Composition MMus

This programme seeks curious, open-minded, adaptable and highly creative individuals who are keen to acquire new skills and consolidate their existing knowledge across all areas of new music creation.

You may have been making music in your bedroom with experimental sound software or have three string quartets under your belt. You could be a trained performer looking to develop a new musical voice by creating new sounds, systems and music for your instrument, or you could be hoping to skill up so that you are attractive to the film and game music industries.

Whatever your compositional background and whatever your compositional ambitions, if you have been composing and creating music at university level or producing work and sharing it with your community, this programme will help you learn a great deal more about your craft and to expand your potential as a creative musician.

This Composition Masters Programme offers its students broad skills training aiming to prepare the most imaginative and versatile musical minds for a future in music-making across the creative industries.

This is a strongly interdisciplinary programme of study during which you will have the opportunity to create:

• acoustic and instrumental music
• screen/film/animation music
• interactive game audio
• sound installations and sonic art.

Graduates of the programme will have professional, practical, analytical and intellectual skills to take into music-related industries or on towards further academic study, such as a PhD.

Why you should choose this programme

• You will receive broad skills training with access to supervision from a range of leading figures in composition and sound design.
• Unparalleled flexibility: the programme provides exciting opportunities for exploration across a range of creative practices and wider afield with the Schools of Art, Architecture, Design, and History of Art.
• Professional prospects: the practical experience you will gain will stand you in good stead for a career in music. Several of our alumni have gone on to have highly successful careers as composers.
• A world-class research environment: be part of an outstanding University with a world-class international reputation.
• A vibrant capital city: study in Edinburgh, one of the world’s great capital cities, with a vibrant music and arts scene. The beautiful highlands of Scotland are also only a short journey away.

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

Normally a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject such as music, sound design, sonic arts, media arts, film and animation music, radio, accompanied by a portfolio introducing us to some recent work that you are proud of.

Your portfolio should include three pieces of work and can include a range of items such as acoustic, electronic, score-based or media music, a small collection of sound recordings, performances or documentation of a sound-based project, such as an installation, film or animation.

Whatever you include, it should clearly be your own work. A short explanation of your role in collaborative projects is required. Your portfolio is best uploaded with the application as a PDF file with explanations about the projects and links to the work hosted on a reliable and accessible online platform.

If you do not meet the academic entry requirements or if you do not have a music-related degree, we may still consider your application if you have significant professional composition-related experience supported by a substantial portfolio. Please contact us to check before you apply.

Students from China

This degree is Band C

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 92 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 176 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 65 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 7 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Unless you are a national of a majority English speaking country, your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins. If you are using an IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEFL, Trinity ISE, or Oxford ELLT test, it must be no more than two years old on the first of the month in which the programme begins, regardless of your nationality. (Revised 14 January 2025 to include Oxford ELLT.)

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

The rich, cross-disciplinary programme of study we offer provides graduates with advanced skills in composing across formats and in a range of contexts from film and game music through to music for theatre and music for the concert hall, album, mobile phone or studio.

As a graduate of this programme you will feel empowered to take on commissions in professional compositional areas and to pursue your own creative path as an independent composer.

Graduates from our composition degrees are now working in the following industries:

• theatre
• radio
• TV and video games
• sound recording
• live performance
• gigging singer-songwriting

And many are active on the global music scene as composers in residence with:

• orchestras
• ensembles
• educational projects
• other art spaces.

Many are running successful music-related businesses around the world, and several have PhDs and are pursuing academic careers.

You will gain a wide variety of transferable skills, such as the ability to research and analyse music, structure and manage your time, work and communicate effectively as part of an arts production team. These skills will increase your employability across the arts and further afield.