Study Composition at Otago
A comprehensive training in Composition (including Music Technology and Song-Writing) for students at all levels of study.
Broad-ranging in content, composition offers students training in many forms of musical creativity and music style.
In the first year of study, students may specialise in one area or mix different interests, such as Classical Music or Popular Music. In the following years, opportunities are made available for specialisation in writing for other media such as film, dance, television or theatre.
There are no minimum entry requirements for the first-year composition papers, although students with little or no music reading ability are strongly encouraged to up-skill in the first semester through the paper MUSI 191 Introduction to Music.
Students who complete the 36 point third-year paper MUSI 331 Composition Projects can choose to have their Bachelor of Music (MusB) degree endorsed in composition.
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Bachelor of Music (MusB), Dunedin, 2025
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Requirements
MUSI papers
Paper Code
Year
Title
Points
Teaching period
MUSI101 2025
Materials of Music 1
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI103 2025
Popular Music
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI104 2025
World Music
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI105 2025
Music Matters in Human Life
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI131 2025
Composition 1
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI132 2025
Music Production 1
18 points
Semester 1, Semester 2
MUSI135 2025
Songwriting
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI140 2025
Performance Studies 1
18 points
Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
MUSI143 2025
Instrumental or Vocal Performance 1
18 points
Full Year
MUSI144 2025
Music Ensemble 1
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI191 2025
Introduction to Music
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI201 2025
Materials of Music 2
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI207 2025
Radical Works
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI232 2025
Music Production 2
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI233 2025
Electronic Music Production
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI234 2025
Contemporary Composition
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI240 2025
Performance Studies 2
18 points
Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
MUSI243 2025
Instrumental or Vocal Performance 2
18 points
Full Year
MUSI244 2025
Music Ensemble 2
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI249 2025
Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy: How to Teach Contemporary Voice
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI259 2025
Special Topic
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI260 2025
Special Topic
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI266 2025
Film Music
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI267 2025
Music in Aotearoa
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI268 2025
Performance in Asia and the Pacific
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI269 2025
Popular Music 2
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI307 2025
Radical Works (Advanced)
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI310 2025
Materials of Music 3
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI331 2025
Composition Projects
36 points
Full Year
MUSI332 2025
Music Production 3
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI333 2025
Electronic Music Production (Advanced)
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI334 2025
Music Production Projects
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI340 2025
Performance Studies 3
18 points
Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
MUSI343 2025
Instrumental or Vocal Performance 3
36 points
Full Year
MUSI344 2025
Music Ensemble 3
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI349 2025
Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy: How to Teach Contemporary Voice
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI366 2025
Film Music
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI367 2025
Music in Aotearoa (Advanced)
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI368 2025
Performance in Asia and the Pacific
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI369 2025
Popular Music 3
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI371 2025
Research Methods and Approaches
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI375 2025
Music Performance Pedagogy
18 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI379 2025
Performance, Health and Well-being
18 points
Semester 2
MUSI386 2025
Community Project
18 points
Semester 1
MUSI440 2025
Performance Studies 4
30 points
Semester 1, Semester 2, Full Year
MUSI443 2025
Creative Project
60 points
Full Year
MUSI471 2025
Research Methods and Approaches (Advanced)
30 points
Semester 2
MUSI475 2025
Music Performance Pedagogy (Advanced)
30 points
Not offered in 2025
MUSI479 2025
Performance, Health and Well-being (Advanced)
30 points
Semester 2
MUSI486 2025
Community Project (Advanced)
30 points
Semester 1
MUSI487 2025
Creative Practice
30 points
Semester 2
MUSI490 2025
Dissertation
60 points
Full Year
MUSI590 2025
Research Dissertation
60 points
1st Non standard period (28 February 2025 - 21 February 2026), 2nd Non standard period (11 July 2025 - 3 July 2026)
Qualifications
Explore your study options further. Refer to enrolment information found on the following qualification pages.
More information
Contact us
Email spa@otago.ac.nz otago.ac.nz/performing-arts
Studying at Otago
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
