Program Overview

Course Overview

The Higher Diploma in Arts (Music) is a conversion course designed for graduates in non-music subjects who wish to study music intensively at a level equivalent to a primary honours degree in music.

Course Outline

This course is an extremely flexible one that may be tailored to suit your interests and aspirations for specialisation in music. It is ideal for those who have acquired skills in music in previous years and now wish to build on that experience and advance it to professional levels with the potential for a career in music or further postgraduate study.

Course Practicalities

• Duration: 1 year Full-time; 2 years Part-time
• Teaching Mode: Full-time, Part-Time
• Qualifications: HDip in Arts
• NFQ Level: Level 8
• Closing Date: Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.
• Non-EU Closing Date: Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.
• Start Date: 8 September 2025

Course Structure

• The course is a 60 credit course that may be taken full time over nine months (September to May) or part time over two academic years (September to May in each year).
• The modules are selected from the modules designed for UCC’s BMus and BA (Arts-Music) honours degree courses: 30 credits from level/year 2, and 30 credits from final year.

Assessment

• The Department of Music employs a wide range of assessment methods, matching the nature and requirements of its various course options.
• They include continuous assessment and practical examinations for performance options; a portfolio of written and/or audio-visual submissions for composition options; written responses to set texts and to seminars and coursework that range from formal essays to learning journals.

Why Choose This Course

• This course is ideal, and unique in Ireland, for graduates in non-music subjects who want to qualify in music to degree level and beyond.
• Success in this course may be said to be the equivalent of acquiring a degree in music.
• Passing the course at a high level — with at least second-class honours — makes you eligible to apply for master’s degrees at UCC and at other universities that hold a similar view about equivalence.

Skills and Careers Information

• The skill sets of our HDip graduates vary enormously, depending on the modules chosen, the types of music studied, and the areas of study in which they specialise.
• In general terms these areas of speciality fall into the broad categories of music scholarship and teaching, music performance, and music composition.

Requirements

• It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4 year primary degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences, and who wish to study the subject Music intensively over one academic year.
• The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme and applicants would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.

Fees and Costs

• Postgraduate EU and International Fees 2025/2026: See the Postgraduate EU and Non-EU (International) Fee Schedule for the latest information.
• Deposits: If your course requires a deposit, that figure will be deducted from your second-semester fee payment in January.
• Fee payment: Fees are payable in two equal instalments. First payment is at registration and the balance usually by the end of January.

How To Apply

• Check dates: Check the opening and closing dates for the application process in the yellow fact file boxes at the top of this webpage.
• Gather documents: Scanned copies of supporting documents have to be uploaded to the UCC online application portal and include:
  • Original qualification documents listed on your application, including transcripts of results from institutions other than UCC.
  • Any supplementary items requested for your course, if required.
• Apply online: Apply online by clicking the red 'Apply Now' button below. Note most of our courses have a non-refundable €50 application fee.