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Durham University: Music
| Institution | Durham University View institution profile |
|---|---|
| Department | Music |
| Web | durham.ac.uk |
| Telephone | 0191 334 1000 |
| Study type | Taught |
Summary
Course details The MA in Music embraces your passion for music, providing the guidance, opportunities, and tools you’ll need to flourish in your chosen field. Our course encourages you to draw critically from others’ work and develop your own specialisms, be they in performance, composition, musicology, or a combination of these. As a Masters student, you’ll enjoy studying within a close-knit community, encountering a wide range of interests relating to diverse musical forms from across the globe. Every Masters student takes a specialist core module, selected from a list of five options: musicology, ethnomusicology, composition, performance, and music psychology. This core module explores the various issues currently at the heart of the discipline while providing the skills and knowledge needed to carry out independent research at Masters level.
Why Durham University? Durham’s Department of Music is a vibrant and stimulating environment which is internationally recognised for its expertise. We provide an enriching experience to help develop the creativity that is essential in the world of music. We pride ourselves on being one of the leading music departments in the UK, offering innovative courses and producing cutting-edge music research. Areas of expertise comprise musicology, music analysis, ethnomusicology, music psychology, performance, and acoustic and electroacoustic composition. We offer a flexible MA with guidance on choosing the subject that is in tune with personal interest and aspiration, and which can be studied on a part-time or full-time basis. One of the highlights of our taught MA programme is the joy in becoming part of a vibrant international music-loving postgraduate community and studying with scholars, composers, and performers who have achieved international recognition in their fields.
Facilities Our cutting-edge facilities include a beautiful concert room, four fully equipped practice rooms, three studios with production equipment offering analogue and digital technology. Our recording studio comprises a control room and up to three recording rooms, with state-of-the-art equipment. We also have an audio-visual documentation and analysis laboratory, a music and science lab and a fully equipped music technology workshop.
Career Opportunities Postgraduates are able to seek a range of careers in music or to use the transferable skills they develop in a different setting. You will have an excellent grounding that will serve you well if you wish to continue research at a higher level. The same skills and knowledge will also help meet ambitions to gain rewarding careers in a range of fields including for example: performance, teaching, arts administration/management, broadcasting, journalism, and music production. We help with professional development by preparing postgraduates for the world of employment, providing opportunities to work as teaching and research assistants, to disseminate research, and to participate in dedicated training courses.
MA
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | You will be expected to have at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in Music. We are open to considering candidates from other backgrounds, however, we would encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss how you can provide evidence of your suitability for this course in your application. Applicants for all pathways will need to submit a 500-word personal statement. Applicants wishing to take the Composition pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a portfolio of two or three contrasting works of ten to 15 minutes (total duration) of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year composition portfolio. * For applicants choosing the instrumental route please also upload a copy of your performance scores for us to review. Applicants wishing to take the Performance pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a video recording of between 10 and 12 minutes of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year performance recital.* *If your file is too large to upload to your Applicant Portal, please submit a link to a folder or similar. For International Country and Region specific qualifications please see: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/regional-pages/ Please check the Requirements and Admissions section of the course database for details and exact requirements. Guidance for Home Applicants You can apply to this course by clicking the link "Apply" at the top right of the page above Course Summary. This will redirect you to Durham University Post Graduate information page where you will be able to apply via the Post Graduate Applicant Portal. |
| Location | Durham City Palatine Centre Durham DH1 3HP |
Fees
| England | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
| Scotland | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
| Wales | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
| Channel Islands | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
| Republic of Ireland | 13000 GBP for Whole course |
| EU | 28500 GBP for Whole course |
| International | 28500 GBP for Whole course |
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | You will be expected to have at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in Music. We are open to considering candidates from other backgrounds, however, we would encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss how you can provide evidence of your suitability for this course in your application. Applicants for all pathways will need to submit a 500-word personal statement. Applicants wishing to take the Composition pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a portfolio of two or three contrasting works of ten to 15 minutes (total duration) of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year composition portfolio. * For applicants choosing the instrumental route please also upload a copy of your performance scores for us to review. Applicants wishing to take the Performance pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a video recording of between 10 and 12 minutes of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year performance recital.* *If your file is too large to upload to your Applicant Portal, please submit a link to a folder or similar. For International Country and Region specific qualifications please see: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/regional-pages/ Please check the Requirements and Admissions section of the course database for details and exact requirements. Guidance for Home Applicants You can apply to this course by clicking the link "Apply" at the top right of the page above Course Summary. This will redirect you to Durham University Post Graduate information page where you will be able to apply via the Post Graduate Applicant Portal. |
| Location | Durham City Palatine Centre Durham DH1 3HP |
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | You will be expected to have at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in Music. We are open to considering candidates from other backgrounds, however, we would encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss how you can provide evidence of your suitability for this course in your application. Applicants for all pathways will need to submit a 500-word personal statement. Applicants wishing to take the Composition pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a portfolio of two or three contrasting works of ten to 15 minutes (total duration) of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year composition portfolio. * For applicants choosing the instrumental route please also upload a copy of your performance scores for us to review. Applicants wishing to take the Performance pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a video recording of between 10 and 12 minutes of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year performance recital.* *If your file is too large to upload to your Applicant Portal, please submit a link to a folder or similar. For International Country and Region specific qualifications please see: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/regional-pages/ Please check the Requirements and Admissions section of the course database for details and exact requirements. Guidance for Home Applicants You can apply to this course by clicking the link "Apply" at the top right of the page above Course Summary. This will redirect you to Durham University Post Graduate information page where you will be able to apply via the Post Graduate Applicant Portal. |
| Location | Durham City Palatine Centre Durham DH1 3HP |
Fees
| England | 12500 GBP for Year 1 |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 12500 GBP for Year 1 |
| Scotland | 12500 GBP for Year 1 |
| Wales | 12500 GBP for Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | 12500 GBP for Year 1 |
| EU | 27500 GBP for Year 1 |
| International | 27500 GBP for Year 1 |
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | You will be expected to have at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in Music. We are open to considering candidates from other backgrounds, however, we would encourage you to get in touch with us to discuss how you can provide evidence of your suitability for this course in your application. Applicants for all pathways will need to submit a 500-word personal statement. Applicants wishing to take the Composition pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a portfolio of two or three contrasting works of ten to 15 minutes (total duration) of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year composition portfolio. * For applicants choosing the instrumental route please also upload a copy of your performance scores for us to review. Applicants wishing to take the Performance pathway should be aware of the requirement to satisfy the following prerequisite: Upload a video recording of between 10 and 12 minutes of a standard at least equivalent to a strong 2:1 degree final-year performance recital.* *If your file is too large to upload to your Applicant Portal, please submit a link to a folder or similar. For International Country and Region specific qualifications please see: https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/regional-pages/ Please check the Requirements and Admissions section of the course database for details and exact requirements. Guidance for Home Applicants You can apply to this course by clicking the link "Apply" at the top right of the page above Course Summary. This will redirect you to Durham University Post Graduate information page where you will be able to apply via the Post Graduate Applicant Portal. |
| Location | Durham City Palatine Centre Durham DH1 3HP |
Fees
| England | 6900 GBP for Year 1 |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 6900 GBP for Year 1 |
| Scotland | 6900 GBP for Year 1 |
| Wales | 6900 GBP for Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | 6900 GBP for Year 1 |
| EU | 15200 GBP for Year 1 |
| International | 15200 GBP for Year 1 |
Durham University
- World top 100 University: Joint 89th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
- UK top 10 University: 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 and 6th in the Guardian University Guide 2025
- 7th in the Complete University Guide 2025
- World top 30 University for sustainability: 19th in the QS World University Rankings 2025
- 65th in the world in the category of Employer Reputation. QS World University Rankings 2025
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