Music (Composition) (Taught)

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.

MSt
The MSt can serve both as a self-contained course for students wishing to pursue more advanced studies in composition for one year or as an excellent preparation for doctoral research.

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.

Students on the MSt courses in musicology, performance and composition follow a common structure, supported by appropriate individual supervision or tuition in their chosen specialism.

Course structure
In the Michaelmas term there are typically six core topics of study. 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.

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.

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.

The Master of Philosophy in Music (Composition) introduces a broad range of current methodologies and approaches in music scholarship.

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.

Course structure
In the Michaelmas term there are typically six core topics:

• historical musicology

• current trends in music theory

• aesthetics

• the social and cultural study of music

• performance

• composition.

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.

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.

The second year is spent producing coursework, comprising a project and a portfolio (see the Assessment section below for further details). Students will have the opportunity to meet with their supervisor, but will not be expected to attend taught seminars.