Music MA: Composition
Subject and course type
- Creative arts
- Music
- Postgraduate
Join a vibrant community of sonic innovators where your unique musical voice takes centre stage. Our MA Music: composition pathway offers a dynamic environment where you can refine your craft across a range of styles, from contemporary classical and experimental sound art to scoring for film, games, and digital media. You will be able to master traditional techniques and explore the new possibilities of cutting-edge music technology. Whether you are manipulating live electronics, exploring spatial audio, or writing for acoustic instruments, you will have access to our unique studios and have opportunities to develop artistic collaborations.
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Develop your composition skills and explore new creative and collaborative possibilities
This pathway will give you opportunities to develop your composition skills across a wide range of genres and explore opportunities for collaborations with other musicians as well as artists working in other media.
Studying an MA in Composition at Kingston University can lead to a range of careers, both in the industry and in related fields. Graduates can go on to work in theatre, broadcast media, music production and as freelance composers. If you’re already employed, this programme is an opportunity to upgrade your skills and open new opportunities.
During the course, you’ll study composition techniques across a range of musical and media styles, expand your creative horizons, and experiment with cutting-edge the technology. You will also have opportunities to collaborate with music students in other pathways and with students in a range of other performing arts and multimedia disciplines for example, dance, drama, animation, filmmaking and graphic design.
Throughout the course, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your learning to your specialities and interests. You’ll analyse relevant music examples and construct creative portfolios that allow you to expand your abilities and find your own compositional voice. You’ll be able to use recording studios, rehearsal rooms and our synthesis/sampling lab to practise and improve your skills.
You’ll create a unique portfolio of music through your major project, with the support and guidance of our staff members.
Why choose this course
While you study, you’ll benefit from top quality teaching at Kingston University. We’re ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, and our highly experienced academic staff are active performers, composers and producers themselves.
The Coombehurst Complex and Visconti Studio
As a music student, you'll access a range of professional studio facilities, labs and practice rooms. At Kingston Hill’s Coombehurst complex there are multiple recording studios, mixing and editing rooms, a 5.1 surround studio, and a Synth Lab for exploring analogue synthesis.
You'll also be able to use our flagship Visconti Studio, an analogue-meets-digital space with a 300m² octagonal live room and a selection of vintage and rare recording equipment.
You can book a range of recording and performing instruments, rooms and equipment through our online system.
Music in the library
The Nightingale Centre’s music library holds an extensive collection of books, anthologies, scores, sheet music, periodicals, and audio and video recordings. Kingston also subscribes to Grove Music Online and the Naxos online recordings catalogue. You can access these resources from any University workstation.
The Art School Experience
As part of Kingston School of Art, students benefit from joining a creative community where we encourage collaborative working and critical practice.
Our workshops and labs are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Course content
You will learn alongside other MA Music pathways in three core modules integrating practical and theoretical learning through project-based, interdisciplinary approaches rooted in arts school pedagogy. You will also develop an understanding and critical awareness of contemporary issues, debates, and practices informed by the discipline.
Your two specialist modules – Sound Materials and Advanced Studies in Composition – will enable you to develop and shape sonic material using a range of techniques including recording sounds in and out of the studio, working with performers, and using technologies both vintage and contemporary. You will engage with a range of approaches to creative music making including acoustic and electronic composition, improvisation, music for media, or sound art. You will explore a diverse range of musical practices offering opportunities to build on your existing practice as well as developing your artistry in exciting new directions.
Modules
Modules
30 credits
In this module you will engage with a range of approaches to creative music making including acoustic and electronic composition, improvisation, music for media, or sound art. You will explore a diverse range of musical practices offering opportunities to build on your existing practice as well as develop in new directions. You will develop abilities to reflect critically on music past and present and situate your own music making in relation to musical landscapes. You will develop your own creative voice and the skills to realise your ideas through an individual portfolio of compositions.
30 credits
The module emphasises the unique challenges and opportunities of leadership in the arts, fostering innovative thinking, inclusive collaborative approaches, and ethical decision-making. Through exploring leadership and collaborative practice in the context of the arts, you will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and critical understanding necessary to lead effectively in diverse arts environments. You will develop strategies for enterprise, team building, effective communication, and conflict resolution for application in real-world arts scenarios and practice. Through delivering an ambitious and creative project with a high degree of autonomy, originality and insight, and informed by current professional standards, you will gain the reflective skills to identify areas for continual professional development and growth. This module provides you with an opportunity to develop a portfolio demonstrating leadership and the development of advanced technical skills, preparing them to work at a high level within your field.
60 credits
This module supports the development of a major piece of research, or creative work, or performance which is focused on the subject of the student's programme of study. Therefore the nature of the project is chosen from the following: a dissertation; a folio of produced popular music compositions/covers; a folio of sonic arts work; a folio of compositions to moving image; a folio of compositions; or a performance. In the case of the creative work, students will also undertake related research which culminates in a paper or critical commentary to complement and support their creative work. The module is taught through a mixture of seminars and individual tutorials.
30 credits
This module develops and supports the academic and research skills required within and across all MA music pathways. It prepares you to design and deliver your final capstone project which will be aligned with your specialism.
Teaching on this module covers a variety of topics and contemporary issues relating to the creative practice of all MA music pathways, research methodologies and related (inter)disciplinary fields, and supports understanding of referencing systems, library skills, use of online research repositories, and academic writing skills.
You will engage in academic and critical analysis of music spanning contemporary and historical contexts, multimedia applications, politics, culture, and education, and produce work that demonstrates a research-informed analysis of music in a way that enhances the professional understanding of your practice.
You will be assessed through a folio of two assessment elements, which will be a video research presentation and a critical essay both centred on an aspect of music relevant to your interests and creative practice.
30 credits
You will learn to develop and shape sonic material using a range of techniques including recording sounds in and out of the studio, working with performers, and using technologies – both old and new. You will develop skills and techniques to help you realise your musical ideas in different contexts, and discover new ideas about music, sound and creative practices. By creating a diverse portfolio of works, you will explore a wide range of approaches to creating sound materials, enabling you to hone your existing skills as well as explore new modes of expression.
Optional placement year
Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's Student Route visa.
Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.
Professional Placement
120 credits
This is a core module for students following a Master’s programme that incorporates professional placement learning. It provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills in an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject specific professional skills in your chosen subject. You may wish to use the placement experience to help inform your decisions about future careers.
It is your responsibility to locate and secure a suitable placement opportunity, of no more than 3 separate placements, which must be completed over a minimum period of 10 months and within a maximum of 12 months. The placement(s) must be approved by the careers and placements teams, in consultation with the Module Leader prior to commencement, to ensure its suitability. You will have access to the standard placement preparation activities offered by the careers and placements teams. In the event of any break periods between placements, if applicable, you must ensure that you comply with the terms of your visa.
Kingston University is a great place to develop as a musician, and I've had a fantastic time here. The staff are really helpful and the Visconti Studio is a brilliant place to record.
Career opportunities
You will complete this programme with a blend of compositional and practical skills, plus the theoretical knowledge and transferable skills you need to succeed professionally. Graduates can progress to roles in the music industry, choose to continue their academic studies, go on to work in theatre, undertake studio-based technical and creative work, or start portfolio careers as composers, producers, performers or educators.
Teaching and assessment
As a music student, you'll be taught a range of musical styles and encouraged to explore a wide range of genres, taking a hands-on, practical and creative approach to learning and develop your critical skills through engagement with new ideas and methods. Assessment is primarily through practical work: composing music and sound art, complemented by written and presentation assignments that will help you hone your analytical skills and your ability to communicate the value of your artistry.
When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically involves reading and analysing articles, regulations, policy documents and key texts, documenting individual projects and preparing coursework assignments.
Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the University's online virtual learning platform.
At Kingston University, we know that postgraduate students have particular needs and therefore we have a range of support available to help you during your time here.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 180 credits across a year (typical for a postgraduate course) would equate to 1,800 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- 10% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
Assessment typically comprises exams (e.g. test or exam), practical (e.g. presentations, performance) and coursework (e.g. essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation). The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows, though depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose.
Depending upon modules chosen:
- 92% coursework, 8% practical
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £10,700 |
| Part Time | £5,885 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £21,500 |
| Part Time | £11,825 |
| Fee category | Annual Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £10,300 |
| Part Time | £5,665 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £20,700 |
| Part Time | £11,385 |
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
If you attend events outside of University, you’ll need to cover the entrance fees and travel costs. We estimate museum and exhibition entrance fees to be around £50.
Fees for future course years
Part time
If you start your second year straight after Year 1, you will pay the same fee for both years.
If you take a break before starting your second year, or if you repeat modules from Year 1 in Year 2, the fee for your second year may increase.
Funding support for postgraduate students
If you are a UK student living in England and under 60, you can apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree. Find out more through the government's website.
Scholarships and bursaries
Interested in studying a Music MA at Kingston? The following funding support is available:
Get a 40% reduction in fees for taught masters or postgraduate diploma courses with September start dates. Find out more.
Receive up to £5,000 towards tuition in your first year of study. Find out more.
Get a 15% reduction in tuition fees. Find out more.
Kingston University offers a 10% discount on full- and part-time postgraduate degree course tuition fees to our alumni. Visit our postgraduate finance page to find out more.
How to apply
Before you apply
Please read the entry criteria carefully to make sure you meet all requirements before applying.
How to apply online
Use the course selector drop-down at the top of this page to choose your preferred course, start date and mode, then click 'Apply now'. You will be taken to our Online Student Information System (OSIS) where you will complete your application.
If you’re starting a new application, you’ll need to select ‘new user’ and set up a username and password. This will allow you to save and return to your application.
Application deadlines
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Applications will close when the course is full.
After you apply
If the admission tutor wants to see your portfolio, we will email asking you to upload your zipped portfolio to the OSIS portal within three weeks. If we need more information or want to invite you for an interview, we will be in touch directly. After that you will then hear whether your application has been successful.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
What our students and graduates say
I loved working alongside other students in a collegiate and friendly atmosphere. Many of the students were international and from varied backgrounds. I also found the teachers each had their own unique knowledge and skill to impart.
