Duration
Location
Trafalgar Campus
(Oakville)
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Overview
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Courses
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Admission Requirements
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Careers
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Fees & Financial Aid
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Learning Outcomes
Master the art of composing for animation, games, television and stage.
Program Overview
Collaborate on real-life projects
Writing music for screen and stage today is about teamwork. In this program, you'll collaborate with your peers in our renowned arts programs and bring projects to life with music. You'll compose music for animation, video games and apps, film, TV and musical theatre. No other music composition program offers access to these arts programs or provides the broad skill set clients and employers want.
Broaden your skill set
Composing music for screen and stage means being able to take on multiple roles. In this program, you'll develop a broad skill set. You'll learn orchestration, recording, mixing and editing. Using the latest technology, you'll compose music for several of Sheridan's arts programs, and create a workplace-ready demo reel that showcases your ability to work in a variety of media.
Become the complete package
This program brings music and technology together. Many of our students have either a formal music background or technical experience, but not both. This graduate music certificate builds on your existing skill set, while bridging any gaps in experience you may have. You'll have classes in music composition, as well as the technical aspects of recording, mixing and sound design.
Additional information
Music composition isn’t just an art. It’s also a business. Many of our graduates will become self-employed freelancers, so the Music Scoring for Screen and Stage program prepares you for success with a special focus on business and entrepreneurial skills. You’ll learn:
- How to start a small business.
- How to market yourself.
- How to manage the client-composer relationship.
You’ll also learn about royalties — how they work, getting paid and interpreting and developing contracts.
Our renowned arts school also provides unmatched facilities and award-winning faculty. Courses are held at our Trafalgar Road Campus in Oakville, Ontario.
Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Courses
Creative, innovative learning is at the core of all Sheridan’s courses. Here are the courses you’ll take in this program.
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Semester 1
CODE TITLE CREDITS MUSI 50001 Genres & Scores: Short Films & Musical Theatre 3 MUSI 50172 Composition for Commercials & Short Films 3 MUSI 55586 Orchestration 1 3 MUSI 59556 Game Audio 3 MUSI 56529 The Digital Audio Workstation 3 MUSI 56859 Introduction to Recording Studio Techniques 3 MUSI 57370 The Composer's Toolkit 3 Total credits: 21
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Semester 2
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Semester 3
Courses subject to change.
Current students should refer to their Academic Requirements in myStudentCentre to track their academic progress and outstanding course requirements.
Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Admission Requirements
Program Eligibility
A music-related postsecondary diploma, advanced diploma or degree, with an overall GPA of 2.5, or demonstrated experience.
Applicant Selection
Eligible applicants are selected on the basis of previous academic achievement or five years demonstrated experience, as well as the results of their portfolio assessment.
Applicants who do not meet the admission requirements for this program may be advised individually regarding other related programs.
Domestic applicants
- Postsecondary transcripts indicating courses completed to date must be submitted to ontariocolleges.ca at the time of application.
- Domestic applicants with education outside of Canada must have their transcripts assessed for equivalency through ICAS or WES. A comprehensive (course-by-course) post-secondary credential assessment is required.
- Private career college courses and/or credentials are not acceptable as admission requirements for Sheridan programs.
International applicants
- Official postsecondary transcripts, indicating courses completed to date, and credential must be submitted at the time of application. In case the transcripts/certificates are not in English, note that these documents must be accompanied by a notarized, official translation into English. Translated copies must also be accompanied by a copy of the original transcript.
- International applicants need to follow the international application process.
English Language Proficiency
All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Sheridan’s English proficiency requirements.Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Career Opportunities
Many of our graduates will go on to develop successful freelance careers, so we teach you the ins and outs of running a small business. You’ll also learn the music and technical skills you need to excel in several career areas. Upon graduation, you’ll be ready to tackle any project with confidence.
Sample career areas:
- Film and television
- Video games and apps
- Animation
- Children's programming
- Musical theatre
- Recording engineering
- Music editing
- Marketing and advertising
Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Program Fees
Fees shown here are estimates only. Fees are in Canadian dollars and include tuition, health insurance and ancillary charges.
The fees shown here are for the 2025–2026 academic year, and are subject to change. The fees displayed are for the first two (2) academic semesters of study at Sheridan unless otherwise noted; fees for subsequent semesters are not reflected on this website.
Fees for Canadian students
$14,495.75Notes: Fees shown are for three academic terms.
Fees for International students
$31,425.14Financial Aid & Awards
Your education is a big investment, and we're here to help! Keep an eye on our Financial Aid & Awards page for regular updates, and check out these important links:
- Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
- Scholarships, awards and bursaries
- Work Study Assistance Program
International Entrance Scholarship
International students beginning their full-time postsecondary studies at Sheridan may receive an entrance scholarship. A separate application is not required. Visit the International Entrance Scholarship page for details.
Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the program, graduates will have demonstrated the ability to apply their pre-existing musical knowledge to most of the specific skills of writing, arranging, editing, producing, and administering music for film, television, animation, the stage and video games.
- Compose music for at least two of the following: live action dramatic short films, animated short films, live musical theatre or video games.
- Illustrate competency in at least two of the following areas: producing a score recording session, engineering a score recording session, editing recorded music to fit a given visual sequence, arrange or orchestrate a provided musical idea or composition.
- Articulate the unique responsibilities of the principal and key production personnel involved in visual media, musical theatre productions or game design.
- Collaborate with a key creative team in the creation of complementary music accompaniment for a storytelling environment.
- Create original musical elements and deliver to peer content producers within the Sheridan College student community.
- Arrange and orchestrate a given composition within the creative and practical constraints of a production.
- Produce all facets of a score recording session including: writing score parts, contracting musicians, preparation of MIDI or digital “guide tracks”, preparation of click tracks, tempo maps, markers.
- Contextualize differences between composition and composition for stage, screen and games.
- Argue the complexities of musical themes and development in milestone productions of film, television, games and musical theatre.
- Contextualize the various social, political, economic, cultural and artistic influences upon composition for visual media, games and musical theatre throughout history.
Book a campus tour
Faculty
Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design
Designation
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Location
Trafalgar Campus
1430 Trafalgar Road, Oakville
Helpful links
Program availability
Ontario College Graduate Certificate
Full-time 1 year Program code: PMSFS
| Start date | Campus | Delivery | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | Trafalgar Campus (Oakville) |
In Person
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Domestic Available
International Available
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