Overview

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 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 at The University of Edinburgh 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.

Career opportunities

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.

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

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Programme Structure

Courses include:

Digital Media Studio Project

Interactive Sound Environments

Music on Screen

Audio Crafting

Soundtracks for Screen

Creative Coding for Sound

Instrumentation and Timbre

Composing for Screen

Check out the full curriculum

Visit programme website

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 12 months
Part-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-14 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-06-29 00:00:00

More details

It is strongly recommended you apply as early as possible. Applications may close earlier than the published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand.

Language

English

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IELTS

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Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Music Composition View 48 other Masters in Music Composition in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

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IELTS

6.5

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98 accuracy using real exam data
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Other requirements

General requirements

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject such as music, sound design, or media arts.

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Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

32000 GBP / year

≈ 32000 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

13700 GBP / year

≈ 13700 GBP / year

Additional Details

Part-time tuition fees:

Scotland and Rest of UK students - £6,85000

International / EU students - £16,000.00

Living costs

Edinburgh

United Kingdom

725 - 1167 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Check for any work restrictions

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Composition.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Career opportunities

Get more details

Programme Structure

Check out the full curriculum

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

Explore more key information

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Make sure you meet all requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Additional Details

Living costs

Edinburgh

Funding

Check for any work restrictions

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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