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MA - Master of Arts
York campus
Full Time
SEP-25
1 year
Select a course option
MA - Master of Arts
York campus
Full Time
SEP-25
1 year
MA - Master of Arts
York campus
Part Time
SEP-25
2 years
Select a an exam type
Discovering your compositional voice and presenting it with clarity in compelling, innovative music is a lifelong project. Our MA is designed to help you develop the skills to pursue this, whatever your career aspirations.
Our internationally-renowned composition staff work across a range of styles and media and our students are similarly diverse. Solo or orchestral music, electronic or acoustic, notated, improvised or devised – all of these are valued at York. You'll encounter a wide variety of approaches, but no prescriptions.
You'll join a lively community of postgraduate composers and the rich creative environment of the Department of Music, receiving one-to-one tuition and studying the established and emerging techniques in this exciting and constantly developing field.
Contemporary music has been a cornerstone of the Department since its foundation. From early visits from Cage, Feldman and Shostakovich and the creation of pioneering electroacoustic works by Trevor Wishart and Dennis Smalley to the Proms commissions, Glastonbury appearances and international tours of recent alumni such as Anna Meredith, Kerry Andrew and Christian Mason, York has a long history of nurturing extraordinary talent.
Course content
Over the year, through seminars, concerts, workshops and individual lessons you will encounter a wide array of contemporary music to expand your musical horizons. You will interrogate the techniques by which this music is created, both to acquire the tools and to question the assumptions on which they are based. You will develop your practice across instrumental, vocal and (live-)electronic media, and there will be workshop performance opportunities by visiting professional musicians and Artists-in-Association. Supporting modules will help you articulate your work in terms of practice research and develop the critical awareness and writing skills to be able to do this effectively.
Teaching and assessment
You’ll work with world?leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
Careers and skills
By the end of the course, you'll have a firm understanding and facility across a range of approaches to contemporary composition. You will be able to use this to develop independent creative outputs, whether these are led by your own artistic voice or are responses to specific briefs from collaborators. You'll also be able to reflect critically on your creative decisions, and communicate your ideas about composition in writing and speech, skills that are highly valued in any sector. MA Music graduates go on to a diverse range of careers as creative artists and teachers, as well as administrative work and further study at both universities and conservatoires.
Undergraduate degree: 2:1 or equivalent in Music or another relevant discipline. We will also consider your application if you have a 2:2 honours degree and relevant professional experience.
Students living in
Domestic
£11,200 per year
Students from Domestic
This is the fee you pay if the University is in the same country that you live in (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
£25,900 per year
Students from EU
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from somewhere in the EU.
£25,900 per year
Students from International
The amount you'll pay if you come to study here from a country outside the EU.
University of Birmingham