Songwriting

The MA Songwriting course focuses on honing your songcraft and compositional skill, whilst building a deeper understanding of the commercial landscape. You’ll master core songwriting and composition methodologies, navigate the path from demo to master, refine your production skills, work with producers in professional studios, and generate income streams while developing your critical thinking and research skills to a postgraduate level.  

The course is constructed to focus on three fundamental elements: 

• Your creative output: 

You will craft your compositions and broaden your skills to hone your creative edge. 

• Your business: 

You will understand your product, brand, and market to sharpen your commercial focus. 

• Your career: 

You will gain the confidence and know-how to become a professional in the creative sector. 

This course is approved and awarded by Falmouth University, one of the UK’s leading specialist universities for the creative industries.

This course is designed for musicians, artists and producers aiming to enhance their songwriting skills and develop their commercial and entrepreneurial capabilities. It’s for serious artists looking to dive deeper into the art of songwriting and further explore the commercial viability of their brand. It’s for those looking to refine their songwriting and composition output, hone music technology and production skills, and understand how to leverage their music to improve income potential. 

The 1-year MA Songwriting course consists of 3 study blocks, each of 12 weeks. Your timetable of structured activity is made up of seminars, lectures, 1-1 mentoring and support sessions, for both on-campus and online students, throughout the duration of the course. You’ll get access to all content and materials via WaterBear’s dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and you’ll also be able to participate in tutorials, discussions and meetings remotely, or in person. 

You’ll get the chance to engage with lots of additional activity going on at WaterBear throughout the duration of your course too.  How much you want to get involved with up to you. The Music Industries teams are there to help you with work and career development opportunities, live performance slots, festivals, conferences and industry showcases. There are also social events, clubs and societies, virtual meetups, networking opportunities, development weeks, songwriting camps, masterclasses and various kinds of other activities to explore.  

The MA Songwriting course also includes a residential songwriting camp experience, DAW and slate plug-ins to help fuel creativity. 

You’ll craft your songwriting skills alongside like-minded artists. The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take. Beyond classroom learning (around 4 hours weekly), you’ll have dedicated time to involve yourself with:  

• Professional Studio Sessions: Hone your recording and mixing skills in industry-standard facilities, transforming demos into polished masterpieces.  

• Songwriting Jams: Ignite your creativity alongside fellow musicians in these energising sessions, fuelling collaboration and spontaneous song explorations.  

• In-house Songwriting Bootcamps: These mini-festivals of songwriting provide uninterrupted time to focus, experiment, and push your creative boundaries.  

• Immersive Songwriting Residential: This dedicated getaway gives you the rare opportunity to completely immerse yourself in your art, refine your craft to new heights, and emerge with a portfolio brimming with polished, ready-to-share songs.  

This course is designed to develop songwriting careers in various areas of the music industry, across a wide range of specialisms, including: 

• Music performance and composition 

• Audio production 

• Studio recording 

• Music production and engineering 

• Artist, label and publishing service 

• A&R and artist development 

• Music education 

• Band / artist management 

• Games music composition 

• Film music composition 

Initial applications for the MA Songwriting course can be made via the Apply Now button above. 

We consider all applications on their own merit and potential. We’ll invite you to a 1-1 session, either in person or by video conference. This is where you’ll have the opportunity to find out all about WaterBear and talk about your music, achievements, and career goals. 

Falmouth University Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/student-regulations.

The MA Songwriting 1-year master’s course tuition fee is £11,250. UK residents may be eligible for a postgraduate tuition fee loan. 

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The College may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. For more information on fees and finance, please visit Falmouth’s tuitions fees page here. 

Typically, you’ll have an undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject area and a clear interest in your subject. If you don’t have an honours degree, you may be able to satisfy entry requirements through the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) process. This provides an entry route for those who have a significant amount of music industry-relevant experience but may not have a degree. 

Further academic study routes available include higher level doctoral qualifications (e.g. PhD, EdD, etc.). 

The MA Songwriting course is available to international applicants if they are based in the UK with settled status (no restrictions on how long you can stay). The course is also available to study as an online only option for students located outside of the UK. 

Language Requirements 

If English isn’t your first language, you’ll need to achieve an equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.5 overall score, a minimum of 5.5 in Reading, Writing and Listening, and a minimum of 6.0 in Speaking. We accept a range of equivalent approved tests too. Visit the English Language Requirements page of the Falmouth University website for more information. https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/study/international/english-language-requirements.

In order to get the most out of the MA Songwriting course, it’s essential to have regular access to the resources below. Having your own equipment will provide maximum flexibility for both your college and professional work.  

Essential basics:  

• Your instrument (instrumentalists)  

• Expendables (strings, sticks, picks, leads, etc.)  

• Note-taking materials (pens, notepad, manuscript paper, etc.) (Purchase cost around £20)  

• Computer (desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.) (Purchase cost around £250-£400)  

• DAW software (Purchase cost around £50-£100)  

• Reliable Internet connection  

 We recommend:  

• Computer (laptop / desktop) capable of running DAW, audio interface, plug-ins and A/V processing software (recommended 8-16GB RAM, 7,200 RPM Hard Drive, 8MB buffer, 1TB hard drive (Purchase cost around £600-£800)  

• Reliable, high speed Internet connection  

• Professional DAW software (ProTools, Logic, Cubase, Ableton, etc.) (Purchase cost around £200-£450)  

• External hard drive (Purchase cost around £25-£50)  

• Dynamic microphone(s) (e.g. Shure SM57 / SM58) (Purchase cost around £80-£100)  

• Audio interface (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2) (Purchase cost around £100-£200)
  Headphones (e.g. Sennheiser HD 200, Beyerdynamic DT770) (Purchase cost around £75-£150) 

We offer various scholarships and bursaries, which can be applied for by anyone studying related courses at WaterBear. Our scholarships are reviewed yearly, with applications generally opening 3-6 months prior to the course starting. Scholarship awards generally cover the cost of all course tuition fees.