Programme specification
Summary details
Programme title
Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Music
Duration and modes of study
One year (three terms) full-time. Part-time study is not available.
Awards by level
The Advanced Postgraduate Diploma is at SCQF Level 11.
No exit award is available to students who do not complete the full programme.
Credit framework
AdvPGDip – 120 credits with a minimum of 100 at level 11
Date of revalidation
June 2025
Start date
September 2025
Next review date
2030
Curriculum principles
The postgraduate curriculum:
- Is co-created by educators, students and professionals who are shaping the future of artforms, artistry and arts education, recognising RCS, its audiences and collaborators as a community with a shared purpose;
- Supports rigorous development of craft and creative artistry and the capacity to renew and adapt skills throughout a productive professional life;
- Ensures relevant professional experience that protects the space to reflect on, experiment with, and evaluate personal milestones of success and learning;
- Is designed and delivered with a commitment to continuous enhancement of inclusive practices, research and theory, ensuring that design nurtures authentic voices and experiences in the arts;
- Will critically test assumptions, current discourses and self-appraisals in order to innovate practice.
Graduate attributes
The Conservatoire’s Graduate Attributes are aligned to the values of the RCS community. These are:
- Compassion
- Creative courage
- Curiosity
- Craft, rigour and talent
- Community
- Constructive challenge
Graduates of the postgraduate programmes will:
- Work with care for themselves and others
- Seek constructive challenge, be prepared to change approach, rework ideas and advocate for their own perspective(s) in diverse contexts
- Create impact and engagement within and beyond their discipline in a variety of settings
- Test, re-evaluate and exceed and their own expectations through bold creative decision-making and risk taking
- Own a nuanced aesthetic and emotional intelligence, integrity and ethical practice with an ability to think analytically and critically
- Draw on theories, research, practice and collaborative opportunities with confidence and resourcefulness
- Communicate with creativity, compassion and a deep appreciation of how their discipline connects with the world
- Acquire, adapt, and apply new skills with a commitment to lifelong learning throughout their career, anticipating and responding to major developments in technologies, industry standards and complex global issues
Programme aims
The Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Music is designed to:
- Enable the deepening of an established musical practice at the forefront of the discipline
- Provide opportunities to present solo and/or collaborative performances within a proto-professional musical environment
- Foster the ability to develop as a performer by integrating new skills and perspectives
- Stimulate a critical and reflective musicianship that will prepare the student for the challenges of the profession
Programme learning outcomes
On completion of the AdvPGDip you are expected to be able to:
- PLO1 Demonstrate comprehensive technical and expressive mastery of your discipline
- PLO2 Project a secure and distinctive musical personality
- PLO3 Demonstrate professional attitudes and the ability to engage effectively and creatively with professionals and peers
- PLO4 Critically evaluate current ideas, debates and issues within your chosen field
Admission criteria
Academic entry requirements
Candidates are normally expected to hold an existing Masters degree or its overseas equivalent in a subject area relevant to the demands of the programme.
Language of study
The language of study is English. Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. We accept the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Level 6.0 (with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component) is required of applicants to the School of Music.
Target numbers
| Minimum cohort | Maximum cohort |
|---|---|
| 0 | 16 |
Programme structure
| Module | Level | Credits | Credits | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Principal Study | 11 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Advanced Graduate Studies | 11 | 30 | 20 | 10 |
| Professional Development | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Options | 7-11 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Total | 120 | 120 | 120 |
Learning outcomes by module
| Module | PLO1 | PLO2 | PLO3 | PLO4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Principal Study | • | • | ||
| Advanced Graduate Studies | • | • | • | |
| Professional Development | • | • | ||
| Options | • |
Benchmarks
The learning outcomes of your programme are aligned with a number of local, national and international standards. The UK Quality Code for Higher Education (UKQCHQ, QAA 2024) lays out a series of 'sector-agreed principles', among them that 'the academic standards of awards are consistent with the relevant Qualifications Framework'. In Scotland, these comprise the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF 2019) and The Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education Institutions in Scotland (FQHEIS, QAA 2024).
The programme and module learning outcomes have been benchmarked against the SCQF Level Descriptors (SCQF 2019), while the programme as a whole meets the requirements of the Descriptor for a higher education qualification at Level 7 on the FHEQ and SCQF Level 11 on the FQHEIS (QAA 2024).
In addition to these standards, the programme aims and learning outcomes also take account of:
- the relevant sections of the Conservatoire's Postgraduate Academic Framework, that are themselves based upon FQHEIS
- The Framework of Qualifications for the European Higher Education Area (EHAA 2018)
- the Polifonia/Dublin Descriptors for second cycle awards in higher music education (AEC 2007)
- the AEC Learning Outcomes (AEC 2017)
- The Vienna Declaration on Artistic Research (AEC 2020)