Skip to content

Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya

Higher education centre in Barcelona, Spain

The Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) is a higher music school in Barcelona, housed in the L'Auditori building on Carrer Padilla. Its public fees are reviewed and approved every year by the board of trustees of its foundation. According to the school, it has 905 students and 247 teachers.

ESMUC awards the Grau en Ensenyaments Artístics Superiors de Música (Bachelor's Degree in Higher Artistic Education of Music), adapted to the European Higher Education Area and equivalent to a university degree. The degree has 240 ECTS credits over four years and is accredited by the Catalan university quality agency AQU. Specialities:

  • Composition and Conducting
  • Performance: classical and contemporary, jazz and modern, early music, traditional music
  • Musicology and Pedagogy
  • Production and Management
  • Sonology
  • Music and Mathematics (double degree) and Music and Primary Education (joint pathway)

At postgraduate level ESMUC offers official master's degrees recognised by the State (MECES level 3), its own master's programmes and university master's degrees run jointly with Catalan universities. Admission to the bachelor's degree requires a specific entrance exam held every year. Catalan is the main language of teaching. ESMUC takes part in Erasmus+ and accepts exchange students for a semester or a full academic year.

Haz click aquí para ver este centro en español

Programmes

Bachelor's Degree in Higher Artistic Education of Music (Grau en Ensenyaments Artístics Superiors de Música): 240 ECTS over four years, full-time, including external practice and a final project. Specialities:

  • Composition
  • Conducting
  • Performance: Classical and Contemporary Music
  • Performance: Jazz and Modern Music
  • Performance: Early Music
  • Performance: Traditional Music
  • Musicology
  • Pedagogy
  • Production and Management
  • Sonology
  • Music and Mathematics (double degree)
  • Music and Primary Education (joint pathway)

Graduate programmes

Official master's degrees (recognised by the State, MECES level 3):

  • Barcelona Jazz Master
  • Lied "Victoria de los Ángeles"
  • Flamencology
  • Music Research
  • Performance of Classical and Contemporary Music
  • Flamenco Performance

University master's degrees run with partner universities: Early Music Performance (at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) and Music as an Interdisciplinary Art (with the Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat Rovira i Virgili and CSIC). ESMUC's own master's programmes (school's own qualification): Composition with Technologies, Film Scoring and Music for Audiovisual Media, Music Management and Production, Music Therapy, Music Education for Musicians, and Management of Arts Education Centres. There is also a postgraduate course in Performing Arts and Social Action. Applications start with online pre-registration (30 EUR per programme).

Admission

Bachelor's degree: admission requires passing a specific entrance exam (prueba específica de acceso), called every year under a resolution of the Catalan Department of Education. ESMUC also runs an orientation course for the entrance exams.

Master's degrees: after online pre-registration, applicants send the documents requested for the admission process and a copy of the qualification that gives access to the programme; admission depends on each master's specific requirements and merit criteria.

Language requirements

Catalan is the main language of teaching at ESMUC. For students who do not know the language, the school offers an ESMUC Catalan course and linguistic resources.

Erasmus+ exchange students apply through their home institution and the MOBILITY system; ESMUC's own deadline is 28 February for both semesters of the following academic year. Once registered, exchange students have access to the same services and activities as other students.

Related schools