Areas of Study & Research

One school, nine areas of study and research.

We offer a wide array of undergraduate and graduate programs at the UBC School of Music. Our students receive first-class comprehensive training in performance, musicianship, history, theory, and all other relevant subjects.

Our faculty members compose music regularly heard on the world’s stages, perform around the globe, publish in prestigious journals, jury international music competitions, and record critically acclaimed and best-selling recordings.

As a student, you will receive individual instruction plus many opportunities to perform, both on and off-campus. Our opera program is unique in Canada, with three fully-staged productions each year, plus national and international summer touring opportunities.

Our numerous instrumental ensembles and choirs perform in superb facilities on campus and off-campus at the Vancouver Art Gallery and other downtown locations. In the UBC ArtsWay Ambassadors program, students are paid to perform for residents at care facilities throughout the region.

Graduate programs and degrees are offered in three broad fields of specialization: performance, composition, and music scholarship. The Master of Music (MMus) and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) are offered in performance and composition; the Master of Arts (MA) and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Music with emphases on Music Theory, Historical Musicology, and Ethnomusicology.

On this page