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme gives our students an opportunity to work with professional artists and gives them a taste of what is it like to work on a professional music project. So far we have welcomed artists Chris T-T, Ian Prowse, I Monster, Tom Williams and Utah Saints.
Your course will equip you with the skills needed for a career in music technology, interactive media or sonic arts practice, research or education. It also integrates well with the wider music and audio industries and will give you the confidence to get ahead in these competitive fields.
Develop your creativity and technical fluency with this specialised programme, which allows you to specialise in composition while maintaining an interest in different aspects of music.
Core modules will allow you to create your own portfolio of original compositions – which can include electro-acoustic work – underpinned by your study of the principles of composition and aesthetic theory. You’ll look at orchestration, arrangement and remix. Then you’ll choose from optional modules allowing you to explore different aspects of music – you could choose electronic and computer music, musicology, performance, editing and source studies, psychology of music or more to inform your own creative work.
Guided by expert researchers and experienced composers and performers, you’ll have access to a wide range of facilities to explore your own ideas. You could even have some of your work performed by our ensemble, LS2, or benefit from the many opportunities you’ll find in the city’s vibrant live music scene.
We have a variety of excellent facilities to support your learning, including rehearsal, performance and practice spaces, a lab for studying the psychology of music and studios for sound recording, software development and computer music composition. We also have good working relationships with a range of prestigious arts organisations: we host BBC Radio 3 concerts, Leeds Lieder and the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, as well as enjoying a close partnership with Opera North and many others in a city with a thriving music and cultural scene.
You’ll work on your own compositions throughout the year, developing a portfolio of original work supported and informed by a range of learning opportunities, from tutorials and lectures through to workshops with guest artists.
Throughout the year you’ll take a combination of core modules that allow you to develop your skills as a musician and composer. You’ll develop your academic skills, including research and presentation skills, as well as studying the principles of composition and different professional contexts.
You’ll develop an awareness of broader topics in the study of music to help inform your practice. Central to this is the core module in Semester Two that introduces you to aesthetic theory.
In addition, you’ll choose from the range of optional modules on offer across the School of Music depending on your individual interests and experience: options include performance, editing and archival studies, musicology, computer music, psychology of music and more.
If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.
These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.
Compulsory modules
Optional modules
Most of our taught modules will use seminars and tutorials, as well as lectures and instrumental or vocal lessons, depending on the modules you choose. However, independent study is the backbone of this programme, allowing you to build your skills and express your own creativity.
Obviously, you’ll submit original compositions as an important part of your assessment. You will also write commentaries on your own work — drawing on musical/theoretical contexts — and more theoretical modules are likely to make use of written tasks such as essays and reports. Optional modules may also involve assessment through recitals, transcriptions or critical editions, presentations or other forms of assessment.
Composition tutors have connections with performers, ensembles, and festivals in all corners of the globe. These relationships can be useful for your professional development, giving you an insight into issues such as funding, publicity and other aspects of working life for professional freelance composers.
Many of our graduates choose to continue and refine their research by applying for PhD level study. Several of our existing PhD students also completed their Masters programmes here at Leeds.
We have other resources to support you as you develop your career plans too – the School of Music boasts a unique Alumni Mentoring Network, where you can be supported by past students as you plan your next steps.
We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s 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.
Writing music for the moving image requires a unique combination of technical and creative skills. You will gain a solid grounding in the theories, techniques and practices essential for contemporary film and television music production.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.
After developing your composition skills in a range of genres, you will have the chance to work with colleagues from other media courses to further develop your portfolio of work; for example, you could find yourself working alongside student filmmakers from our University's Northern Film School.
You will also work on projects with award-winning composers from the film and television industry, and our links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations will ensure you have plenty of opportunities to sharpen your practical skills.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios, approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.
We have links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, as well as our own Northern Film School, which ensures that you get the most from your course. We also provide regular visiting speakers from the music and film industries and a highly-skilled and experienced teaching team.
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme gives our students an opportunity to work with professional artists and gives them a taste of what is it like to work on a professional music project. So far we have welcomed artists Chris T-T, Ian Prowse, I Monster, Tom Williams and Utah Saints.
Your course will give you the skills required to create high-quality music for the film, television and media industries. The experience you develop on the course working with a wide range of filmmakers combined with your online portfolio should help you to catch the eye of employers in these competitive industries. Working alongside other aspiring professionals in the University’s Northern Film School, your work could be promoted on the international film festival circuit, giving you the opportunity to develop your professional networks.
Build your practical and theoretical experience in the creative and innovative applications of music technology in a studio environment. This course will give you the skills to take your ambition further and provide you with the confidence to work for major record labels and recording artists across a range of genres.
You will work alongside experienced industry professionals, exploring the technical and creative aspects of recording, arranging, mixing and mastering to develop a wide range of commercial and non-commercial musical scores.
You will have access to a suite of high-quality, professional music studios approved by JAMES, the accrediting body of the Music Producers Guild and the Association of Professional Recording Services.
In addition to a skilled and experienced teaching team, you will also learn from guest speakers from the music, film and television industries. We have fantastic links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, which will provide a variety of opportunities to test your knowledge and practical skills.
Research Excellence Framework 2014
Research Excellence Framework 2014: our University demonstrated strength in five emerging areas of research which it entered into the assessment for the first time, including in music, drama, dance and performing arts.
You will learn from regular visiting speakers from the music and film industries and a highly-skilled and experienced teaching team. We have fantastic links with local and national music, arts and festival organisations, which help ensure you get the most from the course.
Artist in Residence Programme
The Artist in Residence programme gives our students an opportunity to work with professional artists and gives them a taste of what is it like to work on a professional music project. So far we have welcomed artists Chris T-T, Ian Prowse, I Monster, Tom Williams and Utah Saints.
Your course will open up career opportunities in music production, interactive media, television, radio, research and education. It also integrates well with digital animation and video, games and the wider music and audio industries, ensuring you will be well placed to get ahead in these competitive fields.
This highly regarded programme will prepare you for a career in urban planning and development, where you may be required to shape and consider development proposals and devise or interpret plans and policies, negotiate and regulate development schemes, undertake community consultations, develop evidence and present reports to clients and decision makers. In line with our academic strengths in planning and development and real estate markets and investment, this Master’s programme will develop your specialist knowledge and skills in planning and development and equip you for a career in the private or public sector. The MSc Spatial Planning and Development is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The programme focuses on planning as it engages with economic and property development processes at all levels, from the site, neighbourhood, local, national and international. You will be able to concentrate on particular aspects of development planning to suit your interests and career aspirations (e.g. strategic, economic, environment, regeneration or countryside) and you will have the opportunity to undertake in-depth study, within a framework that emphasises integration, as well as apply your learning to another country through the European field study.
Programme
The MSc Spatial Planning and Development is recognised in the UK and more widely, to be one of the foremost planning programmes which develops both spatial planning competencies but also market aware planners who are well prepared for the orchestration and negotiation of development schemes. The programme has strong appeal for future employers in the private and public sectors because of the blend of analytical rigour and practical application. Many graduates of this programme, and its forerunners, have progressed to senior positions in the real estate and planning sector.
Real Estate & Planning
Our School is the largest in the UK for teaching and research in real estate and planning. Established in 1968 at the University of Reading, we are the only major UK real estate and planning centre to be located within a business school. Being part of the Henley Business School reflects our close and longstanding collaborative relationship with industry.
We enjoy a worldwide reputation for excellence in both teaching and research and we are consistently highly ranked in all major league tables. We undertake internationally recognised, leading edge research into real estate, planning and land and we offer a comprehensive range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses, all of which are accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Our planning courses are also fully accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Our programmes are held in high regard by leading employers, many of whom come to us each year to recruit our graduates. We are proud of our outstanding employment record, with more than 95% of our students entering graduate level jobs within 6 months of leaving us.
Henley Business School:
Module descriptions are correct for modules taught in the academic year 2017/18. Optional module listings are indicative, and may be subject to change.
Compulsory Modules
Optional modules
from a range which may include:
Our graduates tell us that the programme has led to excellent and prestigious employment opportunities, helped in part by developing their commercial awareness as well as other key skills.
The MSc Spatial Planning and Development programme is a leader of its type and students benefit from its strong connections to industry and across the profession generally. Many successful graduates have been highly sought after by both private and public sector employers, including planning consultancies, development companies, local planning authorities and large multidisciplinary property firms.
Reading has an excellent reputation with the planning profession in both the private and public sectors. Our postgraduates tend to be sought after by employers and many find employment before graduating.
Our alumni association, The Reading Real Estate Foundation, organise career development and recruitment events for our students throughout the year. These include an evening lectures series with key industry speakers, an annual Careers Fair and our highly successful Mentoring Programme which pairs students with professionals in the industry.
We have a professional Careers Development Advisor, [email protected], who helps our students with every aspect of the career development process, including identifying work placement, internships and permanent career opportunities.
In the public sector there are varied options at the local, regional and national levels: government offices and departments, regional agencies and local planning authorities. The range and diversity of jobs and careers offered under the mantle of 'planning' is really very wide and stimulating. We will be happy to advise you in finding work experience and talk to you about your employment options during your time with us.
The MSc Spatial Planning and Development is accredited by the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
