Graduate Diploma in Music

Why study Graduate Diploma in Music at Goldsmiths

This Pre-Masters programme is aimed at postgraduates who need a year to develop their musical skills and academic English.

  • You'll have the opportunity to familiarise yourself both with ways of working in British academic culture and in the standards required at Masters degree level.
  • You can take it as a self-standing Diploma or as an ideal preparation for further postgraduate study. The Graduate Diploma in Music is designed to lead on to a Masters programme in the Department of Music at Goldsmiths.
  • You can choose to specialise in an area of music that interests you, whether it be music performance, composition or musicology.
  • If you wish to go on to study either at Goldsmiths or elsewhere in Britain you'll be given help and support in finding an appropriate programme.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Naomi Matsumoto.

UCAS code

Entry requirements

Length

1 year full-time

Fees

International - full-time: £17830

Departments

Centre for Academic Language and Literacies
Music

Top facilities
We offer excellent rehearsal and performance facilities including our own music studios.
Enjoy London life
We are based in London, voted the world's top student city (QS Best Student Cities, 2023)
Employability
Eight out of ten Goldsmiths students go into highly skilled work or further study (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2022)

What you'll study

Half of the programme is made up of English for Academic Purposes modules, concentrating on different areas of language and academic skills development:

  • Academic Writing and Language Development
  • Academic Listening and Speaking
  • Contemporary Theories

The other half of the programme is taught in the Department of Music.

You choose ONE of the 30-credit modules listed below, and TWO of the 15-credit modules: 

Module title Credits
Performance: Creative Practice 30 credits
or
Composition portfolio 30 credits
or
Research Project 30 credits
Acoustic Ecology and Field Recording 15 credits
Performing South-East Asian Music 15 credits
Fringe and Underground Musics 15 credits
Music Practice and the Black Atlantic: Britain’s Celebrity Culture 15 credits
Creative Orchestration and Arrangement 15 credits
Introduction to Audiovisual Composition 15 credits
Improvisation 15 credits
Advanced Popular Music Studies 15 credits
Live Electronics 15 credits
Music and Screen Media 15 credits
Contemporary Jazz Performance the UK Scene 15 credits

How you'll be assessed

Continuous assessment includes regular seminar presentations and researched essays. There will also be written, listening and oral examinations. For those students who choose music performance and composition options, assessments will include a recital and a portfolio of creative work.

Skills you'll develop

This programme will develop your skills in:

  • Critical reasoning
  • Textual interpretation
  • Oral and written communication

Find out more about how Goldsmiths can develop your skills to boost your employability

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
  • A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online 
    See our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
  • If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
  • A sample of your work (either an essay in English, sample compositions or a video recording of a musical performance)

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

When to apply

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

Selection process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. We will assess your suitability based on your submitted sample of work, as specified above.

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

For this programme we require: UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) IELTS 5.5 overall with no component lower than 5.5. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for degree-level study.

International qualifications

We also accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

 

  • International - full-time: £17830

Find out about our tuition fees and funding opportunities.

 

Funding opportunities

We offer a wide range of scholarships and bursaries, and our Careers Service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies. Find out more about funding your studies with us.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

If you pass the programme at the required level (a pass in all modules with an overall score of 50% or more), you can progress onto one of our Masters programmes.

In 2024 these are: