Degree accredited and awarded by

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"The mentorship was really important to me; the feedback has been priceless. It also helps when your mentor is the person that inspires you to do well."

Maria Lui
Course graduate

MA PROFESSIONAL MEDIA COMPOSITION

POSTGRADUATE MASTERS DEGREE


Flexible online film scoring Masters with personal tuition

Full time – 12 months (30 hours a week)
Part time – 24 months (15 hours a week)
Part time – 36 months (8 hours a week)

Accepting applications for Sep 2024 start. Apply now

The MA Professional Media Composition goes beyond traditional film scoring Masters, equipping students with comprehensive skills for a variety of media. You'll learn how to compose for films, television, trailers, documentaries, animation, games, library music and more. The program combines hands-on projects reflecting real industry demands with lessons from working media composers. This course caters to all musical talents, focusing on composing marketable music, producing demos, and mastering film scoring technicalities.

Graduates not only earn a prestigious, university-accredited Masters degree but also gain access to ThinkSpace's Employment Support Programme – a launchpad for successful careers in the industry.


INTERESTED?

Register for more information about this course and studying with ThinkSpace Education.

Have questions? Our friendly team are here to help. Complete the form above, email us or call us on +44 (0)1243 256 049

THE PRACTICAL FILM SCORING MASTERS

The course is extremely practical and you will spend most of your time working on real world projects. Completely refreshed in 2023, the course materials are brand new and exclusive to our Masters programme.

We’re not just looking for orchestral composers. Electronic musicians, guitarists, experimental composers are all more than welcome.

On this course, you will learn to:

  • Write music that today’s market wants to buy.
  • Compose in a wide range of styles using different technical and creative approaches.
  • Produce professional quality demos and sampled mockups.
  • Develop a unique voice of your own so you can stand out from the crowd.
  • Bring your music up to date and explore new styles and techniques.
  • Learn the technical aspects of writing to picture, spotting the film, working with hit points and more.
  • Develop research and critical thinking skills to help you put media music in context.

Learn from working film composers

Our teaching staff and mentors are all current working professionals, many involved at the highest level in the business.

Here are a few of the many who will be giving you individual feedback, either in writing, during weekly one to one mentoring sessions, or at the student workshops. This doesn’t include visiting lecturers – these are the people that will be doing the teaching.

Their composition credits include:

  • Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
  • Iron Man Armoured Adventures
  • Die Hard 4
  • Angry Birds
  • Pokémon Movies
  • Robot Chicken
  • Batman: Arkham Origins and hundreds more

They work for almost every major film and game studio, TV networks and production company, including Disney, Dreamworks, Marvel, Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros, Sky, BBC, ITV, NBC, ABC and many others.

See All THINKSPACE Teaching Staff

GUY MICHELMORE

Composer & ThinkSpace CEO (Marvel, Disney, Dreamworks, Lionsgate)

EMILY RICE

Composer & Orchestrator
(Tomb Raider, The Mummy, Star Trek: Discovery)

DOUGLAS BLACK HEATON

Composer (Angry Birds, Nadiya's British Food Adventure)

ARHYNN DESCY

Composer & Pianist (Acclaimed music educator, Ivor Novello Award judge)

KEVIN MANTHEI

Composer & Orchestrator
(Batman: Gotham Knight, Resident Evil, Deep Impact)

JONNY YATES

Composer & Pianist (Commercials for Santander, McLaren, British Airways, NHS)

A comprehensive film scoring curriculum

Your course consists of six modules and a final major project. Each module focuses on a different area of the media music industries or a specific set of creative, technical or business skills.

Media composers are required to compose in a very wide range of styles. While most composers have a home style in which they can write fluently, being able to achieve the same level of fluency in a new style takes insight, skill, and practice. It requires a significant amount of research, analysis, and critical thinking to uncover the elements that make any particular style of music effective.

This analytical thinking, when focussed on their own music, helps to develop a self-critical sense of objectivity which is an important part of mastering new genres and new areas of work. In this module we first explain how some common styles work and then ask students to reproduce and extend work in a given style.

WHAT COURSE ALUMNI SAY

"I chose ThinkSpace because the course tutors all work in the industry themselves. The skills I'm learning as a composer are right up there.

James Wedlock
Course graduate

"I needed to learn everything – fast! With ThinkSpace, I was able to learn exactly what I want to learn, in the way I wanted to learn it."

Maria Lui
Course graduate

FLEXIBLE Schedules THAT FIT AROUND YOUR LIFE

We offer three different schedules so you can pick which best fits around your life. It is also possible to switch between these schedules at certain points during the degree, should you find that that you have more or less time available than you anticipated. You can also pause your degree altogether if life gets in the way.

Full time – 12 months (30 hours a week)
Part time – 24 months (15 hours a week)
Part time – 36 months* (8 hours a week)

Please note that these weekly hours are estimates based on previous years' students. It will vary from student to student, depending on your rate of work. These times estimates include every element of the course: live workshops, one-to-one tutorials, reading and watching the course materials, and time spent on assignment projects. (*36 month option not available to UK students on a postgraduate student loan)

Learn more about SCHEDULES

FinancING

Price for the whole degree:

£11,750

You will be invoiced in instalments at the start of each term. (For courses lasting longer than 12 months, please budget for an annual inflation linked increase on the remaining balance of fees, based on UK RPI, capped at 8%.)

UK and International students pay the same. (For those paying in other currencies, the exact price is subject to exchange rate fluctuation).

STUDENT LOANS

In parts of the UK you can apply for the following student loans to cover postgraduate tuition:
- Up to £12,167 in England. More info
- Up to £18,770 in Wales. More info
- Up to £6,500 in Northern Ireland. More info

PAY-AS-YOU-LEARN OPTIONS

We offer interest-free payment plans, where you can spread the cost of your course across the duration of your studies. The payment plan you are on depends on the schedule you are on. You will be required to pay a deposit upon enrolling.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FINANCING

HELPING YOU SECURE YOUR FIRST ROLE

This degree not only equips you with the necessary skills for your desired career but also offers valuable assistance in securing a great job once you graduate. Our optional Employment Support Programme (ESP) is provided to graduates of this degree at no extra cost.
 
This bootcamp-style program helps you enhance your demo reel, refine your website, build your professional network, identify job prospects, and improve your pitching abilities. Through a combination of live workshops, video tutorials, and course materials, it provides you with the essential support, training, and motivation required to embark on the fulfilling career you deserve.

UNSURE ABOUT STUDYING ONLINE WIth THINKSPACE?

Concerned about feeling disconnected or lacking individual attention from home? Don't worry. Our online music campus connects you with fellow students, industry alumni, tutors, and professionals across the globe. There's always someone to assist, offer advice, provide encouragement, or share work opportunities.

Discover what our degree alumni have to say about their connected experience with ThinkSpace, the friends they've made, and the networks they've built.

"I love the community. I've made friends for life and I look forward to working with many of them in the future."


accredited by Arts University Bournemouth

Your degree is accredited and awarded by our academic partner, Arts University Bournemouth (AUB). Home to the prestigious Bournemouth Film School – whose alumni include film director Edgar Wright (Baby Driver) and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) – AUB is a public university on the south coast of England. Its history dates back to the 1880s.

AUB provide academic oversight across our degrees, which are subject to the same rigorous quality checks as degrees taught by all UK universities.

How to apply

To make an initial application you will need to fill out the application form, write a short cover letter and provide a few examples of your music / sound design. You will find a detailed explanation of the process on the applications page.

You do not require a high level of music theory for this course, just the ability to write great music and lots of potential.

Start your application

"Am I good enough?"

We are asked this question all the time and we’re happy to help and advise. Get in touch and we'll discuss your musical ambitions and ask for some examples of your work. Then we can tell you where you stand. Simply complete the form below, email us or call +44 (0)1243 256 049.


Frequently Asked Questions

For more FAQs, and more information please visit the Applications & FAQsStudent Finance and Study With ThinkSpace pages.

have a question? contact us

Have questions or need some advice? Just drop us a line or give us a call.

postgraduate@thinkspace.ac.uk

+44 (0)1243 256049