Music  BMus (Hons)

Overview

City's outstanding undergraduate music course is delivered in the Centre for Music Studies, one of the UK's most renowned environments for the practical and academic study of music.

The BMus offers you the chance to immerse yourself in every aspect of music at the highest possible level. It provides a programme of teaching, training and research whose value lies in its contemporary relevance, application and usefulness.

You will choose from an extensive range of modules in cultural studies, performance, composition and applied music studies, taught by acknowledged specialists in their fields. Cultural studies modules encompass classical music, music in popular culture and world music studies.

The diversity of our educational offering, and our particular focus on employability skills, ensures that you are equipped to pursue a range of future careers, whether you work as a musician, in music-related fields or elsewhere.

The course offers you private performance lessons with instrumental and vocal tutors from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in addition to excellent graduate prospects, exceptional staff and outstanding facilities in a central London location.

Course Fees:

  • Full-time EU: £9,000
  • Full-time Non EU: £11,000

Start Date:

24 September 2012

UCAS code:

W300

How to Apply

Entry Requirements

Tariff Points

Typical offer in the region of 340 UCAS tariff points, for example AAB at A-level or equivalent qualifications (see below).

Pre-requisites

  • Applicants offering A levels must include Music: Music Technology will not be accepted as an alternative A-level subject.
  • In addition: Evidence of practical performance, normally Grade 7 ABRSM or equivalent (Grade 8 for students wishing to pursue solo performance with a professor or fellow from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama).

Other Suitable Qualifications

If you have alternative or international qualifications (such as IB or BTEC), or if you do not have A-level Music, your application will be considered on its individual merits.
 
Typical examples of offers made to applicants with qualifications other than A-levels include the following:

  • Apolytirion: 18.0 -19.0 pts (plus English-language requirements where necessary)
  • BTEC National Diploma: 3 Distinctions (DDD)
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma: 32 pts
  • Irish Higher Leaving Certificate: A1 in 3 subjects & A2 in 2 subjects (to include Music)
  • Scottish Advanced Highers: ABB (to include Music)

Other GCE and VCE combinations may be considered if their combined UCAS tariff score is in the region of 340 points. Offers will not be made on the basis of AS level grades alone.

If you are a mature applicant (aged 21 years or over) without conventional qualifications, you will need to provide evidence of your abilities. Each mature applicant will be considered on merit.

Overseas applicants who cannot come for an interview will normally be required to submit a suitably verified recording of their performance.

INTO Foundation Programmes

If you do not qualify for direct entry, INTO City University London offers academic preparation programmes which focus on the skills you need.

Successful completion to the required standard  of the International Foundation in Business, Humanities and Social Science at INTO City University London means guaranteed progression to this degree.

English Requirements

If your first language is not English, you must supply evidence of your proficiency in English, from:
  • GCSE English Language at Grade C or above
  • International GCSE in English as a Second Language at grade C or above
  • IELTS Test of the British Council at 6.0 or above with a minimum score of 6.0 in the Writing sub-test
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) at 550 or above with computer-based total of 213 or above
  • UCLES Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) at grade C or above

INTO English Language Programmes

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, INTO City University London offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Please click the links below for more information:

Visa Requirements

The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course at City, there are different rules for:

  • Students on courses of more than 6 months
  • Students on courses of less than 6 months
  • Students on a pre-sessional English Language course

For more information see our main Visa page.

When and Where

Start Date:
24 September 2012
Duration:
Full-time – three years.

Course Content

City is a natural choice if you want to follow a cutting-edge music curriculum to a high level. In addition, we offer a ground-breaking approach to historical, contemporary and popular musicology, exploring music as an expression of our cultural and artistic inheritance.

You can choose from an extensive range of modules in cultural studies, performance, composition and applied music studies. Cultural studies modules embrace classical music (of various different musical periods), music in popular culture (film music and popular music) and world music studies.

The degree offers you the chance to immerse yourself in every aspect of music at the highest possible level, whilst also equipping you for a wide range of future careers.

For module descriptions, see below.

Course Structure

During the first year all students study the same broad-ranging course and work with a personal tutor to plan a programme of study for the second and third years, leading to the degree of Music BMus.

Areas covered include:

Applied studies
  • Experience vocationally-oriented musical disciplines taught by practitioners with real-world experience, including sound recording and production, music business studies and music therapy
Composition
  • Take pathways in instrumental and vocal composition, studio-based composition, and composing for moving images
  • Take the opportunity to work on your compositions with professionals in composition master classes
Cultural studies
  • Explore the form, function and meaning of music in a diverse array of cultures: modules are offered in classical music from the medieval period to the present, a variety of non-Western cultures, popular music studies and film music
Performance
  • Participate in a wide range of classical and world music ensembles
  • Perform in our new, high specification performance areas and at major venues such as LSO St Luke's and St John's, Smith Square
  • Take private lessons in collaboration with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Module descriptions

Core modules, year 1

Core modules, years 2 & 3
Elective modules, years 2 & 3

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching

You will be taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, group discussions, workshops, one-to-one tutorials, guided listening and reading, studio work and independent study.

All students follow a common first year and choose options in the second and third years. All project work, including the final-year dissertation, is supported by tutorials. Throughout the three years, assessment is by a combination of project-based or practical and creative work and examinations. Marks obtained in the second and third years contribute to the final degree awarded. Project and practical work account for well over half the final mark.

Fees

  • Full-time EU: £9,000
  • Full-time Non EU: £11,000

Please note:

UK/EU students - The fees for UK/EU students rise each year by the rate of the cost of living in the UK and are set by the UK Government.

Non-EU international students - There is a small percentage increase, usually between 3% and 5%, each year on these fees.

Funding

For up-to-date information about tuition fees, living costs and financial support, visit Undergraduate Fees and Finance or Postgraduate Fees and Finance.

Scholarships

New scholarships available for 2012 entrants: The Lord Mayor of London Scholarships provide bursaries worth up to £2,000 per annum for BMus students who achieve grades AAB or above at A-level, or equivalent qualifications.

Placements

The second-year module 'Professional and Community Music Study' gives you the opportunity to undertake a professional or community placement to gain experience of a music-related work environment, and to reflect on the skills and experiences gained so far in the course. The module also encourages you to engage directly with your possible future career plans.

Career Prospects

96.6 per cent of our BMus students are in employment and/or further study within six months of completing the course (compared to the national average of 87.7 per cent for Music graduates)

Graduates include solo performers, sound recording engineers, music administrators, music therapists, teachers, marketers and entrepreneurs.

Prepare yourself for the job market

City's unique approach to music education means that you can immerse yourself in the subject you love at the highest possible level while still preparing yourself for the job market:

  • Our degree structure enables you to explore a range of music-related careers, including optional modules in sound recording, music business studies and music therapy. It includes the possibility of a work placement module in the second year.
  • City's Central London location provides a host of employment, volunteering and networking opportunities
  • You develop your writing, presentation and IT skills throughout the course equipping you for a range of graduate-level careers

Find out more about City University London

Music

UCAS code: W300

Application Deadline

You must apply by 15 January to guarantee that we will consider your application. Applications received at UCAS between 15 January and 30 June will only be considered if we still have vacancies on the course.

Please apply for the BMus in Music through UCAS. The UCAS course code for the BMus is W300. City University London's UCAS code is C60.

If you want to pursue solo performance with a professor or fellow from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, please indicate this by inserting 'GSMD Perf' in the Further Details section of the UCAS form.

Interviews:
Applicants who are considered promising will be made an offer and be given an opportunity to view the Department's facilities, to meet staff and students and to have a tour of the University. Applicants may be required to attend an interview before offers are made.

Applicants wishing to pursue solo performance with a professor or fellow from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama may be required to perform on their first-study instrument. Overseas applicants who cannot come for an interview will normally be required to submit a suitably verified recording of their performance. Interviews, where required, are usually held December to March.