Massey University

What you'll study

This honours year builds on undergraduate commercial music study and places emphasis on a sustained, supervised project together with advanced coursework. Typical elements include:

• Honours project or dissertation — a major creative, practice-led or research project such as an album, commercial composition portfolio, case study of a music business model, or detailed research into a contemporary industry topic.
• Advanced music production and sound design — studio practice at a professional level covering mixing, mastering, arrangement and contemporary production workflows.
• Songwriting and composition — advanced techniques for commercial songwriting, arranging for different media genres and writing for sync and publishing markets.
• Music business and entrepreneurship — strategic approaches to artist management, release strategies, monetisation, rights and licensing, and small-business practice for creative entrepreneurs.
• Research methods for practice-led enquiry — methodologies and ethics for applied research in the creative industries, including qualitative and practice-as-research approaches.
• Professional placement or industry engagement — opportunities to work on live briefs, industry partnerships or placements to test and showcase your project in a real-world context.

Study is typically a mix of supervised independent work, seminars, studio and production labs, and regular critique sessions with staff and industry advisors.

Entry requirements

Admission to the honours year normally requires a recognised bachelor degree in commercial music or a closely related discipline. Applicants are expected to demonstrate both strong academic performance in their undergraduate study and substantial practical ability in music (performance, production or composition).

• Successful completion of an appropriate bachelor degree (or equivalent qualification) with a sufficiently strong grade average as determined by the university.
• A portfolio, audition or recorded examples of recent work demonstrating technical and creative competence.
• A project proposal or statement of intent outlining the proposed honours project, objectives and supervisory needs.
• International applicants must meet Massey’s English language requirements or provide approved evidence of proficiency.

Selection may also take account of relevant industry experience and references. Specific entry criteria and assessment of equivalency for alternative qualifications are available from Massey’s admissions office.

Career prospects

Graduates emerge with a higher-level portfolio and research experience that supports a range of professional pathways in the music and creative industries. Common career directions include:

• Professional musician or recording artist (solo or ensemble)
• Record producer, mixing/mastering engineer and studio manager
• Composer for media, advertising and games; library music creator
• Artist manager, A&R specialist, label or publishing professional
• Live-sound and tour production technician
• Music entrepreneur, catalogue curator and sync licensing specialist
• Further study: postgraduate research (master’s or PhD) or specialised postgraduate diplomas.

The honours year also helps graduates articulate a professional identity and evidence of project management that employers and industry partners value.

Why study at Massey University

Massey combines academic rigour with practical, industry-facing music training. The university provides access to professional-standard studios, industry-experienced staff and opportunities to engage with New Zealand’s creative sector. The honours year is structured to give close supervision, mentor feedback and pathways into industry networks and postgraduate study. For students who want to turn a high-quality creative project into a sustainable career or into further research, Massey offers the facilities and support to develop those outcomes.