Composition (Electroacoustic Music and Interactive Media) MusM

Year of entry: 2026

Course length: 12 months Full-Time | 24 Months Part-Time

About the course

Our MusM in electroacoustic composition is based in the NOVARS centre, a state-of-the-art facility which makes Manchester the perfect place to study the subject. The course offers an extensive exploration of the electroacoustic medium, equipping students with knowledge of advanced compositional techniques, methodologies, and associated aesthetics that intersect with technology and various artistic or scientific disciplines. It serves as an excellent foundation for a career as a composer working with technology and audio media and provides the necessary training for envisioning and embarking on interesting PhDs.

Together, the taught units encompass a wide range of topics and approaches, including:

Fixed Media and Interactive Music
Aesthetics and Analysis of Organised Sound
Interactive Tools and Engines
Composition Projects
Advanced Orchestration

These are example course units based on 2025/26 options and are subject to change each year.

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Where will the degree take you?

Our graduates have pursued successful careers in music, media and in the creative industries but also started successful entrepreneurial journeys. This programme is known for its high conversion rate to PhD studies before securing an academic position. Some go on to teach in schools or further education, both in the UK and overseas.

Other popular career routes include composing for film (e.g. for a leading Netflix series), sound designer for a word-leading video game studio in Japan, professional studio engineer, geolocative media spin-outs, music publishing, music journalism, and performance. Careers beyond music included jobs in computer programming, theatre, museums, accountancy, law, social work, and human resources.

Find out more about our graduates >

Rosalía Soria Luz

Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition

Rosalía is a Lecturer in Music Composition based on NOVARS research centre, where she studied her Doctorate. Her research interest include algorithmic composition, multichannel, interactive music and composition for the moving image.

Prof Ricardo Climent

Professor of Interactive Music Composition

Prof Ricardo Climent is a Professor of Interactive Music Composition, where he started NOVARS in 2007 and has served as a director since then.

He has created and promoted research synergies across areas of Interactive Media, Live Game- Audio, Analogue Synthesizers, Audification (Sonification) and Machine Learning for Music.

Sarah Keirle

Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition

Sarah graduated from The University of Manchester with a first class MusB (hons) in Music and in 2019 she completed a Masters in Electroacoustic Composition and Interactive Media. In 2020, Sarah began an AHRC NWCDTP funded PhD in electroacoustic composition at the university and having completed her PhD, she now works as a Lecturer in Electroacoustic Composition.