As a student on the BA (Hons) Music, you will receive around 7½ hours of timetabled contact per week on average over the degree. This will include a combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorials (including one-to-one supervision), as well as instrumental or vocal tuition and performance and composition workshops. The number and balance of these activities will change over the degree as you develop your knowledge and abilities as an independent learner.

Timetabled contact is only the beginning of your learning. It provides a starting-point for your development as an independent, self-motivated learner. Typically, classroom teaching and learning will form around 25% of the time that you will spend on your studies during the 22 teaching weeks; you will be expected to spend the remaining 75% of your time on independent research. You are also encouraged, as an integral part of your studies, to take advantage of other opportunities including participating in performance groups (including staff-led ensembles) and attending research and composition seminars.

In the first year, you will receive about 9 hours of timetabled contact each week. For each module, weekly lectures will introduce you to the broad questions and current issues in Music and its sub-disciplines. Seminars will give you the opportunity to engage with the topics introduced in lectures, discuss key issues in small groups, and look in detail at music and at writing about music. Instrumental or vocal lessons will help you develop your abilities as a performer, while composition seminars and workshops will allow you to explore approaches to composing. Practical training in both generic study skills and music-specific skills such as using notation software, recording equipment and transcribing music are embedded within the core modules.

For each hour of timetabled contact, you will be expected to complete 3 hours of independent research to prepare for your classes, broaden your subject knowledge, and complete assignments (that is, 27 hours of independent research per week). The teaching methods and coursework will be designed to help you achieve this; for example, you will receive reading lists, assignments, presentation briefs, and online materials to direct your research in preparation for seminars.

In the second year, there is an increased emphasis on the development of critical and analytical skills: a core module concentrates on the development of research skills in musicology. As modules specialise more strongly in particular areas such as performance, composition or different branches of musicology, the type of teaching varies more markedly between modules, so the kind of contact you experience will depend to a great extent on the modules you take. The total contact time you will receive will on average be similar to the first year, around 9 hours per week. As in the first year, you will be expected to complement this with about three times as much independent study as there are contact hours.

In the third year, you will develop further your independent research skills, culminating in a double weighted project, which can be a dissertation, composition portfolio or public performance recital: this counts for one third of your marks for the year. This project will give you the opportunity to engage, at an advanced level, with creative cutting-edge research at the forefront of the discipline. On account of the time that you will need to undertake this research, during the third year you will receive timetabled contact of 4½ hours each week on average. This includes one to one supervision on your project (6 hours for dissertation, 6 for recital or 11 for composition) as well as group classes. The performance strand has 19 group seminars, as well as time for instrumental or vocal lessons. The contact time for dissertation supervisions reflects the text-based nature of the mode of study. Additional hours in the case of the recital and composition projects takes account of their practical nature and the need to investigate and embed further advanced skills specific to the student such as performance practice, notation and instrumental scoring, and the creative use of music technology. Other modules on offer include single-weighted projects in musicology, composition and performance, as well as taught courses in areas of staff research expertise. Overall, during the third year, you will be expected to spend at least 35 hours on independent research each week.

Throughout the degree, you will also have access to an academic adviser who will provide you with academic support and guidance. A student will meet with their adviser three times a year, in addition to which all members of teaching staff have weekly office hours when they are available to meet with students on a ‘drop-in’ basis.

The Department also has an exciting programme of research events (seminars, guest lectures and workshops) which undergraduate students are strongly encouraged to attend. There is a busy programme of musical performance, both within and beyond the walls of the Music Department, which complements students’ academic degree by providing opportunities both to listen to and to perform a wide variety of music. The many musical ensembles to which students can contribute includes both independent societies (including orchestras, choirs, opera and musical theatre as well as a Javanese gamelan) and department-run ensembles such as the New Music Ensemble and Korean percussion group.

A level offer – AAB including Music. ABRSM Grade 7 Theory is acceptable in lieu of A level Music.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD plus Music as above.

IB Diploma score – 36 with 665 in higher level subjects, including Music requirements as above.

• We consider each application holistically. Whilst academic achievement is important, it is not the only factor that we consider when assessing applications and applicants who have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, close to our typical offer, but who have not met it exactly, will be welcome to apply if they have a strong application in other key elements, for example if they have practical music accomplishments or can demonstrate merit and potential through their personal statement or their reference.

• We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study and may consider other experience in place of formal qualifications where applicable. Mature applicants may also be interested in our Music with Foundation (W301).

• Grade 7 or 8 in first instrument is advisable but by no means essential.

• Keyboard skills are advisable (but not absolutely essential) since they aid score reading and analysis.

• We accept applications for deferred entry.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 81% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 67% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £18,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Join the best music department in the UK and develop your creative, practical and critical skills in a unique and beautiful location.

Our courses are well balanced, covering everything from the music of the great composers to contemporary music and Indian ragas, studied from the perspectives of history, theory, aesthetics and ethnography as well as through composition and performance. The Department is located at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Durham City – an extraordinarily beautiful place. But it is the juxtaposition of ancient and cutting-edge that makes Durham so unusual and inspiring; within the old buildings, we strive to forge fresh interpretations and create exciting new music, using state-of-the-art technology.

For more information see our department pages.

Ranking

• 1st in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022
• 1st in The Guardian University Guide 2022
• 2nd in the Complete University Guide 2023.

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Music Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 6th in the UK for Research Output Quality in Music (REF 21).

Facilities

The Music Department has excellent facilities. Besides the usual array of lecture rooms situated in the main building on Palace Green (virtually next to the Cathedral), there are three well-equipped electronic studios, a multimedia resource centre, and practice rooms (both in the Department and individual colleges). The University Library houses an extensive collection of books, scores, and CDs, and offers a rich range of online resources.

Find out more:

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials (including one-to-one supervision), as well as instrumental or vocal tuition and performance and composition workshops.

For each module, lectures will introduce you to the broad questions and current issues in music. Seminars and tutorials will give you the opportunity to engage with the topics in small groups. Instrumental or vocal lessons will help you develop your abilities as a performer, while composition seminars and workshops will allow you to explore approaches to composing. Practical training in both generic study skills and music-specific skills such as using notation software, recording equipment and transcribing music are embedded within the core modules.

Assessment

Modules are assessed by a variety of means, including continuous assessment, examinations and recitals.

Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on the development of independent research skills. Teaching methods and coursework are designed to help you achieve this; for example, you will receive reading lists, assignments, presentation briefs and online materials to direct your research in preparation for seminars.

In your third year you will undertake a major project which can be a dissertation, composition portfolio or a solo recital.

A level offer – AAB including Music. ABRSM Grade 7 Theory is acceptable in lieu of A level Music.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD plus Music as above.

IB Diploma score – 36 with 665 in higher level subjects, including Music requirements as above.

• We consider each application holistically. Whilst academic achievement is important, it is not the only factor that we consider when assessing applications and applicants who have achieved, or are predicted to achieve, close to our typical offer, but who have not met it exactly, will be welcome to apply if they have a strong application in other key elements, for example if they have practical music accomplishments or can demonstrate merit and potential through their personal statement or their reference.

• We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study and may consider other experience in place of formal qualifications where applicable. Mature applicants may also be interested in our Music with Foundation (W301).

• Grade 7 or 8 in first instrument is advisable but by no means essential.

• Keyboard skills are advisable (but not absolutely essential) since they aid score reading and analysis.

• We accept applications for deferred entry.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

English language requirements

Country specific information

The tuition fees for 2024/25 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

We are one of the very best music departments in the UK, with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. Our students benefit from passionate guidance from our staff and alumni, as well as support from our Careers and Enterprise Centre.

Our students graduate with a range of skills which open up many opportunities for employment or further study. Graduates from the Department have gone on to work in diverse careers in the music industry and beyond, including education, music teaching, arts administration, broadcasting, music production, artist management and journalism.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 81% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 67% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £18,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Durham is one of the leading university music departments in the UK, offering innovative courses that are informed by our internationally recognised research. When you study with us you will be encouraged to engage actively with music, both familiar and unfamiliar, as we challenge you to think about the subject in new ways.

Our curriculum strike a distinctive balance between breadth and depth, covering perspectives from history, theory, ethnography, science as well as composition and performance.

The curriculum will challenge you intellectually, stimulate your curiosity and equip you with the skills to produce an independent project that engages with the latest research in your chosen area of study. In the first year, teaching will revolve around six foundational areas. As you progress through the course there will be increasing choice and flexibility, including study options from other departments. To further develop your skills, we offer the opportunity to spend a year studying at an overseas music department or on a work placement.

By the end of your studies, you will be equipped with the theoretical, practical and independent research skills necessary for further study or future employment.

For more information see our department pages.

Ranking

• 2nd in The Complete University Guide 2023
• 6th in The Guardian University Guide 2023

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Music Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

• 6th in the UK for Research Output Quality in Music (REF 21).

Facilities

We are located at the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Durham City. Our students have access to a beautiful concert room. Four fully equipped practice rooms are available for individual practice and group rehearsals. We also have three studios with music production equipment that ranges from early analogue to current digital technology. Our recording studio comprises a control room and up to three recording rooms, with state-of-the-art equipment.

We also have an audio-visual documentation and analysis laboratory, a music and science lab and a fully equipped music technology workshop.

Find out more: