Program Overview

Master of Commercial Music – MCommMus

The Master of Commercial Music (MCommMus) is a postgraduate qualification that spans music production and recording, performance, song writing and composition for games and screen-based media, publishing, promotion and management, music technology, sound design, experimental practices, and more. This qualification is industry-aligned, student-responsive, grounded within Aotearoa, and connected with global discourses and fields of enquiry.

Type of Qualification

• Master's degree
• Level of study: Postgraduate study (NZQF level 9)
• Time to complete: 1 year 6 months full-time (180 credits), with part-time options available
• Where you can study: Wellington campus
• International students: Open to international students on campus in New Zealand

Entry Requirements

• Admission to Massey: All students must meet university entrance requirements.
• Specific requirements:
  • A relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with a minimum grade average of at least B.
  • The Bachelor of Commercial Music (Honours) with a grade of at least B across the 700-800 level courses, or equivalent.
  • Admission under the Admission with Equivalent Status regulations, demonstrating practical, professional, and scholarly experience at an appropriate level.
• Additional requirements:
  • A Research Statement prior to interview.
  • Copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at universities other than Massey University.
  • If English is not the first language, a current IELTS (or equivalent) score.

Structure of the Master of Commercial Music

The 180-credit Massey MCommMus takes place over 1.5 years / 3 semesters (full-time). It is divided into two parts:

• Part One: 60 credits across a Prototyping and Development for Advanced Music Projects (30 credits), a Research Methods course, and a 400/700 level elective (15 credits).
• Part Two: 120 credits (two 60-credit courses) for the Thesis Project.

Courses and Specialisations

• Part 1:
  • Research Methods (15 credits): Choose from Contextualising Creative Enterprise Practice Part 1, Creative Practice Research Methods, or Māori Research Methodologies for Creative Practice.
  • Project Development (30 credits): Prototyping and Development for Advanced Music Projects.
  • Any 400-level or 700-level elective course from the College of Creative Arts (15 credits).
• Part 2:
  • Commercial Music 120 credit Thesis Part 1 (60 credits).
  • Commercial Music 120 credit Thesis Part 2 (60 credits).

Fees and Scholarships

• 2026 tuition fees:
  • Domestic students: $11,615.
  • International students: $46,100.
• Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme are available for eligible domestic students.
• Scholarship and award opportunities, including the Massey University Postgraduate Scholarship.

Careers and Job Opportunities

Employment pathways include:

• Solo or band artists
• Music production
• Song writing
• Composition for games and screen-based media
• Music publishing
• Marketing and concert promotion
• Stage and artists management
• New and social media PR management
• Content acquisition
• Sound engineering and production
• Film, broadcast, and new media
• Corporate events
• Sound design
• Location recording
• Live monitor and Front of House engineering
• Music software and hardware development
• Interface and interaction design and development
• Music systems design
• Music industry research.

Related Study Options

• Bachelor of Commercial Music (Honours) – BCommMus(Hons)
• Music Industry – Bachelor of Commercial Music
• Music Practice – Bachelor of Commercial Music
• Music Technology – Bachelor of Commercial Music
• Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Commercial Music

Additional Information

The Master of Commercial Music is designed for a broad range of music practitioners and producers, offering excellent faculty and visiting practitioners, state-of-the-art facilities, and a commitment to supporting Indigenous creative practice and researching industry and systems change. The qualification values lively debate, criticality, technical virtuosity, exploration, experimentation, transformation, ambition, and social engagement, fostering a sense of community and embracing an ethos of manaakitanga.