Undergraduate 

Music MA

Singer and studio microphone

If you have a keen interest in the technical, cultural, historical, and philosophical questions music opens up, ideally coupled with some practical experience of it, this programme is for you. In each year you are given a range of options both in music and other subjects, allowing you to design a degree pathway that caters to your own particular interests and strengths.

In each year you are given a range of options from which to choose, allowing you to design your own degree to cater to your own particular interests and strengths.

  • September start
  • Session dates
  • Music MA (Hons): W300 4 year degree

Register your interest for more information

Music at Glasgow

Our music facilities

Our music facilities within the School of Culture & Creative Arts include three studios, the Audio Lab, a small library and a number of seminar and practice rooms. The school also has preferential access to the University Concert Hall.

Work experience opportunities

Each year there are opportunities for students to gain work experience working either as the librarian in the school library or as an intern in the suite of studios, assisting with production work and carrying out admin and maintenance tasks.

Music club

Glasgow University Music Club is a student-run umbrella organisation comprising of a number of student-run music groups. All the groups are open to any ability and no auditions are necessary.

The club is friendly and social, with most groups going for post-rehearsal drinks, and regular social events spanning the whole club. With five different ensembles and five concerts, as well as an end of year ball and a residential trip, music club is a relaxed and friendly way  of playing music while meeting some great people!

Programme structure

Year 1

You will take two courses: Listening in culture and Listening through analysis. The first encourages an open-minded, multidisciplinary approach to listening and writing about music of all genres and styles, while the second explores more analytical and musicological approaches approaches to the understanding and analysis of musical works and events, as experienced through notation, live performance, recording or audiovisual media.

Year 2

A compulsory course in Musical techniques will develop your grounding in a range of of skills, from writing a melody, to accompanying it through harmony or counterpoint, through exploring a range of formal structures commonly used in classical and popular music. In addition, you will choose one other Music course (with an option to take two if continuing to Honours) to suit your own main interests in the field. Depending on the year, options to choose from include:

  • Introduction to composition
  • Sonic arts
  • Jazz style & practice
  • Aesthetics & philosophy of music
  • Experimental music practice
  • Analysis.

You will also study other subjects in years 1 and 2: see Flexible degrees.

Years 3 and 4

If you progress to Honours (years 3 and 4) you can choose to focus on one or two of our “pathways”:

  • Composition (individual courses: Composition Higher/ Advanced)
  • Performance (individual courses: Performance Intermediate/Higher/Advanced)
  • Sonic Arts (individual courses: Sound for Narrative Film, Interactive Audiovisual Media, Individual Creative Project)
  • Musicology (individual courses: Music in History, Culture and Society 1 and 2, Historiography and Criticism)

You also have access to a broad selection of courses that cut across two or more pathways, allowing you to explore a specific topic through a combination of scholarly and practical skills, including:

  • Jazz style & practice
  • Aesthetics & philosophy of music
  • Analysis
  • Film music
  • Experimental music practice
  • Notation
  • Performance Practice
  • Popular music politics,
  • Song, singing and vocality

It is also possible to mix and match courses in different areas without committing to a given pathway.

Please note that in order to take our Performance courses, you need to sit an audition at the beginning of your year 3.

You can also choose one of the team-taught courses (Genders or Inter-war cultures) provided by the School of Culture & Creative Arts. In year 4, you will take the written Dissertation course or the Applied dissertation course (combining writing and creative work), both with one-to-one supervision on a topic of your choice.

Course details

Courses you will take as part of a Music MA programme may include:

Year 1

Year 2

Years 3 and 4 (Honours)

(Not all courses listed will be available in each session)


Programme alteration or discontinuation
The University of Glasgow endeavours to run all programmes as advertised. In exceptional circumstances, however, the University may withdraw or alter a programme. For more information, please see: Student contract.

Our international links

You can spend up to a year of your degree studying abroad, normally in the third year. Previous students have chosen to study at the Seoul National University; University of Oslo; University of Texas; University of California; University of Western Australia; Queen’s University (Canada). See Study abroad.

Entry requirements

for entry in 2025

You should refer to the entry requirements for both subjects and the degree award when applying for a joint honours degree programme. The higher entry requirement (where applicable) and additional requirements must be met for both subjects.

Summary of entry requirements for Music (MA)

SQA Higher entry requirements

  • BBBB at S5 will be considered. Typically S6 entrants will have AAAAA Higher or AAAA Higher+B Advanced Higher
  • Additional requirements: Higher English and Higher Music (OR ABRSM Music Theory grade 5).

SQA Higher adjusted entry requirements* (by end of S5 or S6)

  • MD20: BBBB (also other target groups*)
  • MD40: AABB*
  • Additional requirements: Higher English and Higher Music (OR ABRSM Music Theory grade 5). Successful completion of Top-Up or one of our Summer Schools.

* See Access Glasgow for eligibility.

A-level standard entry requirements

  • AAB – BBB
  • Additional requirements: A-level Music (OR ABRSM Music Theory required at grade 5).

IB standard entry requirements

  • 34 (6,5,5)
  • Additional requirements: HL English and HL Humanities (plus ABRSM Music Theory required at grade 5).
Advanced entry

Applicants who achieve exceptional grades in their Advanced Highers, A-levels or International Baccalaureate may be considered for advanced entry, meaning that an Honours degree can be completed in three years instead of the normal four years, or four years for five-year integrated Masters programmes.

Indicative grades to be considered for advanced entry 

SQA Higher advanced entry requirements

  • Three Advanced Highers at Grades AAA attained in one exam year and at the first attempt. Subjects must be relevant to the courses to be taken at Level 2.

A-Level advanced entry requirements

  • A*A*A 

IB advanced entry requirements

  • 38 points

Admissions guidance

English language

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

English language requirements

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

  • 6.5 with no sub-test under 6.0.
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Common equivalent English language qualifications

All stated English tests are acceptable for admission to this programme:

TOEFL (ib, my best or athome)

  • 90 with minimum R 20, L 19, S 19, W 23.
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Combined scores from two tests taken within 6 months of each other can be considered.

PTE (Academic)

  • 60 with minimum 59 in all sub-tests.
  • Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Combined scores from two tests taken within 6 months of each other can be considered.

Glasgow International College English Language (and other foundation providers)

  • 65%.
  • Tests are accepted for academic year following sitting.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

  • Tests are accepted for academic year following sitting.

Cambridge English Qualifications

  • Cambridge Advanced English (CAE): 176 overall, no subtest less than 169
  • Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE): 176 overall, no subtest less than 169

School Qualifications

  • iGCSE English or ESOL 0522/0500, grade C
  • International Baccalaureate English A SL5 or HL5
  • International Baccalaureate English B SL6 or HL5
  • SQA National 5 English or ESOL, grade B
  • SQA Higher English or ESOL, grade C
  • Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, English Language grade 4
  • West African Examination Council, Senior Secondary School Certificate, English grade C6

Alternatives to English Language qualification

  • Undergraduate degree from English speaking country (including Canada if taught in English)
  • Undergraduate 2+2 degree from English speaking country
  • Undergraduate 2+2 TNE degree taught in English in non-English speaking country
  • Masters degree from English speaking country
  • Masters degree (equivalent on NARIC to UK masters degree) taught in English in non-English speaking country.

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept an IELTS test (Academic module) from any of the 1000 IELTS test centres from around the world and we do not require a specific UKVI IELTS test for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

FAQs

What do I do if...

my language qualifications are below the requirements?

The University's School of Modern Languages and Cultures offers a range of Pre-sessional courses to bring you up to entry level. The course is accredited by BALEAP, the UK professional association for academic English teaching.

my language qualifications are not listed here?

Please contact External Relations

If you require a Tier 4 student visa, your qualification must be one of the secure English language tests accepted by UK Border Agency:


Visa requirements and proof of English language level

It is a visa requirement to provide information on your level of English based on an internationally recognised and secure English language test. All test reports must be no more than 2 years old. A list of these can be found on the UK Border Agency website. If you have never taken one of these tests before, you can get an initial idea of your level by using the Common European Framework self-assessment grid which gives you a level for each skill (e.g. listening B1/writing B2 etc.) However, please note that this is not a secure English language test and it is not sufficient evidence of your level of English for visa requirements.

Further information about English language: School of Modern Languages & Cultures: English for Academic Study


Career prospects

Music degrees provide a sound foundation for careers in arts and music administration, journalism, publishing, teaching, librarianship and cultural entrepreneurship, as well as for careers in performance, composition or research. They also provide strong transferable skills applicable to a wide range of careers outside music.

Degrees and UCAS codes

When applying you will need to know the UCAS code for the subject or subject-combination that you wish to apply to:

MA (Hons)

Music: W300 (4 years)
Music/Archaeology: V4W3 (4 years)
Music/Business & Management: NW23 (4 years)
Music/Celtic Studies: QW53 (4 years)
Music/Classics: QW83 (4 years)
Music/Comparative Literature: QWF3 (4 years)
Music/Computing Science: GW43 (4 years)
Music/Digital Media & Information Studies: GW5H (4 years)
Music/Economic & Social History: VW33 (4 years)
Music/Economics: LW13 (4 years)
Music/English Language & Linguistics: QW3J (4 years)
Music/English Literature: QW3H (4 years)
Music/Film & Television Studies: WW36 (4 years)
Music/French: RW13 (5 years)
Music/Geography: LW73 (4 years)
Music/German: RW23 (5 years)
Music/History: VW13 (4 years)
Music/History of Art: VWH3 (4 years)
Music/Italian: RW33 (5 years)
Music/Latin: Q6W3 (4 years)
Music/Mathematics: GW13 (4 years)
Music/Philosophy: VW53 (4 years)
Music/Politics: LW23 (4 years)
Music/Psychology: CW83 (4 years)

Applicants must meet the Psychology requirements
Music/Russian: RW73 (5 years)
Music/Scottish History: VWF3 (4 years)
Music/Scottish Literature: QW23 (4 years)
Music/Social & Public Policy: LW43 (4 years)
Music/Spanish: RW4H (5 years)
Music/Theatre Studies: WW34 (4 years)
Music/Theology & Religious Studies: WV36 (4 years)

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

How and when you pay tuition fees depends on where you’re from: see Tuition fees for details.

Scholarships

The University is committed to supporting students and rewarding academic excellence. That's why we've invested more than £1m in additional scholarship funding in recent years.

College of Arts and Humanities Deans' Award

The College of Arts is offering two scholarships worth £10,000 each towards tuition fees for academically excellent students wishing to study an Undergraduate programme within the College’s programme portfolio for 2024 entry.

Undergraduate Excellence Scholarship

The University of Glasgow has a number of Undergraduate Excellence Scholarships available to new International and EU students for 2024 entry. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fee discount of £7,000 per year of study and is subject to satisfactory progress for consecutive years of study.  

EU Welcome Award

The University of Glasgow continues to be committed to ensuring a strong relationship with our existing and future EU students, and supporting EU talent to make their home at the University of Glasgow. 

We appreciate the challenging financial implications that have arisen for our European applicants, and are therefore delighted to offer the EU Welcome Award to new incoming EU students starting an undergraduate programme for Academic Session 2024-25. The scholarship is awarded as a tuition fee discount of £5,000 for every year of study and is subject to satisfactory progress for consecutive years of study. This discount cannot be combined with another University scholarship.

Applicants that completed a Study Abroad year, Exchange programme or International Summer School at the University of Glasgow and therefore eligible for the Alumni discount could be granted the EU Welcome Award as well.

RUK Excellence Scholarship

The RUK Excellence Scholarship of £1,000 for each year of study will be awarded to first degree new entrants who have attained academic excellence in one sitting at A Level (or equivalent).

RUK Access Bursary

The bursary supports talented students who may not be able to take their place at University for reasons of financial hardship. It is available to new entrant full-time, undergraduate students of the University of Glasgow who are fully registered for the up coming academic session, ordinarily domiciled in England, Wales or Northern Ireland and paying annual tuition fees of £9,250 per annum.

James McCune Smith Undergraduate Scholarship

The University of Glasgow has up to 30 undergraduate scholarships available for students of African/African-Caribbean backgrounds. The scholarship supports students who could face financial difficulties taking up their place to study at the university. The value of the scholarship is £2,000, paid in instalments for year one of undergraduate study. The scholarship is open to new applicants to the university for 2024 entry. Current students who have previously been in receipt of the award may reapply, however, preference will be given to applicants entering their first year of study.

Beaconhouse Schools

The University of Glasgow offer a 15% discount on the first year of tuition fee to students from Beaconhouse Schools and who enrol on an undergraduate programme at the University of Glasgow. The discount does not apply to Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Dentistry programmes.

Republic of Ireland (RoI) Access Bursary

Glasgow has a long and proud tradition of providing financial support to talented students who, for reasons of financial hardship, might not be able to take a place at university. Our RoI Access Bursary is part of our commitment to continue to attract and support students from a diverse range of backgrounds. For 2023 entry, the RoI bursary will be up to £2,000 for your first year of study and £1,000 for continuing years.

Payments of the RoI Access Bursary will be detailed in your Award Letter.

  • The RoI Access Bursary will be awarded as a cash payment.
  • The RoI Access Bursary will be paid in 10 instalments from October until July; this award is based on household income
  • The RoI Access Bursary will only be awarded in years where tuition fees of £9,250 apply 

Please see here for up to date information and criteria for 2024 entry. 

Republic of Ireland (RoI) Excellence Scholarship

The RoI Excellence Scholarship of £1,000 for each year of study will be awarded to first degree entrants who have attained at Irish Higher grades H1, H1, H1, H2, H2 from the Irish Leaving Certificate for 2023 entry. Dentistry, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine applicants are not eligible for this award.

Payments

  • The RoI Excellence Scholarship will be processed as a cash payment.
  • The RoI Excellence Scholarship will be paid in 2 instalments.
  • The first payment will be in October and the second payment will be in February.

These payments will be credited to the UK bank account held on your MyCampus profile; therefore, it is vital that this is up to date at the start of the session. By submitting your bank details on the MyCampus system, you are confirming that you agree with the terms and conditions of the award.

Please see here for further information and eligibility criteria for 2024 entry.

Undergraduate Talent Scholarships

The University of Glasgow is awarding c.50 undergraduate Talent Scholarships to support students who could face financial difficulties in taking up their place to study at the University for 2024 entry. The value of each scholarship is typically £1,500 p.a. for each year of the degree programme, subject to satisfactory progress. Talent Scholarships are available to students entering any of the University's Colleges.

Dental School students are eligible for a Talent Scholarship in their first year of study only. They are eligible for the NHS Dental Student Support Grant in the following years.

Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Scholarship

The Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Scholarships originate with an important collection of works by Whistler gifted by Miss Rosalind Birnie Philip to the University in 1935. Since then, and thanks to further gifts and acquisitions, the Hunterian has come to hold one of the two leading collections of Whistler’s work in the world and History of Art (SCCA) has become an international centre of expertise for the study of Whistler and his 19th century world.  

At her death in 1958, Miss Birnie Philip, Whistler’s heir and executrix, bequeathed the remainder of her art collection to the University, together with part of her residual estate for the purpose of establishing a scholarship scheme for students engaged in any branch of learning within the College of Arts & Humanities. In 2019, the Whistler scholarships scheme was revised in acknowledgement of the continuing links between Miss Birnie Philip’s 1958 bequest of artworks and her wish to support student learning at the University. 

The Whistler Scholarships are open to students in all disciplines of the College of Arts & Humanities. The award committee is willing to consider both individual applications AND joint applications (from up to THREE students). Innovative interdisciplinary work is particularly encouraged. However, students may only involve themselves in the submission of ONE application (individual OR joint).

The Whistler Scholarships cover travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses ONLY. However, in the case of Whistler-related proposals submitted under Scheme 1 additional funds may be made available at the discretion of the Scholarship Committee to cover research or other relevant expenses.

Cowrie Foundation Scholarship

The University of Glasgow and The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation (CSF) will offer a scholarship to support Black African and Caribbean heritage applicants from socio-economically challenged backgrounds.  Applicants must be ordinarily resident in the UK and commencing an undergraduate study in the academic year 2024-25

The Cowrie Scholarship Foundation wants to fund 100 Black British students through UK universities in the next decade. More information on the Foundation can be found here.

Sanctuary Scholarships

The University of Glasgow is offering up to 20 Sanctuary Scholarships for applicants to the University, who have been forced to travel to the UK for humanitarian reasons and are facing challenges in progressing onto Higher Education. The scholarship is open to prospective undergraduate and postgraduate taught students at the University of Glasgow applying for entry in September 2024/25. Please note that you must have applied to the University before submitting an application for this scholarship.

The scholarship will meet the cost of tuition fees for the duration of your programme, for applicants who are unable to access mainstream funding through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance. The Sanctuary Scholarship also provides a £5,000 per year stipend, to assist with study costs. In addition, if the eligibility criteria for university accommodation is met, this will also be provided for the duration of your degree, if required. For more information on the accommodation criteria, please see the Accommodation Services section on the website.

Undergraduate students with refugee status (or equivalent) and access to funding, are eligible to apply for the scholarship and would receive the £5,000 stipend towards study costs only, if successful.

Postgraduate Taught Masters students with refugee status (or equivalent) and access to funding, are eligible to apply for the scholarship and would receive the £5,000 stipend towards study costs and a partial tuition fee waiver, to cover any shortfall not met by your Postgraduate Masters tuition fee loan.

The Clan Gregor Society Prize

The Clan Gregor Society is offering an award to new entrants to the University of Glasgow who descend from Clan Gregor. Prospective students will be asked to submit an application highlighting areas of consideration such as academic excellence and financial need. The award is open to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate applicants for 2024 entry.

The scholarships above are specific to this programme. For more funding opportunities search the scholarships database

How to apply

Full-time students must apply through the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). 

SQA applicants who are eligible for our Widening Participation programmes are encouraged to participate in one or more of these programmes, including Summer School, to support your application and the transition to higher education.

International students to Arts, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Science, and Social Sciences can also apply using The Common Application: however, if applying to more than one UK university, we recommend using UCAS. Applications to Dentistry, Education, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine must be made through UCAS.

Application deadlines

  • 16 October: if including Dentistry, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine or also applying to Oxford or Cambridge
  • 31 January: all other UK applicants (unless otherwise stated on the UCAS website)
  • 30 June: international students.

We do not usually accept any applications after these deadlines.

It's your responsibility to ensure the accuracy of your application before submission. Requests to correct application content, change degree programme or change college of entry, will not be accepted after these deadlines. This policy is in place to ensure fairness and consistency to all applicants, and no exceptions will be made.

How to apply for Advanced Entry

Apply for year 2 (Y2) on your UCAS application. If the specific subject is unavailable for Advanced Entry or your application for year 2 entry is unsuccessful, you will be automatically considered for year 1 entry. You do not have to submit a separate UCAS application.

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UK top 15

Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide [Music]