Music (Composition) (MMus)

Award
Master of Music
Typical Offer
2:1 degree View full entry requirements
Duration
1 year
Course Type
Full-time
Campus
Highfield
Next course starts
September 2025

About this course

Enhance your knowledge with a master's degree in music composition at the University of Southampton. You’ll graduate with the skills for a career in music or further research on a PhD.

Our MMus Music Composition programme gives you the opportunity to specialise in various elements of musical composition. On this course, you’ll learn:

  • current trends in composition
  • 20th and 21st century musical developments
  • aesthetic, technical and critical issues in modern compositional practice
  • in-depth analysis of your chosen compositional genres, materials, techniques and forms

Our academic staff are internationally noted performers with active solo and ensemble careers, and established composers of contemporary art music, electronic music, media music (for example, in film, TV and videogames), and jazz. These world-leading experts can offer you intensive one-to-one tuition in music history, culture and performance.

We offer a broad-based MMus programme with 4 specialist pathways:

On the Composition pathway, you’ll work towards the final goal of a composition portfolio. We’ll work with you to create a portfolio that’s relevant to your career aspirations. On completion of the course, you’ll be ready to:

  • continue your research at a doctoral level
  • work in the music industry or wider cultural sector
  • become a teacher
  • work as a freelance musician

You can mix your composition modules with topics from other MMus pathways to develop a wider range of skills and personalise the course to your interests.

We regularly review our courses to ensure and improve quality. This course may be revised as a result of this. Any revision will be balanced against the requirement that the student should receive the educational service expected. Find out why, when, and how we might make changes.

Our courses are regulated in England by the Office for Students (OfS).

Course lead

Your course leader is Dr Chiying Lam. She completed her doctoral study at the Royal College of Music, London, and her research focuses on musicians' pedagogical practice and post-colonial discourses of power & identity within the music practitioners' community.Visit Dr Chiying Lam's staff profile to learn more about her work.

Course location

This course is based at Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the Course Description Document

The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.