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Composition (BMus Hons) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

The Composition pathway is designed to develop artistically aware, imaginative, and confident creators, who are equipped to succeed as musicians in a rapidly changing cultural landscape. When you study Composition, you will be working with our diverse and talented performing community in some of the best facilities in Europe. You’ll benefit from our professional partnerships with leading ensembles and orchestras, and there will be opportunities to hear your work performed. The performance of new work is of paramount importance to us, and we have a significant reputation for contemporary music. PLUG, our critically acclaimed annual festival, has become a renowned platform for new work, premiering hundreds of new works. You’ll follow your own tailored path through the programme, where you have the option to include a second study in performance, work in the superb electroacoustic and recording studios, or devise new work in our purpose-built performance venues. Composition can be a solitary existence, but at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, we help you to develop the skills to work with other composers as well as artists across disciplines, allowing our students to develop a number of projects with dance, theatre, film, and musical theatre. Please note, the international deadline for this programme is the 2nd December 2025, but we would encourage applicants to apply by the 2nd October 2024 to be guaranteed consideration for the first round of scholarship.

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

  • Composition

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:
302F
Institution code:
R58
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. Please email [email protected] for more information. We do not offer deferred entry.

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

Qualification requirements

More information on our entry requirements can be found at the weblink.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

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

Additional entry requirements

Interview

If successful in the first round, applicants will be invited to an interview with the Head of Department. This will either be in-person or online depending on your location choice. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in person.

Portfolio

After making an application through UCAS, applicants should submit 2-4 pieces of work, each with a recording, which may be purely digital, or performed by live instruments (as appropriate). At least one work in the submission should be accompanied by a full, musical score, to demonstrate an example of the candidate's music notation skills.


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 in each component (with no component below 5.5) is required.
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

Joint principal specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RecordingNo fee charged
RCSNo fee charged

Additional information

All applicants must complete an Acceptd account profile, regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process. There will be two audition rounds for this course. The first round for all candidates will be a portfolio submission via our Acceptd platform, regardless of which audition location you choose. If successful, the second round will be an interview with the Head of Department, depending on which location you have chosen, this will either be in-person or online. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in person. 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/bmus-hons-composition/


Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
60%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
93%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Channel Islands £9250* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250* Year 1
England £9250* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250* Year 1
Wales £9250* Year 1
Scotland £1820* Year 1
EU £27968* Year 1
International £27968* Year 1

*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. You can find out about the funding and scholarships available for studying at RCS by visiting our dedicated page: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/apply/finance/feesandfunding/

Composition (BMus Hons) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS