The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln is one of the world’s foremost performing arts schools and one of the largest music institutions for higher education in Europe with its three campuses in Cologne, Wuppertal, and Aachen.

In 1927, as one of the first academic institutions for music in Germany, the University was honored with the title of “Hochschule” (institution of higher education). This distinction followed the decision to abandon traditional academic programs, which focused solely on soloist performance offered at conservatories, to instead embrace a more global goal by introducing the “music education” program: artistically and pedagogically educating musicians to be as multifaceted as possible.

Even today, this aim of versatility remains the foundation for the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln’s forward-looking image. The University is committed to providing students from around the world with a comprehensive education and a high level of professional skills. In order to do so, we create modern degree programs that are both interdisciplinary and aimed at the future. Along with our partner institutions throughout the world and our affiliate in Italy (Europäische Akademie für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, Montepulciano) we also guarantee a high degree of internationality, which will also be fostered by our partnerships with other higher education institutions for performing arts in North Rhine-Westphalia in the form of a jointly designed academic institution in Montepulciano.

The University’s three campuses help distinguish the University in a special way. The Aachen campus substantially contributes to the Opera/Musical Theatre master’s program by collaborating with the Theater Aachen and the recently established musical theatre chair through the Rheinische Opernakademie.

The Wuppertal campus is planning a broad expansion of its specializations in the music education programs, noteworthy for their extensive networks of partners in the field of music education and for its many fields of specializations, e.g., the only mandolin chair in Europe.

Of the three campuses, the Cologne campus boasts the most comprehensive and extensive course offerings in the arts, education, and academics.

Academic Diversity

The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln prides itself on its extensive range of degree programs and curricula, more than at almost any other comparable institution of higher education in Europe. Specialized bachelor’s and master’s degrees are offered for the following:

• All orchestra instruments as well as many special instruments
• Orchestra musicians (in partnership with the Orchesterzentrum Dortmund)
• Voice and musical theatre (see also Rheinische Opernakademie)
• Protestant and Catholic church music
• Contemporary dance and dance education
• Dance studies
• Instrumental and electronic composition
• Degree programs with specializations in art performance and education
• Jazz/Pop music
• Historical Instruments (see also Institut für Alte Musik)

In 2010, the teaching degree program for music, the most popular of its kind in Germany, will also transition to the bachelor/master system while modernizing and sustaining the direction of the University's longstanding partnership with the city of Cologne.

Career-Oriented Design

The Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln places great emphasis on preparing its students with as targeted a focus as possible for their future careers. To achieve this goal, the curricula of not only the teaching degree in music but of all the programs will not only be thoroughly evaluated but also integrated into professional fields and overseen by mentors.

Countless graduates from the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln have gone on to perform with Europe’s most renowned orchestras and opera houses or have won prizes in the biggest international competitions, proving that the University’s outstanding performing arts education is among Europe’s premier institutions of higher education for music.