Overview

Explore theory and practice in the field of music production. You’ll focus on historical contexts and the development of advanced technical skills.

The Music and Sonic Media MA at University of Sussex reflects current developments in and beyond the concert hall, including music for film, media and interactive arts. You will:

compose
make sound art
devise music theatre
use music technologies
create film music
evaluate music and sonic art.

The course is for composers, musicians, sound artists, sound and music practitioners from related fields including theatre, and theorists with interests in music and sound.

The Department of Music is a major international centre for the study of contemporary music, contemporary musical thinking and music theatre.

We offer a unique range of inter-related research disciplines. We have expertise in areas from opera and music theatre to composition. This allows you to develop an integrated portfolio of work corresponding to your strengths and interests.

Careers

You will have built up a substantial portfolio of compositions and creative projects during the course.
The course emphasises and encourages skills in technology, communication, IT, evaluation, analysis, collaboration and organisation, and enables you to go on to compose, arrange, perform, produce, record and engage in sound design.
With these skills and experiences, our graduates are prepared to work in an amazing range of careers, such as:

freelance professional musicians and composers
work in the arts sector
in publishing
arts administration
producing events
radio broadcasting
writing and lecturing.

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Programme Structure

Courses include:

Activist Media Practice
Music and the Media of Performance (Practice)
Music Production in Context
Creative Project
Composition (Practice)
Sonic Media Practice

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Key information

Duration

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

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-29 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-09-01 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

110

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IELTS

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Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Brighton, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Music View 208 other Masters in Music in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

GPA

Upper Second Class

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

110

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

You should normally have an upper second-class (2.1) undergraduate honours degree or above.
Subject-specific requirements: Your qualification should be in music, theatre, sonic arts or audio-visual media. You’ll also be considered for this course if you have relevant professional experience. Since much of the practical work on different modules involves your own creative and/or compositional engagement with the topics covered, you should include a short composition portfolio with your application. This is composition interpreted broadly (i.e. it does not have to be 'traditional' notated composition): it could be songs, tracks you have produced, movie soundtracks, performances of your own compositions, a score. etc. The portfolio should demonstrate your ability to create music, audio or other sonic media. You can submit in a variety of formats: links to tracks on Soundcloud, Youtube, MP3s, scores, etc.

Make sure you meet all requirements

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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

22575 GBP / year

≈ 22575 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

11025 GBP / year

≈ 11025 GBP / year

Living costs

Brighton

United Kingdom

815 - 1383 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.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Music and Sonic Media.

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

Careers

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

Living costs

Brighton

Funding

Check for any work restrictions

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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