MA Creative Music Production
ONLINE POSTGRADUATE MASTERS DEGREE
(Formerly MA Songwriting & Music Production)
Flexible study with personal tuition
Apply now
Taught by industry professionals with tens of millions of streams to their name, MA Creative Music Production will bring out the best in you as a contemporary artist. It will also equip you to keep reinventing your musical approach long after you have graduated.
You will learn core skills including music production, mixing, songwriting and composition, and then will choose elective modules that give you genre-specific tutorials based on your music and goals. There is support for marketing, promotion, music business and other key skills needed to build a strong career.
We’ll also take you a step further with free support after you graduate in the form of our Employment Support Program – a launchpad for your future career.
Preparing you for the career you deserve
If you are looking for either a Masters in songwriting or a Masters in music production, this course will combine the best of both and help guide you towards a creative and fulfilling career.
You’ll study with world-class professionals: musicians, producers, artists and songwriters – and we’ll help take your music to a new level.
The course is designed to do two main things:
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To raise the creative and technical quality of your songs or music to a professional, commercial level. Whether it's mixing and mastering, structuring your music or the practical everyday application of advanced music theory, we will help you maximise your creative and commercial potential.
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To teach you to become more critically self-aware of the strengths and weaknesses of your own music and to collaborate with and exchange constructive criticism with other musicians, composers and songwriters.
We call this process reflect and refresh, a cycle of innovation and constant improvement that is familiar to all at the forefront of the industry.
You will be taught and mentored by professionals currently working in the industry, ensuring you receive up-to-date knowledge and expertise. Between them, our tutors work for Disney, Dreamworks, Marvel, Netflix, Universal, Warner Bros, Sky, the BBC, and many others. Below is a selection of the tutors on this course. There are also regular guest lecturers from across the industry. You will learn from your tutors in live webinars, group music review sessions, personal one-to-one sessions, and through written feedback on your music.
Phil Larsen
Grammy Award-winning Music Producer
Kylie Minogue
Swedish House Mafia
Irwin Sparkes
Songwriter, Guitarist & Singer
The Hoosiers
White Tail Falls
Allison Piccioni
Composer & Orchestrator
Graceland
First Dates
White Collar
Konstantine Pope
Music Producer
Has worked with BBC, Ubisoft, ITV, Square Enix, Deep Silver & More
Charlotte Raven
Composer & Recording Artist
Bones (Debut Album)
Spike Island EP
jo QUAIL
Songwriting & Music Production
Worked with Myrkur, My Dying Bride, Poppy Ackroyd & Caspian
Jocelyn “Phonewifey” Campbell
Composer & Producer
Good Riddance
Ibiza: The Silent Movie
Chris Rockall
Music Marketing & Promotion
Island Records
Universal/ Motown
Gwen Taylor
Singer, Songwriter & Instrumentalist
Glastonbury
Ella Walker
Songwriter & Musician
Michael Kiwanuka
Danger Mouse
RHODES
Course CONTRIBUTORS
KRISTOFER MURRAY
Ty Dollar $ign
Chrisette Michele
Bryan-Michael Cox
BILLY DECKER
Country Producer & Mixer
Billy Ray Cyrus
Sam Hunt
Chris Young
Leighton Allen
Calum Scott
The Hoosiers
Kelvin Jones
LILLIAN CHAN
Songwriter & Producer
Founder of DYNA & LDN with single "Beam" EP
James Grover
Composer, Songwriter & Vocal Producer
Worked with Beth Mills, We Architects
Frank turner
Singer/Songwriter
Undefeated
No Man's Land
Be More Kind
Martin Hadley
Empty
Suddenly
You Know When To Laugh
Aaron Gillespie
Vocalist & Drummer
Paramore
Underoath
The Dangerous Summer
This module sets the foundation upon which the rest of the course is built. It will introduce students to a new methodology of critical thinking with regards to their musical goals and how to achieve them through a process of consistent reflection, research, analysis, repetition and improvement.
In this module you will learn to:
- Critically evaluate your work.
- Learn techniques to write and produce coherent and well arranged music.
"Being taught by industry professionals gives you knowledge you probably can't get in any other way. Not only is this inspiring, but it also gives you practical, applicable 'real world' knowledge. You learn how to work in professional situations and it gives you confidence."
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.
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
FinancING
Fees are set in pounds sterling so may be subject to exchange rate fluctuations for those outside the UK.
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%.
STUDENT LOANS
In the UK you can apply for the following student loans to cover or contribute towards postgraduate tuition fee :
- 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
- Up to £7,000 in Scotland. 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.
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). 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 or sound design.
"Am I good enough?"
We expect you to have a competent knowledge of one Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). You need to be able to write music fluently and productively. We anticipate students joining with flaws in their work, but we need you to have a strong starting point so we can help elevate you to a professional level.
We recommend booking a one-to-one chat with one of our course advisors. As ThinkSpace Masters graduates themselves, then can take a listen to some of your work and tell you where you stand.
REGISTER FOR MORE INFORMATION
Register below to receive further information by email, and get notified about upcoming online Open Days, events and deadlines.
Have a question? We'd love to hear from you.
+44 (0)1243 256049 (UK-based number)
SCHEDULE A CHAT WITH A COURSE ADVISOR
We recommend booking an informal audio or video chat with one of our friendly course advisors. You can discuss your goals and time commitments, and learn about your different options for subjects, schedules and financing.
They can also review some examples of your music and let you know if you're ready for a Masters. If you're not quite there yet, they'll suggest some practical next steps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Masters degrees
MFA MUSIC PRODUCTION AND MEDIA COMPOSITION
This course will train and prepare you for a career as a media composer or contemporary artist, focussing on the creative and technical skills required to thrive in both industries. You will cover the skills taught in both our MA Creative Music Production and MA Professional Media Composition degrees.
MFA MUSIC PRODUCTION AND ORCHESTRATION
The orchestra can always be found in the world of commercial music in some form and can be used to great effect. This program will give you the contemporary songwriting and production skills you need to build a strong career, and also the technical and creative skills required to utilise the full capabilities of an orchestral ensemble.