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Music Performance and Musicology at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

The MMus in Performance and Musicology is intended for highly skilled instrumentalists and singers who wish to pursue academic research into music and musical practices alongside advanced study in performance. Individual lessons in the principal study are at the heart of the degree, supported by a wide range of performance based activities within the the rich musical environment of the RCS. The Musicology module will introduce you to the study of music as a scholarly endeavour, with a particular emphasis on historiography, aesthetics and criticism, and editorial techniques. The programme culminates in a number of assessed public performances, alongside a written dissertation on a self-chosen issue, source or repertory related to the your principal study.

  • You’ll experience the highest-quality individual tuition from expert teachers who are active professionals in their field. Our small class sizes offer you maximal access to practice facilities and ensembles.
  • You’ll study in one of the most multi-disciplinary conservatoires in the world, with opportunities to collaborate with performing artists from across RCS.
  • You'll be part of a thriving scholarly community, alongside staff and doctoral students delivering new insights and innovation in music, stage, screen, production and education.
Audition Information In-person auditions are planned to take place at locations across the world. Should you apply on time, audition information will be sent to you via Acceptd, you must create an Acceptd account regardless of your audition location. The audition panel (Glasgow) will consist of a relevant departmental staff member and Head of Department. Our international auditions will consist of one panel member that may not be from the department you are auditioning for, and will be recorded for review by the relevant department. We are operating a pre-screening process for all international applicants. Applicants are required to submit a video audition as the first round of the audition process (those choosing Glasgow are not required to submit a pre-screening video). All videos must be submitted to Acceptd before the below deadlines. There is no set repertoire for the pre-screening round. All pre-screening submissions must contain a spoken introduction in English. Please tell us: • Your name • A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now • Your musical ambitions • Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland This video should be 3 to 5 minutes long and separate to your performance video. For in-person auditions being held in Qingdao and Seoul: UCAS and Acceptd applications must be submitted by 2 October 2025. For in-person auditions being held in Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Toronto: UCAS and Acceptd applications must be submitted by 1 December 2025. If successfully offered a live in-person audition at an overseas location, applicants applying from that country are expected to attend in person. We strongly encourage people to attend in person to be able to meet our staff team and ask questions about our programmes, and life at the RCS. Please note we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel. • All applicants need to provide their own instruments (except piano). • All applicants need to provide their own accompanist for overseas auditions. If you have chosen to audition live in-person, but your situation changes, you must contact us immediately after submitting your application to see if alternative arrangements are possible. If you are unable to attend a live audition, then we offer a recorded submission option. Recorded submissions will go through the same pre-screening process, and applicants may be invited to a live online audition at the discretion of the relevant Head of Department. This programme is subject to validation for Academic Year 2026-2027

Course details

Principal study options

During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:

Main specialism

Only one specialism is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.

Instrument/specialisms

For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.

Primary instrument/specialism

  • Accordion (classical)
  • Bassoon
  • Bassoon (Historical Performance)
  • Cello
  • Cello (Historical Performance)
  • Cimbasso

Modules

Please see our website for more informatoin

Assessment method

Please see our website for more informatoin


How to apply

*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.

Application codes

Course code:
813F
Institution code:
R58
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 55 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. To find out more please visit: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/

Entry requirements

Candidates for both the MMus are normally expected to hold a good honours (at least 2:2) degree, or its overseas equivalent, in a subject area relevant to the demands of the programme.

Additional entry requirements

Audition

Interview


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)66.0 with no component below 5.5
TOEFL (iBT)80Overall score of 80, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17
PTE Academic59Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing)
Cambridge English AdvancedOverall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components
Cambridge English ProficiencyOverall score of 169 with a minimum of 162 in all components

More information about our language requirements can be found at the weblink.

https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/


Assessment locations

In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.

Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.

Single specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCS£65£65
Recording£65£65
New York£65£65
Qingdao£65£65
Seoul£65£65
Los Angeles£65£65
Singapore£65£65
Chicago£65£65

Joint principal specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCSNot available at this location
RecordingNot available at this location
New YorkNot available at this location
QingdaoNot available at this location
SeoulNot available at this location
Los AngelesNot available at this location
SingaporeNot available at this location
ChicagoNot available at this location

Additional information

All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile and application regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) and needs to be completed once your UCAS application has been submitted. All live in-person auditions will be scheduled through the Acceptd platform. If you don't have an acceptd application, we won't be able to audition you. For applicants auditioning in-person overseas, an online interview for the Musicology aspects of this programme will take place online. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course on the relevant programme page on our website. If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]


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

Fees are variable depending on the mode of study. Please consult the Conservatoire's website for more information: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/ All new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies. Please note, all tuition fees per year are subject to an annual review.

Sponsorship information

Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made in January following an audition and offer of a place at the RCS. Scholarships are made based on ability and potential with some for financial need. Many School of Music scholarships are made for the duration of the programme. There is no separate scholarship application for the School of Music as everyone is automatically considered. More information can be found at: www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/

Music Performance and Musicology at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS