TWO SUBJECT AREAS IN ONE DEGREE


Degree accredited and awarded by

Image

"I can’t recommend this course enough. Being taught by people who are actively working in the industry is essential, because it's constantly changing. I love the programme and I’m proud to have done it."

Thor Bremmer
MFA Video Game Music & Audio graduate

MFA VIDEO GAME & MEDIA COMPOSITION

DUAL PATHWAY POSTGRADUATE MASTERS DEGREE


Flexible online study with personal tuition

Full time – 24 months (30 hours a week)
Part time – 36 months (15 hours a week)
Part time – 48 months (8 hours a week)


Accepting applications for Sep 2024 start. Apply now

As a composer you’ll find more work by being flexible and, as the game industry grows, you’ll find more projects that are able to compete with the blockbuster movie industry. This course equips you with the creative and technical skills to tackle a wide range of film and television projects from feature films to animation, as well as teaching you the technical and creative skills needed to succeed in the rapidly expanding world of video game music.

During this comprehensive Master of Fine Arts degree course, you will cover the skills taught in both our MA Composing for Video Games and MA Professional Media Composition degree courses.


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

Preparing you for the career you deserve

Video games are now a huge sector in the entertainment industry, closely followed by film and television. This course addresses the core composition skills needed to compete in any industry whilst giving you comprehensive training needed to work at a professional level in both video games and linear media music.

On this course, you will learn:

  • To write linear music for feature films, television, animation, as well as game cutscenes and cinematics.
  • To write dynamic music for video games required for interactive gameplay driven by the player’s choices
  • To produce professional quality demos and sampled mockups
  • Collaborative and remote working skills, which are vital in such a connected global industry.
  • To use Wwise to implement your music interactively in fully functional Unity games, many specially designed or licenced for the course - including commercial releases.
  • The technical aspects of writing to picture, including spotting the film, working with hit points and markers, and responding to feedback by professional composers.

TAUGHT BY working INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS

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 doing the teaching.

Game and film composition credits include:

  • Call of Duty Infinite War
  • League of Legends
  • Batman Arkham Knight
  • Forza Horizon 2
  • Resident Evil
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Need For Speed Shift
  • Walking Dead Assault
  • Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
  • Die Hard 4
  • Angry Birds
  • Pokémon Movies
  • Robot Chicken

They’ve worked for every major film and game studio and networks and production companies including Blizzard, Nintendo, Frontier, 2K Games, Disney, Dreamworks, Marvel, Netflix and many others.

See All THINKSPACE Teaching Staff

GUY MICHELMORE

Composer / CEO
(Marvel, Disney, Dreamworks, Lionsgate)

ALYX JONES

Sound Designer, Composer (Liquid Violet, Sound Architect)

SPENCER BAMBRICK

Sound Designer, Composer (BestLuck, Enyx Studios, Batch 17)

FRANK PETREIKIS

Composer, Sound Design (Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition)

RICHARD WILKINSON

Games Composer (Peaky Blinders: The King's Random, Narcos)

DANA KYLE

Composer, Songwriter (The Walking Dead, Agents of Shield)

MATTHEW BESIER

Sound Designer, Engineer (Mass Effect series, Dragon Age: Origins)

ROSS TREGENZA

Sound Designer, Composer (Alien Vs. Predator, Gears of War)

JAMIE CHRISTOPHERSON

Composer (Fortnite, The Lord Of The Rings: Battle Of Middle Earth )

"I love that ThinkSpace only hires tutors that are actively working in the industry... It's really forward thinking"

Thor Bremmer
MFA Video Game Music & Audio graduate

LEARN EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

Your course falls into twelve modules plus a final major project which lasts three months. Each module focuses on a different area of media composition and orchestration, while at the same time developing specific compositional, technical and 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.

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.

UNSURE ABOUT STUDYING ONLINE?

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."

FLEXIBLE Schedules TO 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 – 24 months (30 hours a week)
Part time – 36 months (15 hours a week)
Part time – 48 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.

Learn more about SCHEDULES

FinancING

Price for the whole degree:

£16,750

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

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.


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

Need some advice? Or just want to talk music? We’re always here to lend a professional ear.

postgraduate@thinkspace.ac.uk

+44 (0)1243 256049