Music MA: Production
- Creative arts
- Music
- Postgraduate
Shape your creative identity as a music producer with our MA Music Production pathway, grounded in Kingston's philosophy of thinking through making. You'll explore a wide range of approaches to contemporary production, from studio-based recording and creative mixing to digital workflows, spatial audio, and sound design. Alongside composition students, you'll develop and shape sonic material before advancing into specialist study where you can refine your production aesthetics and technical fluency. Through cross-pathway projects you'll build entrepreneurial and collaborative skills alongside musicians in performance, composition, and education, preparing you for the interconnected careers that define today's music industries. With access to Kingston's professional studio facilities and a community of musicians working across performance, composition, and education, you'll have the space to develop your personal production voice and realise ambitious creative projects.
Master the art and craft of contemporary music production
Refine your craft in studio recording, mixing and mastering and develop music industry skills
Studying the MA Music Production pathway at Kingston University can lead to a range of careers across the music and creative industries. Today's sector increasingly demands practitioners who can work across multiple domains, and the growing reach of production skills, from professional recording and mixing to sound design for film, games, and immersive media, means graduates are well placed for diverse and evolving roles. If you're already employed, this programme is an opportunity to deepen your expertise and open new professional directions.
During the course, you'll explore diverse approaches to contemporary music production, developing advanced skills in studio-based recording, creative editing, mixing, and mastering. You'll work alongside composition students to develop and shape sonic material, then build a portfolio of production work that demonstrates your range, technical proficiency, and creative voice. You'll also collaborate with students across all pathways on industry-focused projects, planning, delivering, and evaluating creative work much like a start-up, building a professional profile along the way.
Outside your specialist modules, you'll have access to Kingston's professional studio facilities and be able to take advantage of London's world-class music scene. You'll create a substantial independent production project through your Major Project, with the support and guidance of our expert staff.
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 (120 credits) integrating practical and theoretical learning through project-based, interdisciplinary approaches rooted in arts school pedagogy. You'll 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 Production – will develop your skills in creating and shaping sonic material using a range of studio techniques and technologies, both digital and analogue. You will then engage with a wide range of approaches to contemporary music production, including studio-based recording, creative editing, mixing, and mastering. You'll explore diverse production practices and aesthetics, offering opportunities to extend your existing skills as well as develop in new artistic and technical directions. Through an individual portfolio of production work, you'll strengthen your creative identity as a producer and develop the skills needed to realise your ideas with professional fluency.
Modules
Modules
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
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
This pathway will equip you to work effectively in diverse and global professional music contexts, develop attributes for resilience and long-term employability, provide opportunities for creative entrepreneurship, and develop sustainable career models.
As production technologies continue to reshape the creative industries, skilled producers are in demand across studio recording and mixing, music and audio post-production, sound design for film, games, and interactive media, live sound engineering, and freelance production.
Some graduates may choose to continue their academic studies with further research, while others will move directly into professional roles where advanced production expertise, creative leadership experience, and critical thinking set them apart.
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: producing, recording, and shaping music and sound, complemented by written and presentation assignments that will help you hone your analytical skills and your ability to communicate the value of your artistry.
Fees and funding
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:
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:
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.
