Our MMus programme is distinctive in its range of musicological, compositional and performance-based elements.
You will benefit from the diversity of our research strengths, numerous ensemble performance opportunities and expertise in a range of musical fields, including contemporary music for the concert hall, popular music, film music, opera, acoustic, electronic and computer-generated music.
The Composition pathway of the MMus Music programme is designed to develop your individual compositional style and technique through tutorial guidance and opportunities for performances, workshops and recordings.
Various stylistic and generic strands can be pursued individually or in combination, including jazz, music for screen and multimedia, contemporary music for the concert hall and computer sound design.
You will take two compulsory research training modules followed by a combination of composition-related options. Having completed the Postgraduate Diploma stage of the programme, you will progress to Masters stage and submit a composition folio.
The programme provides ideal preparation for future research work at PhD level.
This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time students must study at least two taught technical modules per academic year.
Example module listing
The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
The School welcomes applications from students who wish to undertake one module of study from the Masters programme.
Potential applicants may make an appointment for an informal interview with the Programme Director if practicable. All applicants will be asked either to submit a sample of written work, a DVD of their performance, or samples of their compositional work, or to sit an audition depending on their chosen specialism.
Our work achieves wide international circulation, both through established scholarly channels and, distinctively, through broadcast media (such as BBC TV, Channel 4, BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4, and National Public Radio in the USA).
School staff are much in demand for pre-concert talks at venues such as London’s South Bank and Barbican centres. The research environment at Surrey is sustained by open discussion and debate, and through the regular airing of work-in-progress.
Our work is strengthened by the ready input of our peers and research students at various stages allowing collective engagement to foster innovation.
The MMus (Composition) programme aims to provide students with a high quality education in the creative, re-creative, technical, critical, vocational and academic areas of the subject. It aims to provide students with the necessary skills, techniques and methodologies to work at an advanced level with a critical awareness of the discipline.
The programme aims to reflect current developments within the theory and practice of music composition and, in so doing, to educate students so that they may work confidently and constructively within the musical culture of the present.
The programme aims to offer the necessary preparation for students wishing to undertake doctoral level study in practice-based areas.
The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual / cognitive skills
Professional practical skills
Key / transferable skills
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
The MMus in Composition fosters your ability to compose and notate music, and to develop your own personal musical language.
You explore a wide range of technical procedures for contemporary composition and engage intellectually and critically with related theories and concepts.
There are many practical opportunities to work with performers, including the Department of Music's ensemble-in-residence, and other artistic collaborators.
The composition pathway appeals to composers interested in a wide range of contemporary music including Boulez, Stockhausen, Birtwistle, Carter, Xenakis, spectral music and improvised music.
There's a focus on fundamental issues concerning pitch, time and pulse, and covers topics such as orchestration, advanced instrumental techniques, large-scale structure.
Composers taking this pathway may elect to take options in studio-based composition, providing they have the requisite prior experience.
There are also opportunities to work with visiting professional musicians and meet visiting composers, which have included Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Finnissy, Brian Ferneyhough and Jonathan Harvey.
Core modules
Option modules
Creative project
You'll develop strategies and methodologies for creative practice, critical reflection and evaluation and skills in the contextualisation of creative work.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The programme provides ideal training for those wishing to enter the professional world of composition and/or proceed to a research degree.
We welcome students from all over the world and from a range of backgrounds.
The MA Composition develops skills in the broad field of contemporary composition, encompassing notated and digital music, sound art, improvisation and interdisciplinary practices.
The course provides a critical context for exploring key topics and issues in contemporary composition as well as a platform for presenting your own work to an audience of peers.
Engagement with professional creative practice is at the core of the MA Composition. Students have the opportunity to receive tuition from world-renowned composers external to the department. There are also opportunities to work with City’s professional ensembles-in-residence, Plus Minus and EXAUDI.
We have an outstanding reputation for dynamic, inspring and rigorous postgraduate eduation and offer exceptional support to our students
Our students come from all over the world and benefit from our location in the heart of London, one of the world’s greatest cultural hubs.
Department facilities include advanced recording and composition studios, a professional performance space, computer laboratories, rehearsal rooms, practice rooms and world music instruments.
Our composition studios include three surround (8.1/ 5.1) studios, one of which is dedicated to film and live electronics work, and three stereo composition studios. All of the studios are equipped for sound editing, processing and mixing. As well as general software such as Logic, Sibelius and Pro Tools, these studios are equipped with Native Instruments Komplete.
The recording studio is equipped to deliver multitrack recording and mixing to a professional standard.
Teaching delivery is through a combination of lectures, group seminars, interactive sessions, practical workshops, one-to-one tutorials and a high level of individual learning. Students also have the opportunity to receive tuition from world-renowned composers external to the department.
The Department of Music provides a stimulating environment with abundant opportunities for composers and sound artists and there are also plenty of opportunities for involvement in our many ensembles. The department’s concert series features contemporary classical music, world music, electronic music and multimedia work and an annual music festival in May and June provides opportunities for students to receive public performances of their work.
In addition to our many ensembles at City, MA students are also eligible to audition for the University of London Symphony Orchestra.
We use a range of assessment methods, including projects, portfolio submissions and extended creative tasks and accompanying commentary.
On City's MA Composition, you will take three core modules (30 credits each) in which you will enhance your understanding of creative practice and engage critically with compositional techniques, theoretical concepts and current issues in contemporary composition. You will also submit a major 90-credit Composition Portfolio, which allows you to develop and display your creative compositional practice in a variety of ways.
Core modules
Term one
Term two
You will also take a 90-credit Composition Portfolio, which runs through terms two and three.
Our MA programmes have excellent employment statistics. Students have gone on to teach, compose and perform in a wide variety of settings, and are also employed in areas such as music publishing, broadcasting, music management, arts administration and further musical study at MPhil or PhD level.
100% of our graduates are in employment 6 months after graduation, and graduates are mostly working as Freelance composers.
Our alumni include award-winning composers such as film sound designer Chris Reading and Nico Casal, composer for the winner of the Best Short Film at the 2016 Oscars.
This course provides an in-depth knowledge of cutting-edge compositional techniques, methodologies and associated aesthetics in creative work that intersects with technology and other artistic or scientific forms. It serves as excellent preparation for a career as a composer working with technology and audio-media, and it provides all the training necessary for embarking on and envisioning novel strands for a PhD in electroacoustic composition, including those informed by other scientific and arts form.
All teaching, research and compositional work is carried out in the NOVARS Research Centre for Electroacoustic Composition, Performance and Sound Art with its state-of-the-art £2.5 million electroacoustic studios. Opportunities for the performance of new works are offered using the 55-loudspeaker sound diffusion system of MANTIS (Manchester Theatre in Sound) and through events such as the Locativeaudio Festival (locativeaudio.org) and Sines and Squares Festival for Analogue Electronics and Modular Synthesis (sines-squares.org). Acousmatic, mixed, live electronic and multimedia works are all possible, with composers able to incorporate the spatialisation of sound and interactive new game-audio media into the presentation of their work.
In addition to the final portfolio, all electroacoustic music and interactive media composition students take the compulsory course unit Composition Project and the further compulsory taught course unit,Fixed Media and Interactive Music . Optional course units normally include Aesthetics and Analysis of Organised Sound, Interactive Tools and Engines, Contemporary Music Studies, Advanced Orchestration, and Historical or Contemporary Performance. There are also choices outside the MusM Composition (subject to course director approval), such as Computer Vision, Mobile Systems, Mobile Communications, Ethno/Musicology in Action: Fieldwork and Ethnography , and Work Placement (Institute of Cultural Practices).
For more information visit the NOVARS website .
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:
The NOVARS studio complex supports a broad range of activities in the fields of electroacoustic composition and new media. The studios incorporate the newest generation of Apple computers, Genelec, PMC and ATC monitoring (up to 37-channel studios) and state-of-the art licensed software (including Pro Tools HD, Max MSP, GRM Tools, Waves, Ircam's Audiosculpt and Reaper and, for Interactive Media work, Oculus Rift, Unreal Engine 4, Unity Pro and open-source Blender3D). Location and performance work is also supported by a new 64-channel diffusion system.
Postgraduate students at the NOVARS Research Centre play an active role in the planning, organisation and execution of performance events such as the Sines & Squares Festival and MANTIS Festival (over 20 editions since 2004), and projects such as LocativeAudio and our regular Matinée presentations. Relevant training, including rigging and de-rigging the MANTIS system, health and safety, sound diffusion workshops, organisation of Calls for Works when needed, etc., is an important part of the course.
There are a number of internal composition opportunities offered to MusM students, allowing them to compose for our world-leading ensembles in residence and association. For more information, see ourComposition at Manchester site .
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 two course units but across the two semesters. Most course units are delivered via regular seminars and/or tutorials, supported where appropriate by practical workshops. The 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.) 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 compositions or other coursework tasks, normally submitted at the end of each semester (January and May). Assessments may involve the premiere of new compositions, oral presentations of repertoire, musical analysis or essay topics in the field. The portfolio is created over the entire duration of study and is submitted at the end of the academic year (after the summer vacation). Topics and focus are to be discussed with project supervisors and can include compositions involving fixed or interactive media, locative and game-audio technologies. All work is double-marked internally and moderated by the External Examiner.
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.
The MA Music Composition shares delivery of core curriculum regarding practice-led research methodology with parallel MA degrees in Applied Theatre, Theatre & Performance and Fine Arts. Whilst your focus will be on Music Composition, there will also be opportunities for cross-disciplinary study and collaborative practice.
The programme will provide you with the opportunity to develop your compositional practice and thinking, and provide you with a platform from which to disseminate your work.
The curriculum, which also supports awards at Postgraduate Certificate and Postgraduate Diploma levels, is uniquely designed and focused on developing artists' abilities and capacities for professional and academic innovation. We emphasise relationships between composition, reflection, practice and dissemination. Teaching, learning and research on the programme will enable discovery of the variety of ways in which composition, creation and dissemination in music composition has evolved into its present media and forms.
This degree enables students who already have some experience of music composition to expand their artistic horizons, develop their reflective abilities and expand their portfolio as thinking practitioners.
Practice, Reflection, Dissemination
This strand, consisting of two 40-credit modules, is designed to enhance your abilities as a self-reflective practitioner. It recognises the deep interrelationship between composition, reflection and dissemination, in terms of the development of an artist's work and its function and operation within critical and public domains. You will be introduced to the variety of ways in which composition, creation, dissemination has evolved into its present media and forms. These modules will be primarily focused around your own practice, contextualised by examination of various key practitioners, modes or theories.
Creativity & Knowledge
This strand, consisting of two 20 credit modules, is designed to deepen your understanding of key interdisciplinary questions, concepts and methodologies in the arts.
This strand of modules is taught cross-disciplinarily with students on the MA programmes within Creative Practice.
Masters Independent Project
Together these taught elements lead MA candidates into the final Independent Project module, where you will undertake an extended period of supervised practice-based research which is expected to draw together and implement the resources provided earlier in the programme.
Further information on this course is available in the programme specification. Please note that the programme specification relates to course content that is currently being studied by students at the University. For new programmes, the programme specification will be made available online prior to the start of the course.
York St John University works hard to create an inclusive environment for all our students. We offer a range of learning support services to assist students throughout their studies.
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.
The Master of Music in Composition and Creative Practice is designed to enable students to develop their compositional practice in a dynamic, rigorous and supportive creative environment. It aims to provide training in a range of approaches, introducing tools and techniques relevant to today’s music making, and encouraging exploration, innovation and experimentation.
The programme is comprised of three core courses (Composition, Digital and Creative Skills, Individual Creative Practice, and Composition Portfolio) as well as a series of optional courses to allow you to tailor our own bespoke structure. Options will include:
There will also be opportunities to engage with interdisciplinary study, with courses available from other subjects within the School:
Core teaching will be delivered during semesters 1 and 2. Over the summer months you will complete the core Composition Portfolio, to be submitted at the end of August.
A variety of teaching methods will be used, including seminars, one-to-one tutorials, and project work.
This programme prepares students for careers in composition as well as equipping students more generally with skills necessary for careers in cultural industries (eg. arts administration and management). Additionally, this programme provides the necessary foundation for pursuing further research in composition in the form of a PhD.
Music as a creative art form in the 21st century can combine both tradition and innovation, bringing together instruments (some new, some with centuries of history) and the latest in high technology.
As a composer today, all of these resources are available to you, and the Mixed Composition pathway aims to foster your skills as you navigate this exciting new world. By studying this pathway you can create works which combine electroacoustics and computer technology with more traditional instrumental and vocal composition, or explore each of those elements separately. Works for interactive systems, multimedia, and sound installations are also welcome.
You will study one core module:
You will also choose three optional modules. This must include at least one of:
Your remaining optional module(s) will be chosen from a range which typically includes:
Full descriptions are available below.
Assessment
Modules are assessed by a combination of practical and written assignments. You will also produce a composition portfolio of new musical works.
Your learning will be enhanced by our extensive facilities, including the Bramall Music Buildingand the Electroacoustic Music Studios and Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (BEAST).
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Music
Birmingham's Music postgraduates work in a wide range of careers within and beyond the music world. A postgraduate degree in Music develops a broad base of skills including general skills such as communication, problem solving and research, and also specific skills developed by practice and performance such as self-management, team work and presentation.
Over the past four years, 91% of Music postgraduates were in work and/or further study six months after graduation. Whilst some graduates pursue music-related careers, or go on to teaching and lecturing roles, others choose to use their transferable skills to follow career paths in fields including finance and the public sector.
The course is aimed equally at composers of electronic music in the traditional sense, and contemporary artists who may combine the role of composer with producer, engineer, musician and DJ. London College of Music (LCM) at the University of West London is at the forefront of the academic study of music technology in general - and popular electronic music composition in particular.
The course encompasses a broad range of electronic music, from popular electronic dance music styles to art forms such as electroacoustic music. It assumes you have a level of competence in composition or music sequencing and production. Composition studies include one-to-one tutorials in an area of electronic music that you will negotiate with your lecturer.
You will also examine the history and concepts of electronic music, the creation of sound installations and live performances, together with options that include the theory and practice of sequencing, sound synthesis, sampling, production techniques and the use of Max/MSP.
This course helps you build a wide range of skills, knowledge and creative strategies essential for a successful career in the contemporary, fast-changing music industry - or as a springboard to further postgraduate study at PhD level.
Core modules:
Plus one option from:
…and one option from:
The department's extensive research in this subject area means our teaching is informed directly by the world's most up-to-date ideas on the academic study of record production. Also, our teaching staff are renowned for their professional expertise.
Teaching involves a combination of lectures, practical workshops, seminars and tutorial discussions. Our teaching rooms are equipped with ProTools HD systems, Audient mixing consoles and C24 control surfaces, and lectures involve frequent practical demonstrations and examples.
The contact hours for the course are concentrated into two days for full-time and one day for part-time students. For the rest of week you will book your own studio and computer time to complete your assignments and develop your composing skills, network, create music with other LCM students and engage in self-directed study. The course runs for a complete year - normally September to September - in full-time mode and two years for part-time.
This course will equip you with an enviable set of skills that will enable you to succeed in the fast-changing music industry.
Some examples of the professional roles graduates have progressed to after completing the course include:
• Composer
• Sound Designer
• Remixer.
After completing the course you can continue your studies with either a PhD or DMus at the University of West London.
Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course.
Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here.
https://www.kent.ac.uk/locations/medway/
The MA in Music at the University of Kent gives you the opportunity to develop an area of specialism alongside rigorous training in key professional and academic skills. In studying for the MA you will choose one of three pathways:
- Research (Musicology or Ethnomusicology)
- Composition
- Performance,
which allow you to undertake two large-scale projects (Specialist Project and Dissertation). Regular one-to-one tutorials and work in small seminar groups enable you to gain confidence and expertise in both theoretical and practical work. Option modules support the development of your specialism. Studies in areas such as composition techniques, musicology and ensemble performance provide an important grounding in relevant fields of inquiry and creative practice.
Visit the website: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/354/music-research-composition-or-performance#!structure
Our students explore both the creative and technical aspects of music and its related technologies and also have the opportunity to work collaboratively with practitioners from other subjects. You take common modules in research methods and postgraduate study skills, while giving you the opportunity to foster your subject skills in specialist modules. Work is developed through individual enquiry as well as sharing and critiquing ideas through group seminars, designed to provide a forum for debate as well as practical instruction.
Our specialist facilities include a large Neve recording studio, a Foley recording space, surround-sound studio and post-production rooms. All have been designed to the highest standard in order to provide an excellent environment for postgraduate work. We have an array of loudspeakers for electroacoustic performance, live sound and collaborative arts projects. Students are encouraged to participate in these music concerts and interdisciplinary events, becoming part of the exciting artistic environment here at the University of Kent.
The programme aims to:
- enable students to develop an advanced understanding of music theory and practice taking into account developments in scholarship over the past few decades. In achieving this aim, students will focus upon theoretical and/or practice-based research methods and, in all cases, will engage a range of current research practices that address music critically.
- provide opportunities for students to develop their work through individual enquiry and through sharing and critiquing ideas
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.
- Specialist Project (60 credits)
- Advanced Audio Skills (30 credits)
- Critical and Historical Perspectives on Music (30 credits)
- Composition Techniques (30 credits)
- Collaborative Project (30 credits)
- Popular and World Music (30 credits)
- Technology in Performance (30 credits)
- Ensemble Performance (30 credits)
- Dissertation (60 credits)
Assessment is by a range of coursework, including individual projects, skills-based tasks, seminar presentations and written work.
A postgraduate degree in the area of music and audio arts is a valuable and flexible qualification, which can lead to career opportunities within the creative industries, music recording and production, audio software development, sound for film, composition and academic careers.
These possibilities are augmented by work in video games, the Internet, live sound for theatres and festivals, audio installations for museums, sonic arts and computer music. Postgraduates interested in a research career are supported by the University’s Graduate School Research Development Programme. The University’s Employability Weeks can also provide valuable support in terms of planning future careers.
How to apply: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/
- Kent is ranked 21st in the Times Higher Education (THE) ‘Table of Tables’ 2017.
- Kent is ranked 22nd in The Guardian University Guide 2018.
- Kent is ranked 25th in The Complete University Guide 2018.
- Of Kent graduate students who graduated in 2016, 98% of those who responded to a national survey were in work or further study within six months (DLHE).
- For research quality, Music at Kent was ranked 13th in The Complete University Guide 2018 and 16th in The Times Good University Guide 2018.
- For graduate prospects, Music at Kent was ranked 14th in The Times Good University Guide 2018.
Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/why/
We have a scholarship fund of over £9 million to support our taught and research students with their tuition fees and living costs. Find out more: https://www.kent.ac.uk/scholarships/postgraduate/
If you need to improve your English before and during your postgraduate studies, Kent offers a range of modules and programmes in English for Academic Purposes (EAP). Find out more here: https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/international/english.html
The Electroacoustic Composition/Sonic Art pathway invites you to help map out the next steps in Birmingham’s thirty year history as a world leader in the area of electroacoustic music composition and presentation.
A solid grounding in the field, its aesthetics and traditions is augmented by instruction in the latest techniques and technology.
You will study two core modules:
You will also choose two optional modules from a range which typically includes:
Full descriptions are available below.
Assessment
Modules are assessed by a combination of practical and written assignments. You will also produce a composition portfolio of new musical works.
Your learning will be enhanced by our extensive facilities, including the Bramall Music Buildingand the Electroacoustic Music Studios and Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (BEAST).
Support with academic writing
As a postgraduate student in the College of Arts and Law, you have access to the Academic Writing Advisory Service (AWAS) which aims to help your transition from undergraduate to taught Masters level, or back into academia after time away. The service offers guidance on writing assignments and dissertations for your MA/MSc programme with individual support from an academic writing advisor via tutorials, email and the provision of online materials.
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for employment and this will be further enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University.
The University's Careers Network provides advice and information specifically for postgraduates that will help you to develop an effective career and skills development strategy, and to make the most of your time with us at the University. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team to deliver tailored programmes of careers events and local support.
You will have opportunities to: meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs; attend employer presentations and skills workshops; receive individual guidance on your job applications, writing your CV and improving your interview technique; and access to comprehensive listings of hundreds of graduate jobs and work experience opportunities.
You will also be able to access our full range of careers support for up to two years after graduation.
Postgraduate employability: Music
Birmingham's Music postgraduates work in a wide range of careers within and beyond the music world. A postgraduate degree in Music develops a broad base of skills including general skills such as communication, problem solving and research, and also specific skills developed by practice and performance such as self-management, team work and presentation.
Over the past four years, 91% of Music postgraduates were in work and/or further study six months after graduation. Whilst some graduates pursue music-related careers, or go on to teaching and lecturing roles, others choose to use their transferable skills to follow career paths in fields including finance and the public sector.
International students can access support for English Language development and skills through the Birmingham International Academy (BIA).
Create your own story at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Creative Arts!
