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Bachelor of Music (Honours)

Royal College of Music

UCAS Code: 300F | Bachelor of Music (with Honours) - BMus (Hon)

Entry requirements


A level

E,E

Two A Levels at grade E or above in any subject. Or One A Level (grade E or above) and two AS Levels (one at grade D or above and one at grade E or above) Most UK applicants will take A Level music or equivalent and achieve a Grade A or B. If you are choosing your subjects now, we recommend that you choose music if possible.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

P3,P3

Cambridge Pre-U certificate in at least two principal subjects at P3 level or above.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H8

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PP

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

Scottish Advanced Higher

D,D,D

Scottish Higher

D,D,D

Three Scottish Higher grade passes at grade D or above

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

E

UCAS Tariff

32-96

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

You may also need to…

Perform an audition

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music

Undergraduate study at the Royal College of Music balances high-level training in composition, solo, chamber and ensemble performance with critical enquiry into music past and present. Students investigate music in context and how it operates in contemporary cultures. The RCM also provides a range of options for developing practical and applied skills.

The nature of your undergraduate experience at the RCM depends on your principal study specialism. In essence, it includes individual lessons with distinguished musicians; core units in historical, technical, practical, and vocational subjects delivered in small groups; and a variety of performances.

Our undergraduate programme is designed to be flexible, especially in years 3 and 4, ensuring you can undertake study directly relevant to your needs and aspirations. A variety of options helps every student develop their interests during their time at the RCM.

From the very beginning of the course you will be able to draw on exceptional resources and opportunities, such as the RCM Library, the Centre for Performance Science, Creative Careers Centre and RCM Sparks – our outreach and education programme.

Royal College of Music courses are internationally recognised, with successful students awarded their qualifications under the RCM's Royal Charter.

Most students have the option of taking a second study on this course. Second study allows students to receive tuition in a second specialism, taught and assessed at a lower intensity than their principal study, in an area that does not qualify for related study. Second study specialisms are subject to successful audition and the agreement of the relevant Head of Faculty. There is no need to inform the RCM at the point of application. Auditions take place during the first few weeks of the course, and students will have the opportunity to register for these auditions shortly before the start of the academic year.

Modules

Years 1 and 2
• Performance studies in Principal, Related, and Second instruments, with regular faculty-based workshops, activities, and opportunities for performance
• Training in music education
• Courses in music history and performance practice, practical musicianship/stylistic studies, aural awareness, study skills, Alexander Technique, and musicians' wellbeing
• Options in music history and stylistic studies topics in Year 2
• Opportunity to fast track to higher levels of study in aural awareness and practical musicianship

Years 3 and 4
• Continuing work in performance studies
• Creation of a personalised programme of study from a variety of options (offered on either a yearly or two-yearly basis)

Assessment methods

Assessment for undergraduate students is grouped into subject, general and key skills. The assessment tasks within the RCM's undergraduate courses are varied, including technical assessments, performance exams, take-away assignments and practical assessments in performance or practical modules; unseen written exams, essays, individual and group presentations in academic or theoretical modules; and reflective diaries, workshops, and vivas in skills-based modules.

Extra funding

The RCM is able to support many students with scholarships thanks to the generosity of charitable trusts, companies, businesses, individual members of the public and legacies. Every student who applies for a place on one of the RCM's performance or composition courses commencing will be considered for scholarship, whether you have applied by video or attended an audition or interview in person. There is no separate application process. Scholarships are awarded on merit based on performance at audition (or interview for composers).

The Uni


Course location:

Royal College of Music

Department:

Music

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

84%
Music

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
94%
Staff are good at explaining things
75%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

44%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

52%
UK students
48%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
high
Employed or in further education
47%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

89%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Teaching and educational professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£11k

£11k

£18k

£18k

£25k

£25k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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