In the master’s programme, students develop their own expertise and a distinctive artistic profile. The student learns how to build up a composition practice and thus gain a place in the professional field.

Students receive weekly individual composition lessons from two teachers, in which they can discuss their compositions. In addition, the composition department offers special projects for master's students in which they will collaborate with students from other master's programmes of the CvA and the AHK, such as Composing for Film, Master Live Electronics and Das Arts.
Students can also work within collaborative projects and workshops with festivals and venues such as the Gaudeamus Music Week and Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ.

Master Research 
During the master's programme, students carry out research into an issue relevant to their composition practice. They present the results at the annual Master Research Symposium.

Electives
A wide range of electives allows students to develop in areas that are not part of the core curriculum. Especially for composition students, for example, there are courses such as Music Theatre and Stage Performance, Electronic Music and Transdisciplinary Approaches: Composing Time and Space.

Final Exam
Students complete the composition study with a performance of their works at the Composers Festival Amsterdam and an oral exam. Therefore the student must write a report, compile a portfolio and hand in a thesis.
The final examination will be evaluated by a committee comprising a representative of the Board of Directors, principal study teachers and a committee member from outside the school.

Admission Requirements
Candidates are required to submit, before February 1st, the following material:

1. motivation letter (pdf)

2. a digital portfolio, one zip file via wetransfer (or something similar, max 50 Mb) with three to five works (one folder for each work):

• audio, compressed (mp3)
• description of the works (pdf)
• score (optional, pdf)
• video, compressed (optional, mov, mp4)
• additional info (optional, photos, patches, code, etc.)

3. links
Links to for instance high resolution movies or soundfiles can be uploaded in the form.