Overview
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Applications for this course will open shortly. Please check back here for updates. If you have any questions, please contact our Course Enquiries Team via email, WhatsApp, or phone on 01227 928000. Our course teams will also be available to answer your questions at our upcoming open days. |
Enhance your musical creativity with the Master of Music at Canterbury Christ Church University. Designed for musicians, composers, producers, and scholars eager to refine their craft and advance their careers, you'll study in in a UNESCO World Heritage Site where music and the arts interweave through the walled city.
What you’ll learn
- Refine your musical practice through specialist study in performance, composition, production, or writing.
- Develop advanced creative, analytical, and research skills under the guidance of expert practitioners.
- Collaborate with artists across disciplines to produce innovative and industry-relevant work.
- Undertake an independent project or dissertation to showcase your professional and creative vision.
- Enhance your employability and prepare for careers or PhD study through mentoring and industry engagement.
Whether your focus is performance, composition, production, or critical writing, this Master’s degree will help you develop the technical, conceptual, and critical expertise needed to thrive in today’s music industry or pursue doctoral research.
You’ll be taught and mentored by internationally renowned musicians and researchers whose work spans the world’s leading venues, from Abbey Road Studios to The Sydney Opera House. Our vibrant learning community connects you with creatives across disciplines, from sound design and dance to film and game production, fostering collaboration and innovation within Canterbury’s rich musical heritage.
As part of your studies, you’ll complete an independent project or dissertation tailored to your professional and creative interests, supported by outstanding facilities and one-to-one academic guidance.
This Master of Music will equip you with the advanced skills, confidence, and professional network needed to succeed as a performer, composer, educator, or researcher in the global music landscape.
Canterbury Christ Church University's Master of Music was always top of the list for me. I can’t praise the flexibility highly enough - such as recording lectures, utilising online tutorials, seminars and materials. It was definitely the right decision for me.Stuart Slater, graduate
Why study Master of Music at CCCU?
Excellence in research
Work with internationally renowned staff responsible for world-leading research in music and sound (REF2021).
Entry requirements
A good honours degree (2:2 or above) in music, or equivalent academic or professional experience. Applicants must be able to show that their background in their chosen independent study is sufficient for development at postgraduate level.
The selection of entrants is normally based on audition or interview. Performance auditions should be approximately 20 minutes long, and demonstrate the breadth of your command of style and technique. Portfolios of creative or academic work should be of comparable scope and submitted in advance of interview.
For more information on the IELTS (International English language Testing System) requirements for this course, please click here to visit our dedicated IELTS web page.
2:2
Honours Degree
Module information
Core/optional modules
How you’ll learn
You will engage in a weekly cycle of workshops, seminars, and lectures, as well as one-to-one sessions with your specialist tutor. You’ll study modules such as Performance, Production and Research, Music Portfolio for Screen, and Music Networking - all designed to support the next stage of your career. The course involves approximately 10 hours of scheduled contact time per week.
Outside of lectures and workshops, students are expected to study independently - working practically in performance spaces and recording studios, or undertaking research online or in our award-winning library. Students also have the opportunity to work with our diverse range of music ensembles, which rehearse regularly during term time.
Music at Canterbury Christ Church University boasts a dynamic, internationally active team who have presented their work around the world - including at the Sydney Opera House, in the clubs of New York City, at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Abbey Road Studios, Tate Modern, the National Theatre, and even the FA Cup Final.
The course is practical and collaborative: we teach in studios and performance spaces through a mixture of workshops, rehearsals, and lectures. Your coursework is based on a series of portfolios focused on your specialist musical skill, whether in performance, composition, production, or written research Some modules are collaborative, giving you the opportunity to combine your musical expertise with students from other creative disciplines such as Photography or Filmmaking. Situated halfway between London and mainland Europe, Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage City with a long tradition of musical innovation - and we look forward to working with you!Matt WrightCourse Director
How you’ll be assessed
The course is assessed through portfolios focused on your specialist musical skills. If you are a performer, most of your assessment will take place through live or recorded performances. If you are a composer, arranger, songwriter, or producer, your assessment will be based primarily on a creative portfolio. If you are a researcher, you may choose to be assessed through critical essays or a dissertation.
Many of our students already work as professional musicians outside the University, and several modules enable you to connect your external professional experience directly to your academic assessment.
Your future career
Music at Canterbury Christ Church has a long and proud tradition, and our students have gone on to achieve incredible success - working with Sam Smith, performing at Glastonbury, winning a BAFTA for innovative game sound, and receiving a BASCA Composer of the Year award.
Most recently, one of our alumni contributed to the recording of an Oscar-winning Hollywood soundtrack.
The MMus at CCCU was very helpful in figuring out what steps to take next after completing an undergraduate course. The lectures, tutorials and one-to-one support from staff gave me the encouragement to explore specific areas of music production that interested me in far more depth. During collaborative modules I helped record and mix live sessions for BBC Introducing in Kent, and since finishing the course I have done freelance audio engineering work at well-established recording studios, including The Albion Rooms and Big Jelly.LiamMMus graduate
Fees
Government loans are available for some postgraduate Master’s courses for students. Loans are subject to both personal and course eligibility criteria.
The rules around course eligibility mean that in some cases it may depend on how you are studying (full-time or part-time) as to whether you can apply for a postgraduate loan. To check whether your course is eligible, you can email the Student Fees Team or call 01227 923 456.
Tuition Fees for 2026/27 have not yet been finalised. These course web pages will be updated with Tuition Fee information once they have been agreed.
- Read advice about funding your degree
- See information about the financial support available for postgraduate studies
- If you would like information about paying your fees, please contact accounts.receivable@canterbury.ac.uk
- For specific fee queries, please contact fees@canterbury.ac.uk
Industry links
Our students regularly engage with a creative network that includes:
- Arco Barco - commercial recording studio, Ramsgate
- Big Jelly Studio - commercial recording studio, Margate
- Canterbury Festival - city-wide annual arts festival held in October–November
- Deal Festival - music and arts festival held in July
- The Hot Tin - music venue and arts space, Faversham
- Free Range - award-winning music, film, and dance series in Canterbury
Apply now
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Duration:
1 yearLocation(s):
CanterburyPostgraduate student links
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