Toho Gakuen School of Music

Programme overview

The MSD (Music and Sound Design) stream is the composition course within the graduate music faculty, focused on advanced composition practice and sound-design research tied to practical production. Students pursue music and audio creation for film, stage, body-based performance, sound art, events and games, while also engaging with music and sound work connected to advanced technologies and international collaborative projects.

What you'll study

Research and practice examine how music and audio expression transform with different environments and technologies. Study combines creative production and analytical inquiry, with emphasis on media such as film and spatial/immersive contexts and intersections like "space" and "technology." Core research domains listed by the programme include:

• Film music
• Sound design
• Immersive audio
• Music and technology
• Music analysis and composer studies
• Music and sound for theatre, media and performance

The curriculum offers selectable courses and study models tailored to student goals. Example study pathways provided by the programme are:

• Doctoral-track model (examples of year-by-year coursework: General seminar, Special lectures in work analysis, Music literature research, and Thesis preparation in later years)
• Audio-production model (examples of year-by-year coursework: MSD Collaborative Production Research I and III and related practical modules)

Entry requirements

The source page does not list specific admission criteria. Prospective applicants should contact the programme via the provided inquiry form for details on prerequisites, application materials and audition/portfolio expectations.

Career prospects

Graduates work at the intersection of composition, sound-design and technology. Typical professional directions include composing and audio production for film, games, theatre and media, creating sound-art and immersive audio works, and pursuing research or continued doctoral study through international collaborations and exchanges with other universities and research institutions.

Scholarships & funding angle

No scholarship details are provided on the source page. Applicants should consult the university’s central funding offices and the programme contact to learn about scholarships, research grants, artist residencies and support tied to collaborative projects or international exchanges.