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Music

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

Overall: BBB Required subjects: Grade B in Music or Music Technology. Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:27,M:18

Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including: 27 at Distinction and 18 at Merit. Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. Required subjects: Please contact us to discuss suitability.

Extended Project

A

Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

Overall: 32 Required subjects: Music HL5/SL6. If Music not taken in IB, please contact us to discuss suitability. Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.

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

DDM

Overall: DDM Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. Required subjects: Please contact us to discuss suitability.

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,B

Overall: BBB Required subjects: Grade B in Music or Music Technology. Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B,B

Overall: ABBBB Required subjects: Music or Music Technology at grade B Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended. GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C

Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A levels. Applicants taking an A level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers. Required subjects: A level grade B Music or Music Technology. Grade 5 Theory (ABRSM) or equivalent proficiency is recommended.

UCAS Tariff

120-144

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music

**Why choose this course**
We are ranked 5th in the UK for music by the Guardian University Guide 2023. This course received an overall satisfaction score of 95.2% in the National Student Survey 2022.

Our music course offers training in a huge range of styles from classical and popular, to musical theatre, jazz and contemporary music. You’ll be able to make music on your own and with others, perform in orchestras, choirs and bands, and work with improvisation.

As a performer, you’ll receive free instrumental/vocal lessons, enjoy 24/7 practice room access and the opportunity to take part in regular concerts. As a composer you’ll have access to excellent recording facilities, state of the art Mac labs and many opportunities to showcase your work. All music students benefit from visits by industry professionals, including: performers, composers, promoters, publishers and educators.

Whether you’re interested in performance, composition, music history, analysis or the music industry itself, our experienced staff and vibrant musical community can help unlock your musical potential.

Our award-winning Professional Training placements prepare students for roles in industry.

We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

**What you will study**
On our course you can take performance and composition in each year. Alongside these, you’ll study music across history and within culture. You’ll develop advanced knowledge of music theory and analysis.

You’ll graduate from our course with a BMus qualification, which denotes a practical emphasis - we use performing and/or composing as the key ways to increase your knowledge of music and develop your musicianship. You’ll learn about music of the past and the present, in both classical and popular styles.

In your final year, you’ll develop a large-scale individual project; this is a good example of the flexible approach you can take to your learning - it can be a substantial written investigation, or a performance or composition project, with complementary writing.

On our four-year course, you’ll also be able to take a year-long Professional Training placement and gain experience in the music and wider arts industries.

Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.

Extra funding

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

The Uni


Course location:

Stag Hill

Department:

FASS - Department of Music and Media

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.

85%
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

93%
Staff make the subject interesting
98%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
90%
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

79%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
76%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
53%
Male students
47%
Female students
92%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
A

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.

£21,000
high
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
72%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

48%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
7%
Other administrative occupations
5%
Engineering 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.

£14k

£14k

£20k

£20k

£22k

£22k

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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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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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