BA Music (W300)
2027 entry | view 2026 entry
Course summary
The three-year BA Music course at Bristol offers you a personalised experience. Our staff include some of the world's leading experts in their fields. Our graduates have gone on to be:
- BBC producers
- professional performers and composers
- publishers
- agents
- lawyers
- teachers.
Some have even gone on to be parliamentary private secretaries and university pro vice-chancellors.
A music degree from a highly regarded university is a fantastic entry point to a wide array of careers. We stay connected with a large number of former students, often via our ongoing work with music media (especially the BBC), publishers, choirs and orchestras. So you'll be part of a community that extends far beyond graduation.
We'll support you through your music degree. If you love performing or composing, you can take part in professional masterclasses and composition workshops. Our history teaching is conducted in small-group seminars, where we share ideas on the latest research from our world-leading musicologists.
At Bristol, we're exceptionally lucky to have first-rate professional musicians teaching our students. You'll have many opportunities to develop as a performer during your time with us. You could even find yourself conducting ensembles, from small choirs right up to whole operas. For enquiries about organ and choral scholarships, please contact the department directly.
The Department of Music webpages provide further insight into life in one of the UK's most highly regarded music departments.
Course structure
Our three-year BA Music degree course is orchestrated in a way that builds your understanding of music, is collaborative and crescendos with a final-year extended topic.
Year one – you'll take units covering music history, composition (acoustic and electro-acoustic), performance and analysis.
Year two – you'll begin to pursue your own interests, with a choice of history topics relating to the cutting-edge research carried out by department staff. This includes pathways through composition and studio work, including recording and production. If you're a performer, you'll continue with one-to-one professional tuition and work towards an end-of-year recital.
Second-year music students can, if they wish, spend half of the year studying at a university abroad. Please get in touch with the department directly for more details.
Year three – you'll take an extended topic, which can be either composition, studio work, performance or a dissertation. Alongside the major project, you'll select from a free choice of units and will also have the chance to work on a project collaboratively with your fellow students.
Entry requirements
We accept a wide variety of qualifications and welcome applications from students of all backgrounds. Below is a guide to the typical offers for this course.
Find out more about BTEC entry requirements
Find out if you are eligible for a contextual offer
More about Access to HE entry requirements
Search international qualifications
Selection process
- Regulations and codes of conduct we abide by to create a positive environment for learning and achievement are found in the University admissions policies and procedures.
- If applying with extenuating circumstances please see our policy.
- Full information about our selection processes for Music can be found in the Admissions Statement:
Admissions statement - The admissions statement above relates to 2026 entry. The statement for 2027 entry will be available in summer 2026.