Course summary
21st century music composition is a diverse and evolving practice, bringing together performers, an assortment of cultures and styles, and the latest technology. Our course will develop your skills as you navigate this exciting new world of composition. Whether you’re interested in creating new works using the latest electroacoustic computer technology or more traditional instruments and voices, or exploring a combination of both, we’re here to support you to explore your unique abilities. You’ll be based within our state-of-the-art Bramall Music Building, and you’ll also have access to our wide range of innovative rehearsal rooms and recording spaces in our University Music Hub. Our programme provides you with a variety of exciting opportunities, including the option to write works for the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and take part in visiting performer workshops. Past guests have included percussionist Joby Burgess, who can be heard leading the percussion sections on the soundtracks of the Ant-Man and Black Panther franchises.
- Choose from our diverse study options, including modules ‘Music Employability’, and ‘British Music in Performance'.
- The Bramall Music Building is home to our acoustically flexible 450-seat Elgar Concert Hall, five electroacoustic studios, 17-seat computer cluster and the recently installed Yamaha DM7 digital mixing console.
- Use the skills you’ve developed to write your composition portfolio and enjoy listening to your work being performed by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group.
- Top 100 for Arts and Humanities in the world (QS University World Rankings 2024).
Modules
The programme comprises 120 credits of taught modules and a 60-credit composition portfolio. Visit the course page on the University of Birmingham website for the most up-to-date module information.
Entry requirements
You should have, or expect to get, a 2:1 Honours degree in Music. We can consider an Honours degree in another subject if you have significant professional musical experience and relevant qualifications. In your personal statement, please include the MA Music pathway you're applying for in the first paragraph. All applicants for the composition pathway must submit a portfolio of 3–4 compositions, showcasing your range of styles and compositional technique. You'll need to submit the compositions as either scores (PDF files) or recordings. Audio and/or video files should be uploaded to SoundCloud/MixCloud or YouTube/Vimeo/Youku or Dropbox/WeTransfer/YouSendIt with the URL pasted into a text document and uploaded to the application portal. The videos should be submitted at the same time as your application or uploaded within two weeks of submitting your application. If the videos aren't provided in this timeframe, then your application may be declined.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT