At University of Victoria in Victoria, Canada, Composition: Master of Music (MMus) is offered as a master's degree in Music programme. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 2,857 per semester (CAD 2,265 per semester for local students).
This two-year Master of Music in Composition centres on a thesis composition developed under faculty supervision, supported by seminars in music theory, musicology, and music technology. The program emphasizes experimentation and theoretical rigour across instrumental, improvisational, and new-media composition, while building students' ability to situate their music historically and culturally. A supervisor is matched to each student after admission based on research fit, and the program explicitly welcomes composers from diverse backgrounds into its cohort. Applicants submit a one- to two-page statement covering their background and goals as a composer or scholar, plus links to scores and recordings or a mailed flash drive, with applications for the September intake due December 15. Related programs include Musicology at both the MA and PhD level, giving composition graduates a further research pathway within the same School of Music.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The School of Music's Composition MMus requires a one- to two-page statement outlining the applicant's musical background and goals, plus links to scores and recordings or a flash drive submission; applicants do not need to secure a supervisor before applying. Beyond that, the Faculty of Graduate Studies' general master's requirements apply: completion of a four-year bachelor's degree, or equivalent, and the equivalent of a minimum ‘B’ average over the last two years of that degree. English proficiency follows UVic's institution-wide scale: IELTS Academic overall 6.5 with no band under 6.0, or TOEFL iBT overall 4.5 with no section under 4.0 for tests taken after 21 January 2026 (90 overall/20 per section on tests taken before that date); PTE Academic, CAEL, Cambridge C1 Advanced/C2 Proficiency and the Michigan English Test are also accepted, individual departments may set higher minimums, and scores cannot be more than two years old.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC, which opens for 2027-entry applications on 1 October 2026: most degree programmes see September 2027 entry close 31 January 2027, January 2027 entry close 30 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry close 31 March 2027, though Teacher Education post-degree programmes close 2 January 2027, Indigenous Education post-degree admits on an ongoing basis, and Engineering's Summer entry (high-school graduates only) closes 31 December 2026. International applicants use the same portal and face identical dates, since UVic publishes no separate international deadline. UVic treats these as fixed annual dates rather than rolling admission, though it warns any programme can close early without notice. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
