BA Music drafted

Program Overview

Our BA Music is a well-established and highly regarded programme. Our graduates go on to work in the music profession, the wider creative industries, and a host of other careers, from law and fiNAce - via conversion courses - to civil service and non-governmental organisations, education and health professions, including music therapy. Some also choose to pursue postgraduate study.

We offer a broad range of units in musicology, composition, and performance, across diverse styles and genres. These are complemented by weekly concerts, regular masterclasses, workshops and performances in the department, and opportunities to get involved in the dynamic music scene in the city of Bristol. The department has a track record of international academic excellence and is exceptionally friendly and welcoming, with several of our staff running ensembles and performing with students.

You will be taught by internationally recognised and world-class musicologists and composers, working together to deliver research-led teaching of the highest quality, and by a team of professional instrumental and vocal tutors. Our teaching and music-making take place in the magnificent 19th-century Victoria Rooms, a familiar Bristol landmark with a 530-seat auditorium, a recital room, extensive studio facilities and a suite of practice rooms. Several organ and choral scholarships are available with our local churches and with Bristol Cathedral.

Program Outline

Please note:

This section describes which Units you will take in which year of study. It indicates which units are mandatory and where you will be able to choose. The overall pass marks you will need to achieve in order to progress or achieve an award are shown. The full regulations concerning progression and completion are held in the University's Regulations and Code of Practice. Any particular aspects of your programme that are unusual will be highlighted. If any Units are must pass this will be shown below. The linked unit specifications detail any additional requirements.

Progression/award requirements

Unit Pass Mark for Undergraduate Programmes:

For details on the weightings for classifying undergraduate degrees, please see the Agreed Weightings, by Faculty, to be applied for the Purposes of Calculating the Final Programme Mark and Degree Classification in Undergraduate Programmes.

For detailed rules on progression please see the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes and the relevant faculty handbook.

Please refer to the specific progression/award requirements for programmes with a preliminary year of study, the Gateway programmes and International Foundation programmes.

Exit awards

All undergraduate degree programmes allow the opportunity for a student to exit from a programme with a Diploma or Certificate of Higher Education.

Integrated Master's degrees may also allow the opportunity for a student to exit from the programme with an equivalent Bachelor's degree where a student has achieved 360 credit points, of which 90 must be at level 6, and has successfully met any additional criteria as described in the programme specification.

The opportunities for a student to exit from one of the professional programmes in Veterinary Science, Medicine, and Dentistry with an Award is outlined in the relevant Programme Regulations (which are available as an annex in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes).

Additional progress information

Students are permitted to conditionally progress to the next year of study and make up a credit deficit where they have failed a particular unit or units provided this meets the conditions in the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

Course structure

The first year prepares you for advanced study in subsequent years, giving you a solid foundation in musicology and composition and, if you choose, performance.

Performance students receive one-to-one tuition with specialist tutors throughout their degree. In performance, we offer a wide range of instruments and vocal styles, but in the event that tuition on your particular instrument/vocal type is not currently offered in Bristol, you will be able to discuss options with the Department.

Years two and three enable you to tailor the curriculum to your particular interests. You might specialise in a specific area of music studies or explore a more varied selection, including composition (acoustic and studio-based), orchestration, performance, and musicology, covering topics such as editing, medieval music, opera, romanticism, music and war, aesthetics, film music, music and migration, and African-American music.

Your final year includes one major project (musicology dissertation or composition portfolio) or a 30-minute recital.

You will have the option to take units in other subjects and you may be able to spend part of your second year studying abroad at a partner university. To find out more about studying abroad, visit Global Opportunities.