The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) is a place like nowhere else, powered by performance, its people and their passion.
Founded in 1847, Scotland’s national conservatoire is a global leader in performing arts education, consistently ranked in the top ten of the QS World University Rankings.
Specialist tuition across music, drama, dance, production, film and education under one roof creates an environment where artists move between disciplines, immersed in a culture of creativity and collaboration that sparks bold new work and ways of thinking.
Students learn from the best at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where they work alongside award-winning teaching staff, industry experts and internationally acclaimed guest artists.
And as the only conservatoire in the country, RCS is uniquely placed to partner with the nation’s leading artistic companies to provide one-of-a-kind learning experiences.
Here, students grow into the artists they want to be, where they’re encouraged to develop not just their art but their power to use it.
Our vision:
To create and maintain a sustainable community that nurtures, supports and celebrates inclusive art making from grassroots to world-leading performance and production.
Find out more about RCS on our pages below:
Our History
Our Policy
Our Governance
Why RCS?
We are the only place in Europe where you can study all of the performing arts on the one campus. There is a distinctive creative energy at RCS and you’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Our graduates are resourceful, highly employable and members of a dynamic community of artists who make a significant impact across the globe.
At RCS, students develop not just their art but their power to use it.
Why RCS
World Top Ten
We were voted one of the world’s Top Ten destinations to study the performing arts (QS Rankings) in 2024, the eighth time we have been placed in the top ten since the ranking was established in 2016.
Perform & Collaborate
Our curriculum is built around performance and collaboration and we hold professional partnerships with all of Scotland’s National Companies. Join forces across artforms and be part of the 500+ performances we give each year.
Outstanding Alumni
Outstanding Alumni
Our graduates are employed across the world and we take pride in the impact they have on their art forms. We’ll equip you with the skills to thrive as a professional and join their ranks.
Learn from the Best
Learn from the Best
More than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at RCS across all our art forms. Study with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the UK.
A Campus Built for You
A Campus Built for You
Our facilities are world-class.From rehearsal rooms and recording studios to our five professional performance venues, we have a campus to showcase and develop emerging artists to the highest standards.
Our People
Staff A-Z
More than 1000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff work at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland across all of the many art forms. As a student here, you will be working with some of the finest educators and performing and production artists in the country. Update in Progress (March 2024)
RCS Ambassadors
RCS Ambassadors
We recently launched our new RCS Ambassadors programme. Our ambassadors will support us to amplify and enhance the understanding of RCS across the world, building our connections and developing a dynamic student and alumni community.
Our Governors
Our Governors
Our Board of Governors is collectively responsible for overseeing RCS’s activities, determining its future direction and fostering an environment in which RCS’s mission is achieved and the potential of all of its students is realised.
Make a Donation
Donate To Support Our Students
Your gift today helps the artists of the future.
Make a Donation
Get Involved
Study Here
Study Here
Be part of Scotland’s national conservatoire and one of the world’s top performing arts education institutions. You’ll be made to feel part of our inclusive and diverse environment from the very beginning of your studies.
Work for Us
Work for Us
Working at RCS means being part of a dynamic global community of students, staff and alumni. We have more than 1,000 lecturers, tutors, artists, technicians, co-ordinators and support staff within the Royal Conservatoire working across all of the many art forms.
Hire our Performers
Hire our Performers
We can provide actors, dancers and musicians for your event, across different genres including jazz, Scottish traditional, musical theatre, classical music and opera.
Sustainability
At the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, we are committed to ensuring our practices, performances and policies are carried out in the most sustainable way possible.
We have a responsibility to reduce our impact on the environment and continue to seek new and innovative ways to improve the sustainability of our operations.
You can find out more about our sustainability practices and news on the Green Room
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality and Diversity are of central importance to our working ethos. Performance is our purpose at the Royal Conservatoire and the nurturing and development of the individual creative potential inherent in each and every member of our community, staff and students alike, lies at the very heart of our efforts. In turn, this means that the unique identity of every single individual who works or studies here is valid and is valued and respected.
You can find out more about our EDI work and read our Dignity & Equality policies by following the links below:
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
Dignity & Equality Policy
Our Royal Patronage
Our Royal Patron is His Majesty King Charles III, formerly The Duke of Rothesay, who was first appointed Patron of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2003 and retained his patronage in 2024.
The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland received its royal prefix in 1944 from King George V. The then-Queen Elizabeth assumed the role of Patron, a role in which she continued as Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother until her death in 2002. Following in his grandmother’s footsteps, His Majesty King Charles, as Duke of Rothesay at that time, became Patron in 2003.
Browse Our Courses
- Undergraduate Programmes
- Postgraduate Programmes
- Junior Conservatoire
- Short Courses
- Summer Schools
- Dance
- BA Modern Ballet
- BA Dance Artists
- Music
- BMus (Hons) Composition
- BMus (Hons) Jazz
- BMus (Hons) Joint Principal Study
- BMus (Hons) Performance
- — Brass Department (Undergraduate)
- — Guitar and Harp Department (Undergraduate)
- — Keyboard Department (Undergraduate)
- — Strings Department (Undergraduate)
- — Timpani and Percussion Department (Undergraduate)
- — Vocal Performance Department (Undergraduate)
- — Woodwind Department (Undergraduate)
- BMus Traditional Music
- BMus Traditional Music: Piping
- Drama
- BA Acting
- BA Musical Theatre
- BA Performance
- Education
- Bachelor of Education (Music) with Honours
- Production
- BA Production Arts and Design
- BA Production Technology and Management
- Socially Engaged Practice
- BA Arts with Community
- Film
- BA Filmmaking
- Drama
- Professional Graduate Diploma in Musical Directing
- MA Musical Theatre: Musical Directing
- MA/MFA Acting/Directing Classical and Contemporary Text
- Music
- Advanced PGDip in Music
- Artist Diploma
- Artist Diploma in Opera
- MMus/MA Accompaniment
- MMus/MA Chamber Music
- MMus/MA Composition
- MMus/MA Conducting
- MMus/MA Jazz
- MMus/MA Performance
- — Brass Department (Postgraduate)
- — Guitar and Harp Department (Postgraduate)
- — Keyboard Department (Postgraduate)
- — Strings Department (Postgraduate)
- — Timpani and Percussion Department (Postgraduate)
- — Vocal Performance Department (Postgraduate)
- — Woodwind Department (Postgraduate)
- MMus Performance and Pedagogy
- MMus/MA Piano for Dance
- MA Psychology in the Arts (Music)
- MMus/MA Repetiteurship
- MMus/MA Traditional Music
- Production
- MA/MFA Production Design/Management
- Leverhulme Conducting Fellowship
- Research
- PhD/MPhil
- Doctor of Performing Arts
- Education
- Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (Music)
- About Short Courses
- Short Course FAQs
- Short Courses Financial Support
- Short Courses Promotional Offers
- Children and Young People
- Adults
- Short Study and Audition Preparation
- Dance Classes
- Adult Ballet Advanced
- Adult Contemporary Dance
- Adult Everybody’s Ballet
- Adult Absolute Beginners Ballet
- Adult Improvers Ballet
- Adult Theatre Jazz
- RAD Ballet Classes
- Modern Ballet Conditioning Class
- Traditional Music Graded Exams
- About Summer Schools
- All Summer School Listings
- Summer Accommodation
- Find A Summer School
- Junior Conservatoire of Music
- Early Years Music
- — Early Years Music: Ages 1-Primary 1
- — Primary Instrumental Programme: Primary 2-Primary 7
- — Primary Instrumental Programme Wind, Brass and Percussion
- Pre-Junior Conservatoire of Music
- Classical Music
- Juniors Traditional Music
- Jazz
- Composition
- Music Centres
- Junior Conservatoire of Drama, Dance, Production, and Film
- Juniors Acting
- Juniors Musical Theatre
- Pre-Junior Conservatoire of Dance
- Juniors Contemporary Dance
- Juniors Modern Ballet
- Juniors Production
- Juniors Filmmaking
- Devised Theatre Company
- Contemporary Youth Dance Company
- Young Ballet Company
- Spring Masterclasses
- — Spring Ballet Intensive
- — Pre-Junior Spring Dance Intensive
