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Artist Diploma at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

The Artist Diploma is intended for advanced students in music on the cusp of a professional career, who are seeking to hone a distinctive musical personality through a year of post-master study in a conservatoire environment. In the Principal Project module, you will work towards an individually negotiated programme of high-level artistic outputs such as performances, compositions, recordings, or documented research, according to the discipline. This module is supported by 20.5 hours of one-to-one lessons from a tutor or tutors of your choice. In the Supporting Project module, you will receive individual support and mentoring from a personal supervisor, who will help you to create an individual portfolio of supplementary activities to complement your main artistic projects. The module culminates in an oral examination that invites you to reflect critically on the artistic intentions of your work through the course of the programme. The ArtDip is available to performers in the following disciplines: *All string, woodwind and brass instruments, solo, chamber or orchestral *Guitar and harp *Timpani and percussion, including marimba *Piano solo and ensemble, harpsichord, organ, accordion *Vocal performance *Traditional performance *Jazz performance It is not available for Conducting, Composition, Piano for Dance, or Repetiteurship. Singers accepted onto this programme will normally work within the Department of Vocal Performance: any work with the Opera department will be exceptional and by negotiation. Overseas Auditions If you want to audition at one of our overseas locations, you must submit your application by the 2nd October 2024. We may not be able to audition certain instruments at our overseas auditions, please see our website for more information. Where required, all applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano) and accompanist for the audition. Details of audition dates and locations can be found on our website, under the 'How to apply' section. Please note our locations are subject to change at short notice. if you choose a location that becomes unavailable we will be in touch to offer an alternative, this will likely be a recorded submission. Please note, the international deadline for this programme is the 2nd December 2024 (except for keyboard who's deadline is 2nd October), but we would encourage applicants to apply by the 2nd October 2024 to be guaranteed consideration for first round of scholarship Curriculum Review We are currently in the review cycle for our postgraduate music programmes starting in 2025, these courses are currently designated 'subject to validation'. This is standard practice during curriculum review periods. The outcome of this process, may mean there are some changes to how your programme is delivered.

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
  • Bodhran
  • Button Accordion (Traditional Music)
  • Cello
  • Cello (Jazz)

Modules

More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.

Assessment method

More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.


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:
446F
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 60 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire.

Entry requirements

Candidates are normally expected to hold a Masters Degree. Suitability for the programme will be assessed through the audition process.

Additional entry requirements

Audition

All auditions are planned to take place in-person at our campus in Glasgow in November 2023.  Should you apply on time, you will be e-mailed directly with details of your audition date and time, and your UCAS Conservatoires track will be updated with this information. International applicants are welcome to submit a recorded submission via Acceptd.

Other

All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile, regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process. Applicants submitting performance recordings via our Acceptd platform, will go through a two round process. If successful, the second round will be a live online interview with the department you are applying for. For applicants auditioning in-person overseas, Heads of Department may follow up with an online interview. Once we receive your application we will email you with details of your audition. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in-person.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6We accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component) is required of applicants to the School of Music.
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)

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
Recording£65£65
RCS£65£65
Singapore£65£65
United States - East Coast£65£65
United States - West Coast£65£65
Qingdao£65£65
Seoul£65£65

Joint principal specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RecordingNo fee charged
RCSNot available at this location
SingaporeNo fee charged
United States - East CoastNo fee charged
United States - West CoastNo fee charged
QingdaoNo fee charged
SeoulNo fee charged

Additional information

All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process. Applicants submitting performance recordings via our Acceptd platform, will go through a two round process. If successful, the second round will be a live online interview with the department you are applying for. For applicants auditioning in-person overseas, Heads of Department may follow up with an online interview. Once we receive your application we will email you with details of your audition. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course at the following page on our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/artist-diploma/.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Channel Islands £7079* Whole course
England £7079* Whole course
Northern Ireland £7079* Whole course
Scotland £7079* Whole course
Wales £7079* Whole course
Republic of Ireland £7079* Whole course
EU £13995* Whole course
International £13995* Whole course

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

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

*Please note, fees are subject to change for AY25 entry* Associated programme costs may be required for this programme for any new student at the start of their studies. For more information on please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/

Sponsorship information

Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made following our audition period 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.

Artist Diploma at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS