Music (Composition) MPhil
University of Oxford
Key Course Facts
Course Description
MSt
The Master of Studies in Music (Composition) introduces a broad range of current methodologies and approaches in music scholarship. The main MSt teaching and coursework is completed in the first two terms; the third is reserved for completion of assessed work.
Core seminars
In the Michaelmas term there are typically six topics:
- historical musicology
- current trends in music theory
- aesthetics
- the social and cultural study of music
- performance
- composition.
You may participate in as many of these seminars as you wish. Your first summative assessment will be a compositional exercise written in response to the composition core seminar.
Elective seminars
Each year a number of faculty members convene a series of ‘elective’ seminars based on their research interests, to help you prepare for your assessment essays. You are invited to attend as many of these seminars as you wish. Reading lists are sent out before the start of the courses and you are asked to prepare fully and contribute to the seminars. Most of the electives take place in Hilary term.
Recent seminar series included the following titles:
- Pitch, Amplitude, Timbre
- Brazilian Music
- Distributed Creativity in Composition and Performance
- Thirteenth-Century Motets
- Music and (Non) Religion
- Music and Race
- Gender and Sexuality in Popular Music Studies
- Music and Islamic Culture
- Beethoven between History and Myth.
- Presentation seminars
Presentation seminars are held in Trinity term. Musicologists, performers and composers each prepare a presentation on their own research and are asked to respond to another student’s presentation in another; further feedback on presentation skills is received from the seminar convenor.
MPhil
The MPhil is designed for students wishing to attain a thorough grounding in composition at an advanced level, either as a preparation for doctoral research or an autonomous qualification. In the first year you will follow the MSt in Music (Composition), proceeding in the second year to individual supervision leading to the completion of a portfolio of compositions and written work.
The Master of Philosophy in Music (Composition) introduces a broad range of current methodologies and approaches in music scholarship.
First year
The first year of the course is identical to that of the MSt in Music (Composition). The main teaching and coursework is completed in the first two terms; the third is reserved for completion of assessed work.
Core seminars
In the Michaelmas term there are typically six topics:
- historical musicology
- current trends in music theory
- aesthetics
- the social and cultural study of music
- performance
- composition.
Elective seminars
Each year a number of faculty members convene a series of ‘elective’ seminars based on their research interests, to help you prepare for your assessment essays. You are invited to attend as many of these seminars as you wish. Reading lists are sent out before the start of the courses and you are asked to prepare fully and contribute to the seminars. Most of the electives take place in Hilary term.
Recent seminar series included the following titles:
- Pitch, Amplitude, Timbre
- Brazilian Music
- Distributed Creativity in Composition and Performance
- Thirteenth-Century Motets
- Music and (Non) Religion
- Music and Race
- Gender and Sexuality in Popular Music Studies
- Music and Islamic Culture
- Beethoven between History and Myth.
- Presentation seminars
Entry Requirements / Admissions
Requirements for international students / English requirements
IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)
-
- 6.5
- Graduate Degrees
-
- 7.0
- Undergraduate Degrees
- (no subscore less than 6.0)
Costs
Average student cost of living in the UK
| Rent | £518 |
| Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) | £50 |
| Supermarket shopping | £81 |
| Clothing | £35 |
| Eating out | £33 |
| Alcohol | £27 |
| Takeaways / food deliveries | £30 |
| Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) | £24 |
| Holidays and weekend trips | £78 |
| Transport within city | £17 |
| Self-care / sports | £20 |
| Stationary / books | £13 |
| Mobile phone / internet | £13 |
| Cable TV / streaming | £7 |
| Insurance | £51 |
| Other | £95 |
| Average student cost of living | £1092 |
London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.
University Rankings
Positions of University of Oxford in top UK and global rankings.
See all 39 university rankings of University of Oxford
About University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a prestigious research university located in Oxford, England, and is the oldest English language university in the world. It is made up of 39 partly autonomous constituent colleges, six private halls, and a variety of academic departments which are split into four divisions: Humanities, Mathematical, Physical & Life Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Social Sciences.
List of 389 Bachelor and Master Courses from University of Oxford - Course Catalogue
Student composition of University of Oxford
-
Total number of students enrolled at University of Oxford by level Academic year 2021/22 - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
- undergraduates:
- 12425
- postgraduates:
- 9785
- Total:
- 22210
-
Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Music”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
Where is this programme taught
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