Sacred Music (Taught)

The MLitt in Sacred Music is a one year full-time or two years part-time taught programme and is run jointly by the School of Divinity's Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) and the University of St Andrews Music Centre.

The course is aimed at those intending to carry out church music performance and leadership roles, clergy, and those seeking a self-contained programme of study in sacred music or planning to pursue doctoral research in the field.

Students will deepen their understanding of the theological and artistic underpinnings of sacred music-making, and, where applicable, will develop their practical skills of sacred music performance and leadership.

The University of St Andrews has a range of unique music facilities for Sacred Music students, including the new state-of-the-art Laidlaw Music Centre. Students will be supported by ITIA and Music Centre staff who have research and practical expertise in sacred music.

Highlights

• Develop skills relevant to your area of specialism in music making (e.g. composition, choral directing, organ, instrumental music in worship) or in music journalism and lecturing.

• Gain insights into the theological and philosophical underpinnings of music in worship, both in the past and in the present day.

• Study at the School of Divinity, based in the ancient St Mary’s College Quad, and at the University of St Andrews Laidlaw Music Centre.

• Receive expert tuition from musicians and scholars working actively in the field of sacred music, including Sir James MacMillan, composer and professor of Theology, Imagination and the Arts.

• Benefit from excellent music resources, including cutting-edge electronic music studios, a purpose-built recital hall, four pipe organs, and the acclaimed St Salvator’s Chapel Choir.

Please see the Course Details section for information: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/subjects/divinity/sacred-music-mlitt/

The programme consists of four taught modules taken over two semesters followed by either a 12,000-word dissertation or a practical project undertaken during the summer.

Assessment comprises a combination of practical and theoretical methods.

Practical assessment methods may include:

• the musical performance of sacred music repertoire
• a performance of originally composed sacred music
• a live lecture presentation on a topic researched during the course.