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2022 - 20232023 - 2024
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Make sure you check on the university, college or conservatoire website for any updates about course changes as a result of COVID-19.

Course summary

Possible start dates are January 2023, September 2023, January 2024. Please see the programme page on our website for more information. The Department of Music is a centre of research excellence in both composition and musicology. In composition, there is no particular house style, but we are well known for a number of areas, including:

  • acoustic music, ranging from solo to symphonic scale;
  • electro-acoustic, including acousmatic composition, live electronics, and mixed forms with instrument/voice;
  • composition exploring the interface of Western and non-Western traditions.
The department also provides access to a wide network of opportunities for professional and amateur performance. In musicology, research strengths include not only the Western art music tradition, but also screen media, non-Western (Turkey) and popular music. We have particular depth of expertise in the early Middle Ages (especially Spain), and in the 19th and 20th centuries (including the music of France, Britain, Germany, and Soviet Russia). We also have strengths in Anglophone vernacular traditions, including jazz and hip hop; opera, film music and the history and philosophy of technology; music and migration; and cultural and reception history more generally. MPhil (Composition, Musicology): a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding in the submission of a portfolio of 25–35 minutes of music and an analytical/contextual commentary (c.4,000–5,000 words), or a 25,000-word dissertation. Students may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research. MMus (Composition): a standalone, two-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding in the submission of a portfolio of 50–70 minutes of music and an analytical/contextual commentary (c.8,000–10,000 words). Students may have the option to audit units from our taught master's programmes if they are relevant to their research. PhD (Composition, Musicology): a research project undertaken across three to four years, culminating in a portfolio of 75–120 minutes of music and an analytical/contextual commentary (c. 15,000 words), or an 80,000-word thesis, or a combination of musicological and compositional components as part of one coherent project (in flexible proportions, details to be discussed with the Department of Music). As well as having the option to audit taught units, there may be the potential for PhD students to assist on or teach units relevant to their research. The PhD, MMus and MPhil can be studied via distance learning.

Assessment method

https://bristol.ac.uk/study/media/postgraduate/admissions-statements/2023/phd-music.pdf

How to apply

International applicants

The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for postgraduate study. If you study or have studied at a university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualifications, scholarships and education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries

Entry requirements

MPhil (Musicology): An upper second-class degree or international equivalent. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree. MPhil (Composition): An upper second-class degree or international equivalent, plus a portfolio of representative compositions. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree. MMus (Composition): An upper second-class degree or international equivalent, plus a portfolio of representative compositions. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of a suitable level of professional accomplishment. PhD (Musicology): A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent). Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study. PhD (Composition or Musicology): A master's qualification, or be working towards a master's qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master's qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent) and/or can demonstrate evidence of a sustained and high level of professional accomplishment. Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study. In all cases, applications must be supported by a portfolio of representative compositions. Please note: applicants may be registered on the MPhil or the MMus degree in the first instance. See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £4665 Year 1
Northern Ireland £4665 Year 1
Scotland £4665 Year 1
Wales £4665 Year 1
Channel Islands £4665 Year 1
EU £20100 Year 1
International £20100 Year 1

Additional fee information

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year. For more information, please view the programme page on our website.
Music at University of Bristol - UCAS