54 MA Programs in Music in Europe for 2024

This fascinating introduction to the methods and materials used for music research will suit professionals working in a wide range of music-related settings and is also applicable if you have a leisure interest in music. Your studies will be based in the digital humanities using creative technologies to develop your research skills and critically analyse a variety of musical sources. You'll encounter a number of musical topics, themes and repertoires from different periods and styles – as you engage with Western, non-Western and popular music – and will be able to tailor your studies according to your musical interests.

Our unique MA program in Choral Conducting is directed by Professor Simon Halsey CBE and is in association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and its internationally renowned choruses and conductors. It gives students the opportunity to observe, conduct, and sing every week.

In this programme you will develop an understanding of how humans experience and perceive music, and why so many people love it so much. You will become an expert in several areas of music research, well-versed in various technologies used to study this fascinating topic. Our courses will provide you with valuable skills, transferable to a great number of exciting careers within the broader music, arts and culture sector, as well as academia.

A Master's Popular Music Practice at BIMM is the next step if you want to further develop yourself academically, creatively, and professionally after your degree. This course is available at BIMM Music Institute in the UK (Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester) Ireland (Dublin,) and BIMM University Berlin (Germany). In our campus in Dublin, this course is currently not available to international students that require sponsorship of a Student Route Visa.

Build your practical and theoretical experience in the creative and innovative applications of music technology in a studio environment. This course will give you the skills to take your ambition further and provide you with the confidence to work for major record labels and recording artists across a range of genres.

Pursue your chosen area of interest, desired specialisation or passion project through an iterative practice-based research approach in our Creative Production (Music) MA. Throughout this intense and rewarding production period filled with substantial creative work, you’ll be fully supported by workshops, guest sessions, seminars, individual mentoring and collaboration with a diverse group of peers.

Creative artists make a significant contribution to the sustainability of the creative economy, particularly in rural communities. The MA Music and the Environment provides a foundation for musicians to develop new paths for creative, entrepreneurial, and environmentally responsible endeavors.

These programs are for the truly committed – for those young artists who do have the aim to be on stage regularly. In the instrumental performance, classes were held two times a week through four semesters.

Our Music Business Management MA is highly regarded in both music business education and the industry at large. It will prepare you to become one of the next generations of music industry leaders and entrepreneurs. All teaching staff on the course have comprehensive professional experience or are currently active in the music industry, and industry guests are a cornerstone of our weekly lectures. You'll need to be a self-motivated and open-minded student, as this is an intense course, but one which can help you to progress your career across a wide range of music business disciplines. Working with music industry leaders and organisations, the course has developed a unique curriculum. You'll be able to combine a strong underpinning of key business skills (entrepreneurialism, leadership, organisational management, and marketing) with essential music industry management knowledge (strategic innovation technology, intellectual property and copyright) and academic concepts and theories relevant to the industry today. Teaching is conducted through sessions which each include a formal lecture, industry guest speaker and seminar exercises. Each of the six modules has a minimum of two assignments. The final project (equivalent to three modules) is a report of a minimum of 12,000 words.

Theoretical and practical grounding in the discipline of ethnomusicology, the opportunity to develop performance and ethnographic skills, in-depth study of global musical styles, and a practical understanding of how music can work in the sphere of social development – just some of what you can expect to develop on the MA Music. The programme has three pathways in Ethnomusicology, Development and Performance, tailored for musicians and musicologists, anthropologists and development practitioners, teachers and composers, as well as those dedicated to developing an in-depth knowledge of a specific music tradition. You will study with a world-leading group of ethnomusicologists who are all experts in the musical traditions of Africa and Asia. You will be part of a thriving culture of performance, research and active engagement with music around the globe. The programme will suit those looking for a springboard into further research or employment in a range of music-related fields including journalism, industry, NGOs and education, and often serves as a conversion route for those trained predominantly in western music traditions.

Take your passion for sonic creativity to the next level with our Master’s course in Music and Sound Design. The course will encourage you to be forward-thinking and innovative and will prepare you to respond both technically and creatively to diverse professional industry environments, or for further academic study.

On our Commercial Music MA, you'll build on your current skills and experience whilstfocusing on a particular area of the music industry: Songwriting, Music Production or the Music Business.

he MA Music (Ethnomusicology) introduces a range of methodologies in relation to the study of music in its cultural contexts.

This course is ideal if you have wide musical interests. A core module introduces research methods and a broad range of issues in music. You will be able to choose from an extensive list of option modules, with subjects based on music education, performance, composing for media, and music production.

Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is one of the UK’s leading accredited drama schools, providing dedicated conservatoire training within a purpose-built environment on the University of Surrey campus.