- Type of qualification
- Master's degree
- Level of study
-
Postgraduate study
Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equal experience – you can study at the postgraduate level. Doctoral qualifications require additional entry requirements.
NZQF level 9Our courses follow the New Zealand Qualification Framework (NZQF) levels.
- Time to complete
-
1 year 6 months full-time (180 credits)Part-time available
- Where you can study
-
Wellington campus
-
International students
International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.
- Open to international students on campus in New Zealand
Study a Master of Commercial Music – MCommMus
The Master of Commercial Music (MCommMus) is industry aligned, student responsive, grounded within Aotearoa and connected with global discourses and fields of enquiry. You will be able to work across many media and apply conceptual, theoretical and commercial music strategies.
For a broad range of music practitioners and producers
We have students whose undergraduate training is in all areas of music composition, performance, production, industry and event management, music technology development, and more. Our students frequently draw on and are guided by a breadth of knowledge systems including Indigenous perspectives and research methods.
Excellent faculty and visiting practitioners
We have highly experienced, industry engaged staff, across postgraduate supervision and technical facilities staff. These include people who:
- tour with bands nationally and internationally
- compose for film, television and ads
- exhibit in gallery and sound art/emerging technology contexts
- run music labels
- put on events
- design innovative and experimental hardware and software.
We also have a strong commitment to supporting Indigenous creative practice, and researching and instigating industry and systems change to better serve diverse communities of creatives and audiences.
Facilities
Students within the MCommMus will have access to state-of-the-art facilities for music innovation. These include fully equipped recording and production studios, rehearsal studios, immersive and emerging technology labs, physical fabricating workshops, post-production suites, a cinema with Dolby Atmos and much more.
Get the full picture
Visit the College of Creative Arts website.
A MCommMus is a good fit if you:
- Are looking to develop your commercial music skills using world class facilities and studios
- Are seeking greater conceptual depth, nuanced skills, and transformation in your creative practice
- Thrive in an independent, self-motivated, experimental, research and process driven environment.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Admission to Massey
All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.
Specific requirements
This is a selected entry qualification. This means there are a number of extra requirements you must meet.
To enter the Master of Commercial Music (180 credit qualification) you will:
- Meet the University admission requirements as specified, and
- Have been awarded or qualified for a relevant Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification with a minimum grade average of at least B; or
- Have been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Commercial Music (Honours) with a grade of at least B across the 700-800 level courses, or equivalent, or
- Have been granted admission under the Admission with Equivalent Status regulations and demonstrate practical, professional and scholarly experience at an appropriate level;
- And will have been selected into the qualification on the basis of an interview and assessment of a portfolio of relevant work prepared by the candidate.
You will also need to:
- provide a Research Statement prior to interview
- provide copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at universities other than Massey University.
- If English is not your first language (or the language of tuition of your prior degree), supply a current IELTS (or equivalent) score.
If you have previously completed a relevant Bachelor Honours, or Postgraduate Diploma qualification with a grade of at least a B across the 700-800 level courses, it may be possible to apply for accelerated entry into the 120 Thesis component of the degree. The selected entry criteria below remain consistent, but we will require a Research Proposal rather than a Research Statement.
Portfolio and Research Statement/Research Proposal requirements
For more information about portfolio and Research Statement/Research Proposal requirements, see the College of Creative Arts' postgraduate applications page.
Application closing date
Applications close 30 November (for a Semester 1 start in late February) and 15 May for a Semester Two start in mid-July.
English language requirements
To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.
Time limits for Honours, Distinction and Merit
Where your qualification is completed within the stated time limit and to a high standard, you may be able to graduate with Distinction or Merit.
- Look for information under ‘Student Progression’ in the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates.
- Contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Prior learning, credit and exemptions
For information on prior learning, exemptions and transfer of credit or other questions:
- review the Recognition of Prior Learning regulations
- contact us through the Get advice button on this page.
English language skills
If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.
Maximum time limits for completion
There are maximum time limits to complete postgraduate qualifications. If you do not complete within the maximum time, you may be required to re-apply for the qualification if you wish to continue your studies.
Official regulations
To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.
You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.
Returning students
For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.
In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.
Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.
Structure of the Master of Commercial Music
Structure of the Master of Commercial Music
The 180-credit Massey MCommMus takes place over 1.5 years / 3 semesters (full-time), offering you time to explore creatively, interrogate the fundamentals of your practice, and push your work in new directions.
Part One comprises 60 credits across a Prototyping and Development for Advanced Music Projects (30 credits) and Research Methods course and a 400/700 level elective (15 credits).
By Part Two (the 120 credit Thesis Project) you will have a critically informed sense of your positionality as a creative practitioner and completed the ideation and pre-production phases of your project and carry that into your final project.
Some of the things we value: lively debate, criticality, technical virtuosity; exploration and experimentation, transformation, ambition, and social engagement. We foster a sense of community and embrace an ethos of manaakitanga.
Courses and specialisations
Courses and specialisations
Key terms
- Courses
- Each qualification has its own specific set of courses. Some universities call these papers. You enrol in courses after you get accepted into Massey.
- Course code
- Each course is numbered using 6 digits. The fourth number shows the level of the course. For example, in course 219206, the fourth number is a 2, so it is a 200-level course (usually studied in the second year of full-time study).
- Credits
- Each course is worth a number of credits. You combine courses (credits) to meet the total number of credits needed for your qualification.
- Specialisations
- Some qualifications let you choose what subject you'd like to specialise in. Your major or endorsement is what you will take the majority of your courses in.
Credit summary
180 credits
Part One
- Creative Research Methodologies or Māori Research Methods for Creative Practice (15 credits)
- Prototyping and Development for Advanced Music Projects (30 credits)
- an 400 or 700-level elective (15 credits)
Part Two thesis
- 120 credits (two 60-credit courses)
This is a parts-based qualification. This means there are regulations around your completion of Part One before progressing to Part Two, etc.
Course planning key
- Prerequisites
- Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
- Corequisites
- Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
- Restrictions
- Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.
Part 1 (Choose 60 credits from)
Research Methods (Choose 15 credits from)
Course code: 293731 Contextualising Creative Enterprise Practice Part 1 15 credits
An exploration of advanced critical and enterprise frameworks, and ways they may be applied to creative practice. Students work towards a proposal of a plan to take their Major Project to market, along with a text through which their Major Project is critically framed.
View full course detailsCourse code: 293732 Creative Practice Research Methods 15 credits
Students will advance their understanding of approaches to creative practice research, methods and theory in relation to their specific practice orientation.
View full course detailsCourse code: 298730 Māori Research Methodologies for Creative Practice 15 credits
Students will consider tikanga and methodologies relevant to their own creative practice, which may incorporate the use of customary and/or new technologies, innovations, and knowledge. This will include developing an understanding of tikanga, ethics and accountabilities around the use of mātauranga toi Māori, mātauranga-ā-iwi, mātauranga-ā-hapū and mātauranga-a-whānau in the development of their own creative outputs. Students will be supported to locate and articulate their own creative practice in a continuum of mātauranga toi Māori.
View full course detailsProject Development (Choose 30 credits from)
Course code: 133701 Prototyping and Development for Advanced Music Projects 30 credits
Students undertake research toward developing a project relevant to their creative practice. Students learn techniques to produce an early prototype, synopsis, or equivalent concept. This culminates in the preparation of a proposal for their major projects.
View full course detailsAny 400-level or 700-level elective course from the College of Creative Arts (Prefixes: 133, 197, 198, 212, 213, 221, 222, 223, 224, 237, 289, 293, 296, 298) (Choose 15 credits from)
Part 2 (Choose 120 credits from)
Course code: 133811 Commercial Music 120 credit Thesis Part 1 60 credits
Preparation of a thesis consisting of an advanced Commercial Music-led research project and an exegetical component to satisfy the requirements of the Master of Commercial Music qualification.
View full course detailsCourse code: 133812 Commercial Music 120 credit Thesis Part 2 60 credits
Continuing preparation of a thesis consisting of an advanced Commercial Music-led research project and an exegetical component to satisfy the requirements of the Master of Commercial Music qualification.
View full course detailsFees and scholarships
Fees and scholarships
2026 tuition fees
- Domestic students: $11,615
- International students: $46,100
Tuition fees are estimates only. The exact fees charged will depend on which courses you select at the time of enrolment. The estimates are for full-time study (120 credits). Fees are in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The estimates do not include the Student Services Fee. This fee is $1,164 for on-campus students and $948 for distance students for full-time study (120 credits). For more information about this fee and other fees you may need to pay, see non-tuition fees.
There may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.
Course fees
You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.
Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme
You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.
The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme, including how much could be covered and your eligibility on the Inland Revenue website.
Scholarship and award opportunities
Find more scholarships and awardsFees disclaimer
This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.
Careers and job opportunities
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)
Refine your specialist music skills with postgraduate study in Commercial Music. Singer, DJ, lighting tech, or tour manager—whatever your jam, we’ll help you get further.
Music Industry – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Seek out and develop new ways to work in the commercial music industry. Learn artist development, management and distribution, and how to stage live events and tours.
Music Practice – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Study musicianship and performance in the popular genre of your choice — whether you’re a singer, DJ, or in a band. Music Practice will give you the skills and confidence to take risks and make it in the music industry.
Music Technology – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Explore and extend how music is created, produced and heard. In Music Technology, you’ll work at the intersection of music, creativity and technology.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Commercial Music
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Commercial Music – Music Practice, Music Technology or Music Industry.
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