Course contact details
Undergraduate Admissions
Email:ugadmissions@southampton.ac.uk
Phone:023 8059 4732
University of Southampton
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
Summary
Music is a way to express ideas, connect with others and explore creativity across times and cultures .
On this course you will perform, compose, produce and research music in a huge variety of genres including western classical, opera, jazz, music for media (film, video game), musical theatre, pop, rock, indie, neo soul, hip-hop, contemporary classical/experimental music, folk, EDM and metal, shaping an artistry that’s your own.
Through our distinctive offer in music history, cultural studies and music business, you will engage with urgent contemporary topics including social justice, education and sustainability, connecting music to the ideas and issues shaping today’s world.
You will take part in workshops, ensembles and performance projects, working with professional musicians and artists. With the flexibility to shape your studies, you can focus on the areas that matter most to you, whether performance, composition, production, music history and cultural studies, music education, music therapy, community music or the wider music industry.
As you progress you will build a broad set of creative, research and technical skills, preparing you for a range of careers in music and related fields. Whether you're focusing on educating the next generation of musicians, innovating in the music industry, working in performance or composition or exploring the therapeutic potential of music, your studies and training in music will provide a versatile platform from which to launch a fulfilling career. This is reflected in our Graduate Outcomes, where 91% of our Music graduates were in employment or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes 2022/2023, published 2025).
Key features of the course
Work in high-spec studios and rehearsal spaces and perform in on-campus and offsite venues such as Turner Sims and The Brook.
Access high level one-to-one tuition, coaching and workshops to develop your practical musical skills in performance, production and composition.
Gain real-world experience through community placements in hospitals, care homes, schools and early years settings.
Use our advanced digital humanities facilities, including technologies such as virtual reality and immersive audio-visual environments.
Take part in local, regional and national festivals, conferences, live events and projects, gaining valuable insights into how the music industry operates both on and beyond the stage.
Student support
Southampton is a collaborative and inclusive musical environment where you will be supported and challenged to become the musician, creator and thinker you want to be. You will be taught by industry professionals and world-leading researchers, bringing current practice and insight directly into your learning. You will also have access to wellbeing services, peer mentoring, careers support and dedicated spaces to support your studies.
Further information
BA Music is a three-year full-time course based at Highfield Campus. You can also add a Year Abroad or Year in Employment, extending your degree to four years. Our students have studied at partner institutions in countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Norway, Canada, USA, Ireland, France and Germany.
Visit our course page for details.
Over the three years of this Music course, you will explore a broad range of themes, topics and disciplines, ranging from performance, composition, production, and business and economics, to community music, education and musicology.
Year 1: Exploring the fundamentals of Music, covering topics such as performance, composition, musicology and production
Year 2: Strengthen your knowledge in the topics covered and choose the areas which best match your interests
Year 3: Year Abroad Year 4: Focus on a final project (research, performance or composition) alongside opportunities to further develop skills and knowledge in areas of your choice.
You will also have opportunities to tailor your learning through student-selected units and an elective placement.
For a sample list of modules available please visit the course page.
On this course you will learn through a range of activities that may include lectures, classes and tutorials, coursework, individual and group projects, and independent learning (studying on your own).
You will be able to demonstrate what you have learnt through a variety of assessment methods, such as assessed performances, compositions, composition portfolios, creative projects, dissertations, individual and group projects, oral presentations, module journals, portfolios, teamwork and written and practical exams.
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor who will offer support and advice throughout your studies. You will also receive feedback throughout your course, enabling you to identify areas for improvement before your work is formally assessed.
The following entry points are available for this course:
We welcome applicants with other qualifications eg. European Baccalaureate. You will be expected to attain an A level equivalent standard.
The University of Southampton requires all applicants to achieve at least a Grade 4 in English and Mathematics GCSEs (taken in England) or a Grade C in both subjects (where taken in Northern Ireland or Wales). Some degree subjects stipulate specific additional GCSE minimum grades, which will be specified as part of the individual degree programme entry requirements.
For more details on the suitability of your qualifications or foundation programme please contact the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Admissions Team at AdmissionsUG.AH@southampton.ac.uk
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | with no component below 6.0 |
All programmes at the University of Southampton are taught and assessed in the medium of English (other than those in modern foreign languages). Therefore, all applicants must demonstrate they possess at least a minimum standard of English language proficiency.https://www.southampton.ac.uk/studentadmin/admissions/admissions-policies/language.page
A proportion of students who enrolled on this course in previous years exceeded their offer conditions securing their place on their chosen course with grades higher than our published entry criteria. We encourage all applicants with the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, to apply to study with us. Applicants who qualify for contextual admissions will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands & Republic of Ireland | £10050 | |
| EU & International | TBC |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Please see our website for further details and updates regarding tuition fees.
We anticipate that international tuition fee levels for 2027 entry will be confirmed in August 2026.
Email:ugadmissions@southampton.ac.uk
Phone:023 8059 4732
Highfield
Southampton
SO17 1BJ
At University of Southampton