About Music Composition (m.phil.) in Trinity College Dublin

Started in the academic year 2012-13, the Music Department is offering a one-year M.Phil. in Music Composition to cater for the growing demand for graduate studies of international standing in the area of Composition. Apart from one-on-one mentorship in composition itself, students will take courses in among others, contemporary composition techniques, experimental music theatre and contemporary opera, film music aesthetics, composition with digital technology.  The  M.Phil. in Composition course is  providing a backbone of activity for the Music Composition Centre, part of Trinity’s  initiative in Creative Arts, Technology and Culture. The MPhil Composers collaborate throughout the year with our associated musicians in residence and present their work in collaboration with our musicians at the MPhil in Composition Graduate Show.

Course Content:   The course consists of:  6 compulsory taught modules spread across two semesters (60 ECTS).  Each compulsory module is worth 10 ECTS. The compulsory modules are  Contemporary Music Studies, Composition with Digital Technology, History and Theory of Film Music, Contemporary Opera/Experimental Music Theatre,

Dissertation Module (30 ECTS). The dissertation module consists of two components: (a) final portfolio of composition, and (b) an accompanying thesis of around 3.000  words. The final portfolio of compositions must have a performing duration of between 20-35 minutes. Portfolios with longer performance times will also be accepted, but these must be agreed in advance with the course director. Students will work on developing their portfolio and accompanying thesis in conjunction with an assigned supervisor. The accompanying thesis should deal with the structure, aesthetics and methods used by the candidate in the act of composition. The thesis should demonstrate a good knowledge of the context surrounding the candidate’s work, and in doing so should engage with history, criticism.

Academic qualification equivalents

• Hold at least a 2.1 honors degree from an Irish university or equivalent result from a university in another country.

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS:(academic version) 6.5 (no individual band below 6)
• TOEFL : Paper-based 570 (with a TWE score of 4.5)  Computer-based 230 (with a score of 4.5 in essay)  Internet-based 90 (with a written score of 21)
• PTE: Academic a minimum score of 63 (with no Communication Skills section score below 59)

Trinity College Dublin highlight

Trinity College Dublin Cost of Attendance

It is important for all hopefuls who want to attend Trinity to organise their finances well in advance. To help with this, the breakdown of the cost of living in Ireland for college students is as follows:

Tuition Fee

Fee for various courses available at the institute at different levels for the year 2021 is as compiled below.

Cost of Living

The average cost of living is 13,800 USD per annum and is affected majorly by the type of accommodation opted.