Music, MM Concentration
Music Composition
Elevate your compositional expertise through mentorship, collaboration, and bold creative exploration.
Program Overview
The Master of Music in Composition includes courses in analytical techniques, music theory pedagogy, and musicology as well as private composition lessons. This concentration is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced studies in music composition. Students in this program can choose to do either a thesis, or a lecture-recital/multimedia presentation about their final composition. Graduates of this program are qualified to pursue careers as composers, to become teachers of music composition-related subjects on the college level and to pursue doctoral study in music composition.
Why study Music Composition?
- Weekly private composition lessons with faculty mentors
- Opportunities to have original works performed and recorded
- Courses in orchestration, counterpoint, notation, and electronic music
- Access to electronic music studios and recording technology
- Collaborative projects with performers, ensembles, and other composers
- A culminating thesis and recital featuring your original compositions
What can you do with a Music Composition concentration after graduation?
Graduates of the MM in Music Composition pursue careers as:
- Composers for concert, film, TV, and multimedia
- University and K-12 music educators
- Music arrangers or orchestrators
- Arts administrators or composers-in-residence
- Doctoral students in composition or related fields
Featured Courses
Specific courses are dependent on the student’s MM concentration. Visit our Graduate Degree Requirements for more information.
MUTC 520 Film Scoring
Development of basic musical and technological skills required to compose music for use with visual media. Projects may include a theme for a television program, an introductory theme for a film, music for a pre-existing action scene, music for a pre-existing commercial, and music for a short film or animation. Also includes an overview of masterpieces of media scoring.
MUTC 511 Data Driven Soundscapes
Variable topics in music generation, using Supercollider. Includes the generation of music informed by data, the exploration of the potential of using algorithms to generate sound, the basics of Supercollider, and the incorporation of data into the music generation process.
Meet the Faculty
Our award-winning composition faculty are internationally recognized for their innovative work across concert music, multimedia, and interdisciplinary collaboration. With active careers as composers, they bring real-world insight and global perspective to the classroom, mentoring students through every stage of their creative development.
Andrew Sigler
Area Coordinator of Music Theory, Composition, and Technology; Associate Professor of Music Composition
Admissions and Aid
Choosing the right university to pursue an advanced music degree is an important decision and a significant investment. We want to make sure that you have the information you need to both apply and make attending UT affordable.
There is a Theory/Composition Graduate Teaching Assistantship open for 2026-2027. Click the link to learn more.
