Music Technology - MMus / PgCert / PgDip
Currently viewing course to start in 2026/27 Entry.
The principal aim of our Master of Music (MMus) course is to provide you with knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in your chosen branch(es) of the music profession, giving you a head-start in addressing the challenges involved in becoming a professional musician....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time
- Award MMus / PgCert / PgDip
- Start date September 2026
- Fees View course fees
- Subjects
- Location Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
The principal aim of our Master of Music (MMus) course is to provide you with knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed in your chosen branch(es) of the music profession, giving you a head-start in addressing the challenges involved in becoming a professional musician.
The course is suitable for both recent graduates and suitably qualified mature students, with a range of support to ensure that you leave Royal Birmingham Conservatoire ready to pursue a musical career.
A distinctive feature of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s postgraduate provision is that it will give you the opportunity to make choices within your course directly relevant to your future career aspirations, both within your Principal Study area and in your supporting studies. All MMus and PgDip routes include a core Career Development module designed to get you thinking about your future professional plans, and a broad menu of optional Professional Development modules designed to help you work towards achieving your personal career aspirations. You will also take a core module designed to develop your skills as a researcher or informed practitioner.
You will have the opportunity to study in one of several Principal Study areas, most of which are also offered at PgDip or PgCert level.
We also offer the opportunity to study for an MMus via our 12-month route. To be eligible for this route, applicants must be able to show evidence of an extremely high level of achievement in the Principal Study area and a strong academic record at undergraduate level (or equivalent). If you are interested in the 12-month route, please email an initial enquiry about your potential eligibility to conservatoire.admissions@bcu.ac.uk, as it is not possible to apply for this route via UCAS.
Music Technology pathway
This pathway offers an exciting opportunity for composers and composer-performers to experiment with and develop expertise in the creative application of established and new music technologies.
You will be based in our £57-million Conservatoire building, which features our Concert Hall, 150-seat Recital Hall, more than 70 practice rooms, ensemble rooms and workshops, seven recording studios, editing, and mastering suites, and our black-box performance space known as The Lab. All our spaces are acoustically designed to provide a world-class music-making environment.
We also benefit from being part of Birmingham City University’s, which provides many opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary projects.
What's covered in this course?
- Regular individual tuition in your Principal Study area from leading UK and internationally renowned performers, practitioners, teachers, and researchers.
- Bespoke support classes in musicianship and repertoire.
- The opportunity to participate in a wide variety of creative projects, including interdisciplinary collaborations.
- Frequent opportunities to perform, both within Departmental activities and in concerts.
- Access to forums, seminars and masterclasses with distinguished visiting artists, composers, and performers.
- Access to the Conservatoire’s broad range of ensemble activities, including chamber music, operatic productions, Brass Band, Wind Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, ‘Repertoire’ and ‘Pops’ Orchestras, Thallein (Contemporary Music) Ensemble, and the Folk Ensemble.
- The opportunity to tailor your course to your individual needs through wide-ranging Professional Development modules.
- A chance to network with leading professionals from around the world.
Students at Royal Birmingham Conservative are benefiting from an innovative new scheme which will allow them to gain hands-on experience working alongside an experienced recording artist.
Sara Colman
Open Day
Join us on campus where you'll be able to explore our facilities and accommodation in person, and chat to staff and students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Next Open Day: 12 June 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
UK students should normally hold an honours degree, ideally but not necessarily in Music.
Non-UK students should hold a Bachelor's degree or a similar degree-equivalent diploma, ideally but not necessarily in Music.
Applicants for most Principal Study areas will be auditioned live, but some will require you to submit a portfolio in addition to or instead of a live audition/interview. For full audition requirements and audition advice, please visit the Music Auditions section of the Conservatoire website.
Applying with international qualifications
See below for further information on applying as an international student.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MMus
Starting: Sep 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 2 years
- £12,880 in 2026/27
- Apply via UCAS
- Part Time
- 3 years
- £2,147 per 20 credit module
- Apply via UCAS
Award: PgCert
Starting: Sep 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 1 year
- Show fees
- Apply via UCAS
- £2147 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 60 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
Award: PgDip
Starting: Sep 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £12,880 in 2026/27
- Apply via UCAS
- Part Time
- 2 years*
- Show fees
- Apply via UCAS
- £2147 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 60 credits
- Year 2 - 60 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MMus
Starting: Sep 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 2 years
- £28,460 in 2026/27
- Apply via UCAS
Award: PgDip
Starting: Sep 2026
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £28,460 in 2026/27
- Apply via UCAS
*Part-time fees
Your fees are charged per 20 credits, depending on the number of credits studied in each year. The fee table above outlines recommended credit loads in each year; if you choose to study a different credit load, please be aware that your fees will be charged accordingly.
Professional Placement option
The Professional Placement version of the course is optional and is offered as an alternative to the standard version of the course. However, it is not possible to apply for direct entry to the Professional Placement version of the course since the decision to transfer may only be taken after consultation with your course tutors and after successfully completing at least 120 credits.
Completing a 20-week Professional Placement towards the end of your Masters degree enables you to further improve your employability skills which will, through the placement experience, allow you to evidence your professional skills, attitudes and behaviours at the point of entry to the postgraduate job market. Furthermore, by completing the Professional Placement, you will be able to develop and enhance your understanding of the professional work environment, relevant to your chosen field of study, and reflect critically on your own professional skills development within the workplace.
You will be responsible for finding and securing your own placement. The University, however, will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. You will also benefit from support sessions delivered by Careers+ as well as advice and guidance from your School.
Placements will only be confirmed following a competitive, employer-led selection process, therefore the University will not be able to guarantee placements for students who have registered for the ‘with Professional Placement’ course. All students who do not find a suitable placement or do not pass the competitive selection process will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that tuition fees are payable during your placement period.
Completing your application
Further information on writing your personal statement can be found on the UCAS Conservatoires website.
Course in Depth
PG Cert
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete one of the following CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):
This module enables you, as a postgraduate Music Technologist, to advance your training in your specialist area. For MMus students, it provides a prelude to the further advancement of your training in the Principal Study 2: Music Technology module.
This module is focused entirely on your continued growth as a Creative Music Technologist. The skills developed will be specific to your own interests, but are likely to include a combination of composition utilising technology, performing with technology, interactive music technology, programming, recording, production, mixing and mastering.
PG Dip
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete the following CORE module (totalling 60 credits):
This module enables you, as a postgraduate Music Technologist, to advance your training in your specialist area. For MMus students, it provides a prelude to the further advancement of your training in the Principal Study 2: Music Technology module.
This module is focused entirely on your continued growth as a Creative Music Technologist. The skills developed will be specific to your own interests, but are likely to include a combination of composition utilising technology, performing with technology, interactive music technology, programming, recording, production, mixing and mastering.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 20 credits):
Members of the music profession require not only high-level specialist skills but also the ability to target those skills strategically to different circumstances. This module focuses on a range of different aspects of a musician’s professional development that directly relate to the music industry and their preparation for it: from self-promotion and self-management, to funding and wellbeing. It is thus central to a programme which aims to prepare you for a career as a musician in the 21st century.
It requires you, near the beginning of your postgraduate studies, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. Weekly workshops, delivered by internal staff and external professionals, will focus on the practicalities of a career in music, providing you with a better insight into the industry you will be entering, as well as encouraging you to be self-reflective about your own personal and professional development needs.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 40 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
Each module listed is worth 20 credits.
- Concepts in Musicology
- Contemporary Music Concepts and Practice
- Music Technology in Performance
- Critical Editing Techniques
- Documentation
- Experimental Performance in Context(s)
- Historical Instrument Performance
- Historical Performance Practice
- Independent Scholarship in Music
- Music and Ideas
- Music Technology in Context
- Orchestration
- Performing and Producing in the Studio
- Professional Music Criticism
- Self-Promotion Project
- Teaching Matters: Principles and Practice
- Work Placement
- Writing Music for Media
- Conference Paper
- Preparation for Research
- Music, Community and Wellbeing (BMus module)
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
MMus
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete THREE CORE modules (totalling 140 credits):
Members of the music profession require not only high-level specialist skills but also the ability to target those skills strategically to different circumstances. This module focuses on a range of different aspects of a musician’s professional development that directly relate to the music industry and their preparation for it: from self-promotion and self-management, to funding and wellbeing. It is thus central to a programme which aims to prepare you for a career as a musician in the 21st century.
It requires you, near the beginning of your postgraduate studies, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. Weekly workshops, delivered by internal staff and external professionals, will focus on the practicalities of a career in music, providing you with a better insight into the industry you will be entering, as well as encouraging you to be self-reflective about your own personal and professional development needs.
This module enables you, as a postgraduate Music Technologist, to advance your training in your specialist area. For MMus students, it provides a prelude to the further advancement of your training in the Principal Study 2: Music Technology module.
This module is focused entirely on your continued growth as a Creative Music Technologist. The skills developed will be specific to your own interests, but are likely to include a combination of composition utilising technology, performing with technology, interactive music technology, programming, recording, production, mixing and mastering.
This module enables you, as a postgraduate Music Technologist, to continue to advance your training in your specialist area, and thus provides professionally-relevant experience. It builds on the technical and creative skills acquired in the Principal Study 1: Music Technology module, encouraging a greater maturity of approach, the development of an individual voice and personal aesthetic, and a consistently professional approach to presentation.
This module is focused entirely on your continued growth as a Creative Music Technologist. The skills developed will be specific to your own interests, but are likely to include a combination of composition utilising technology, performing with technology, interactive music technology, programming, recording, production, mixing and mastering.
In order to complete this course, a student must successfully complete at least 100 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules:
-
THREE Professional Development modules (20 credits each), and
-
ONE MMus optional module (40 credits)
Each module listed is worth 20 credits.
- Concepts in Musicology
- Contemporary Music Concepts and Practice
- Music Technology in Performance
- Critical Editing Techniques
- Documentation
- Experimental Performance in Context(s)
- Historical Instrument Performance
- Historical Performance Practice
- Independent Scholarship in Music
- Music and Ideas
- Music Technology in Context
- Orchestration
- Performing and Producing in the Studio
- Professional Music Criticism
- Self-Promotion Project
- Teaching Matters: Principles and Practice
- Work Placement
- Writing Music for Media
- Conference Paper
- Preparation for Research
- Music, Community and Wellbeing (BMus module)
- Research Project
- Critical Edition
- Lecture-Recital
- The Reflective Practioner
- There are two pathways through this module: 1. Professional Placement, and 2. Creative Interdisciplinary Artist.
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Course structure
Whichever course you choose, work in the Principal Study area lies at its heart. For Music Technologists, the Principal Study modules each culminate in a portfolio of original creative music technology work. Preparation of this is supported by individual specialist tuition, as well as by departmental activities.
If you are a MMus or PgDip student you will take a Career Development module, which will require you, near the beginning of your course, to reflect ambitiously yet realistically on your professional aspirations, and to formulate a plan that helps you stand the best chance of achieving your goals. You will also choose, in addition, some Professional Development Options from a varied list.
Part-time options
There is some room for negotiation in how the course unfolds for a part-time MMus student over three years, or in the case of part-time PgDip students, over two years.
Student stories – Luke Aziz
I made the decision to return to education to study a Masters in Music Technology in order to strengthen my portfolio and gain more experience in the area. The Conservatoire has some of the most talented musicians in the country working there as well as excellent facilities, so I felt it would be a brilliant place to help me move forward in the field and hopefully make some contacts for the future!
I'm studying a one-year intensive course, so I get a lot of one-to-one sessions with the tutors which is really helpful. All the lecturers have such a huge enthusiasm for the subject, it makes it really interesting and really brings Music Technology to life. It’s obvious that the staff really love their subject and are very knowledgeable in the area, so it's great for me to be able to learn from them. There are also opportunities with external lecturers who are currently working in the Music Industry, which means I actually learn straight from the people that are directly involved in the field I want to end up working in.
Employability
Our courses attract good applicants and we work our students very hard. This makes them very employable, as well as making them suitable for further study and research.
Our graduates go on to a wide range of destinations including audio dubbing, game music, live sound, mix engineering, mastering, equipment design, theatre sound, broadcast audio, music production, media composition, media production, radio production, sound design, record label management, education and research, as well as recording studios all over the world.
Facilities & Staff
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s £57 million music building opened in September 2017, and is located on Birmingham City University’s City Centre Campus in the Eastside ‘learning quarter’ of the city.
This state-of-the-art music facility includes five public performance venues – a 440-seat Concert Hall, 150-seat Recital Hall, Organ Studio, Eastside Jazz Club and the experimental black box performance venue known as The Lab. As well as these stunning performance venues, we have nearly 100 practice spaces, including 70 small practice rooms and larger ensemble rooms and workshops.
Our home is the first conservatoire built in the digital age, and as such it has been vital to ensure that the technical infrastructure installed is on par with any advanced commercial facility. We have seven recording studios, a mastering suite, a distance learning hub, and all of our performance venues feature high specification audio-visual equipment that enables interconnectivity and advanced functionality throughout the building.
These impressive modern facilities guarantee that we are able to excel in our unique dual purpose of providing the highest standard of music education deserved by our students, as well as meeting our role as a concert and performance venue for the people of Birmingham, taking our place in the vibrant cultural landscape of the UK’s second city.
Our staff
Dr Luan Shaw
Associate Professor (Music Education), Director of Postgraduate Studies (Music), and Associate Head of Junior Conservatoire
Dr Luan Shaw is Associate Professor (Music Education) and Director of Postgraduate Studies (Music) at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where she has taught since 2011. She is also Associate Head of the Junior Department and leads Pedagogy provision across BMus 4 and postgraduate courses. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education...
More about LuanDr Simon Hall
Head of Music Technology
Simon's musical interests are wide-ranging, which is reflected in his variety of work. He is an active composer, producer, recording engineer and bass trombone player as well as educator. He has worked across a range of genres in a range of capacities, with artists as diverse as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Pierre Boulez, Louis Andriessen and Heiner...
More about Simon