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MMus/MA Joint Principal Study

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Overview

The MMus/MA Joint Principal Study (JPS) degree is intended for exceptional students who are capable of performing at masters level in more than one discipline. Your study will be shared between two departments, with both individual lessons and supporting classes split between disciplines.

Possible combinations include:

  • Two instruments from different families within the performance strand, e.g. piano and cello
  • Two genres, such as jazz and traditional music; jazz and (classical) performance; or traditional music and (classical) performance
  • Two disciplines, such as composition and percussion

The following strands are self-contained specialisms, and may not be combined with another strand as part of a JPS route:

  • Chamber Music
  • Conducting
  • Performance and Pedagogy
  • Performance and Musicology
  • Piano for Dance
  • Repetiteurship

The following cases do not constitute joint principal study:

  • Students pursuing two instruments within the same family e.g. violin and viola, piano and harpsichord, flute and piccolo, and similar doublings
  • Jazz and Traditional students who both perform and compose as part of their discipline

Acceptance onto the Joint Principal Study strand is exceptional, and is only offered to students who are able to demonstrate the requisite level of skill and commitment across both areas.

The important details

UK Applicant Deadline:
2 October 2025

International (including EU) Applicant Deadline:
1 December 2025 (2 October 2025 for Keyboard principal study)

Institution Code:
R58

Programme Code:
815F - MMus OR 816F - MA

Audition Fee:
£65

Application Fee:
£28.95

Please note
This course is subject to revalidation

Our Departments

Students on the MMus/MA Joint Principal Study pathway can choose from the following principal studies:

Brass

Brass

Guitar and Harp
A close up picture of a harp

Guitar and Harp

Keyboard
Bird-eye shot of a woman playing a grand piano.

Keyboard

Strings
Two young violinist practice for the 'Vital Signs of the Planet' event.

Strings

Timpani & Percussion

Timpani & Percussion

Vocal Performance

Vocal Performance

Woodwind

Woodwind

Jazz
Jazz students playing saxophone and trumpet

Jazz

Traditional Music

Traditional Music

Composition
A close-up shot of a page of sheet music.

Composition

Programme Structure

Principal Study 1 – 80 credits

  • Individual lessons divided between departments as negotiated
  • 4 negotiated performance assessments, normally two for each discipline

Graduate Studies 1 – 30/20/10 credits

  • Negotiated departmental activities, such as performance classes, coaching, languages and masterclasses

Practice Research – 10 credits

  • Research project

Options – 0/10/20 credits

  • Range of optional classes drawn from School of Music, School of Stage and Screen, and School of Dance

Negotiated Study – 60 credits

  • Individual composition, performance or academic project

Principal Study 2 – 90 credits

  • Individual lessons divided between departments as negotiated
  • 4 negotiated performance assessments, normally two for each discipline

Graduate Studies 2 – 30/20/10 credits

  • Negotiated departmental activities, such as performance classes, coaching, languages and masterclasses

Options – 0/10/20 credits

  • Range of optional classes drawn from School of Music, School of Stage and Screen, and School of Dance

The MMus is the standard two-year programme undertaken by most students.

The MA is a shortened version of the programme for students who wish to get a Masters degree in a single year of study.

The first three terms of the MMus and MA are identical: MA students complete a further module in term 4 in order to complete the degree in a single year. There is no difference in the nature of the degrees: both concentrate mainly on performance rather than academic work.

How to Apply

Apply via UCAS Conservatoires

Applications are made through UCAS Conservatoires website. The UCAS Conservatoires application system is separate from the main UCAS undergraduate application system. You can read our guidance about using UCAS Conservatoires on our dedicated How to Apply page. 

Applicants will also be required to create an Acceptd account when they apply, which will be used for scheduling auditions. More information about this process will be available soon.

We do not offer deferred entry. If you wish to commence in 2027, you must apply next year.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland institution code is R58. You will also require the following programmes codes to apply: 815F – MMus Joint Principal Study OR 816F – MA Joint Principal Study

The closing date for on-time MMus/MA Joint Principal Study applications for UK students is 2 October 2025 and for International students is 1 December 2025, unless you are applying for principal study in Keyboard, in which case the closing date for ALL on-time applications is 2 October 2025. If you submit your application after this date, we cannot guarantee that your application will be reviewed by the audition panel. If you do want to submit a late application, you must contact admissions@rcs.ac.uk in the first instance to check if we are accepting late applications.

Application/Audition fees

There is a UCAS Conservatoires application fee of £28.95. In addition to the application fee, each conservatoire charges an audition assessment administration fee. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland charges an audition assessment administration fee of £65 for this programme.

We recognise that auditioning and interviewing for conservatoires, drama and ballet schools can be costly. The audition assessment administration fee charge allows us to offer a thorough and positive experience to all applicants and we encourage you to get in touch to ask the panel questions and find out more about the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to see if it is the best place for you.

Selection process

Applicants are selected first and foremost on the basis of merit and potential. However, due attention is also paid to the range of Principal Studies accepted in order to ensure the optimum experience for each student and to sustain the critical mass required for curricular activities.

Please note that the Conservatoire is obliged to offer one audition date per application. If you are unable to submit your application/audition recording by the deadline date above, you must email us immediately stating the reason. If your audition recording is delayed, there is a risk that places will already have been taken and your application may not be considered.

Audition Information

In-person auditions are planned to take place at various locations across the world. Should you apply on time, an audition time slot will be sent to you via Acceptd, you must create an Acceptd account regardless of your audition location. An interview will form part of your audition, this is a chance for the panel to find out more about you, as well having an opportunity for you to ask questions about the programme.

The RCS audition panel (Glasgow) will consist of a relevant departmental staff member and the Head of Department. Our international auditions will consist of one panel member that may not be from the department you are auditioning for, and will also be recorded for review by the relevant department.

All in-person auditions will be given a twenty-minute warm up slot prior to their audition.

 

Audition Dates

  • Glasgow, 3 – 7 November 2025
  • Qingdao, November 2025 Audition Location: The Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao (specific audition dates to be confirmed)
  • Seoul, 29 November 2025. Audition Location: Rene Music Hall
  • Singapore, 17 & 18 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
  • Los Angeles, 24 & 25 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
  • Chicago, 27 & 28 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
  • New York, 30 & 31 January 2026. Audition Location: TBC
  • Toronto, January 2026. Audition Location: TBC (specific audition dates to be confirmed)

Please note, our locations are subject to change at short notice. If you choose a location that becomes unavailable, we will be in touch to offer an alternative, this will likely be a recorded submission. 

 

Overseas Applicants

We are operating a pre-screening process for all international applicants. Applicants wishing to audition overseas are required to submit a video audition as the first round of the assessment process (those applying to audition in-person in Glasgow are not required to submit a pre-screening video). All videos must be submitted to your Acceptd account before the below deadlines. There is no set repertoire for the pre-screening round, and you are welcome to perform different repertoire should you be successfully offered a live audition.

All pre-screening submissions must contain a spoken introduction in English.

Please tell us:

  • Your name
  • A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now
  • Your musical ambitions
  • Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

This video should be 3 to 5 minutes long and separate to your performance video.

 

For in-person auditions being held in Qingdao and Seoul: UCAS Conservatoire applications and Acceptd submissions must be submitted by the deadline of 2 October 2025.

For in-person auditions being held in Singapore, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Toronto: UCAS Conservatoire applications and Acceptd submissions must be submitted by the deadline of 1 December 2025.

All keyboard applicants who will not attend the in-person auditions in the US or Canada MUST submit their application by the 2 October 2025.

 

If successfully offered a live in-person audition at one of our overseas locations, then applicants applying from that country will be expected to attend in person. We strongly encourage people to attend in person to be able to meet some of our staff members face to face and ask questions about our programmes, and life at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Be aware that some departments may have additional requirements needed at audition, please check the relevant page on our website for more information.

*Please note for live auditions, we cannot guarantee that a member of our teaching staff for your specific discipline will be on the panel.  

  • All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano).
  • All applicants will need to provide their own accompanist for overseas auditions.

 

If you have chosen to audition live in-person, but due to extenuating circumstances your situation changes, you must contact us immediately after submitting your application so we can confirm if alternative arrangements are possible. This will be completed on a case-by-case basis.

If you are unable to attend a live audition, then we offer a recorded submission option. More information about this, including recording guidelines, can be found on our Music Recorded Auditions page. Recorded submissions will go through the same pre-screening process, and applicants may be invited to a live online audition at the discretion of the relevant Head of Department. You may be asked to perform additional repertoire or complete a small aural task as part of this process. If you are recalled, further details and meeting links will be sent to you.

There is no separate audition process for our Scholarship awards. You will be considered as part of the audition process.

If you have any questions about the audition process for your relevant location, you can contact us at the following:

Details of the repertoire requested for your in-person audition/recorded submission can be found below.

Through audition, applicants will be required to demonstrate:

  • a high degree of technical competency on the instrument or voice in the service of specific repertoire
  • an ability to demonstrate a considerable degree of understanding of the repertoire performed
  • an ability to perform specific repertoire convincingly
  • a considerable degree of self-confidence and creativity with respect to the repertoire performed
  • a degree of self-sufficiency, initiative and independence in selecting, preparing and performing a particular programme
  • a developing musical personality

Successful candidates will show potential to develop their beliefs and skills through the programme.

Audition Repertoire

Details of required audition repertoire can be found in the tabs below, broken down by department.

Horn: Mozart Concerto No. 2 in E flat, K.417 or Mozart Concerto No. 4 in E flat, K495, and a piece of your own choice

Trumpet: Haydn Concerto in E flat or Hummel Concerto E flat or E, and a piece of your own choice

Cornet: Haydn Concerto in E flat or Hummel Concerto E flat or E, and a piece of your own choice

Tenor Trombone: F David Concerto for Trombone or L Grondahl Concerto for Trombone, and a piece of your own choice.

Bass Trombone: E Bozza New Orleans or Lebedev Concerto in One Movement, and a piece of your own choice

Euphonium: J Horovitz — Euphonium Concerto (Novello), and a piece of your own choice

Tuba (H4): E Gregson Concerto for Tuba or Vaughan Williams Concerto for Tuba, and a piece of your own choice

Guitar:

Any one movement from:

  • Bach’s Lute Suites, Violin Sonatas or Partitas, Cello Suites or equivalent works (Scarlatti, Weiss etc)
  • and a movement from a major concerto (Rodrigo, Villa Lobos, Ponce, etc)
  • or a major performance piece from 20th or 21st Century (Walton – Bagatelles, Ginastera – Sonata, Britten – Nocturnal, Dyens Libre Sonatine)

Harp:

A movement from any substantial concerto and a major work written after 1900 and the following orchestral cadenzas:

  • Smetana: Vysehrad from Ma Vlast
  • Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Piano Solo: Performance of a programme from memory, comprising not less than three contrasting works (total playing time 25 minutes)

Harpsichord: Performance of a programme comprising not less than three contrasting works (total playing time 25 minutes)

Organ and Accordion: Performance of a programme comprising not less than three contrasting works (total playing time 25 minutes)

Violin:

  • First movement from a major concerto (with cadenza where applicable)
  • A contrasting work of your choice. This can be from the standard repertoire or from any genre or cultural background that reflects your interests as an artist.

Viola:

  • First movement from a major concerto (with cadenza where applicable)
  • A contrasting work of your choice. This can be from the standard repertoire or from any genre or cultural background that reflects your interests as an artist.

Cello

  • First movement from a major concerto (with cadenza where applicable)
  • A contrasting work of your choice. This can be from the standard repertoire or from any genre or cultural background that reflects your interests as an artist.

Double Bass:

  • First movement from a standard concerto (with cadenza where applicable)
  • A contrasting work

Timpani:

  • Bartók Concerto for Orchestra, the Intermezzo (available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)
  • Bartok Violin Concerto Nr.2, slow movement from upbeat to figure 12 to 3rd bar of figure 16
  • Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (‘Big Waltz’) (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)
  • Hindemith Sinfonische Metamorphosen (‘Turandot Scherzo’) (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)

Xylophone:

  • Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky (Available in the Goldenberg Book)
  • Gershwin Porgy and Bess (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)
  • Hindemith Kammermusik, ‘Movements 1 and 4’ (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)

Vibraphone:

  • Bernstein ‘Cool’, West Side Story (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)

Snare Drum:

  • Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, ‘Movements 3 and 4’ (Available in Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions, Schott)
  • Ravel Rhapsodie Espagnol ‘Movements 3 and 4’ (available in Hathaway Snare Drum Book)
  • Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol (available in the Goldenberg Book)
  • Suppé Pique Dame (available in the Goldenberg Book)

Candidates should prepare:

  • Four contrasting classical pieces, at least one of which should be in English and one in a foreign language
  • A short poetry or prose reading in English lasting no longer than 2 minutes

One of the items should be an aria from an oratorio or opera, preferably with the recitative; another should be a German Lied or French mélodie. Candidates will be asked to choose their first piece, and the panel will then choose a further one or two pieces.

A typical programme may include a recitative and aria from an oratorio or opera, a German Lied, a French mélodie, an English Art Song and a short poetry reading.

Flute: Mozart Concerto in G major (1st and 2nd movements)

Oboe: Mozart Concerto in C major (1st and 2nd movements)

Clarinet: Mozart Concerto in A major (1st and 2nd movements)

Bassoon: Mozart Concerto in Bb major (1st and 2nd movements)

Saxophone: Glazunov Concerto in Eb major

  1. OLEO by Sonny Rollins (Rhythm Changes)
    • Key: Bb [Vocalists choose their key]
    • Tempo: Fast
    • Melody Form: AABA (32 bars)
    • Improvisation Duration: Minimum 4 x AABA
    • Aims:
      • Introduce your performance
      • Play original improvisation interacting musically with live musicians or with an Aebersold play-a-long (Vol. 6 Track 10, Vol. 7 Track 5, Vol. 8 Track 9, Vol. 47 Track 1)
      • Drummers play melody rhythmically, comp time, and improvise over form
      • The chordal player must comp on one chorus
    • Avoid:
      • Electronic play-a-longs like iRealPro
      • Transcribed or pre-prepared solos
  1. Original Composition
    • Aims:
      • Perform a contrasting piece (Even 8th, Latin, Ballad, 3/4, Original, etc.,)
    • Avoid:
      • Rhythm Changes or Blues
  • Performance of a programme of approximately 15 minutes on your principal study
  • Applicants are asked to give brief spoken introductions to each item performed and their compositions may be included

References

It is your responsibility to ask two separate referees to write references and ensure that these are sent to RCS.

The references must be written by two different people and we will not accept references from family, other relatives or close friends. You can submit your UCAS Conservatoires application form and send your references at a later date, but they must be received prior to your audition date.

UCAS Conservatoires provides reference forms for you to download and send to your referees for completion.

Policy

We have a number of policies and pages which you should read when applying to study at the Royal Conservatoire:

Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements

Candidates for both the MMus and MA are normally expected to hold a good honours (at least 2:2) degree, or its overseas equivalent, in a subject area relevant to the demands of the programme.

English Language Requirements

The language of study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is English. All applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence that their English language level meets the entrance requirements.

The required IELTS level for this programme is 6.0 overall with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component.

Full details of the English language tests and equivalencies we accept can be found on our English Language Requirements page.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

For academic year 2025/26:

Excluding Vocal Performance

MMus

Full-time:

  • Home: £13,308
  • International: £28,401

Part-time:

  • Home: £6,654

MA:

  • Home: £18,483
  • International: £36,283

Vocal Performance

Full-time:

  • Home: £14,428
  • International: £29,738

Part-time:

  • Home: £7,214

Please note these fees are subject to change.

Funding & Scholarships

You can find out about the funding and scholarships available for studying at RCS by visiting our dedicated page:

Funding & Scholarships

Cost of Living & Programme Costs

In addition to tuition fees, it is estimated that you will need between £11,200 and £15,300 per year to live in Glasgow, plus programme costs. Much will depend on your lifestyle and whether your course runs for three or four terms. 

Programmes within the School of Music have a range of associated costs related to the specific activities required and advised by the programme team. You can find an indication of these costs below: 

School of Music Programme Costs 

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