Music

Music at university level is far more than the continuation of instrumental or vocal study. It is an intellectual and creative engagement with music as art, culture, technology and practice, asking questions about how music works, how it means, how it has been made and heard across history and cultures, and what new forms it might take. A music degree develops your analytical ear, your understanding of compositional and improvisational processes, your historical and cultural knowledge, and your capacity to create and perform with increasing sophistication and independence.

At Newcastle you will engage with the full range of music's dimensions. You will study music history and analytical methods alongside composition, performance and the technologies of music production, and you will have the flexibility to pursue the areas that most engage you as your studies develop. Newcastle has a strong music culture and active performance and research communities that you can be part of throughout your degree.

The programme includes a sandwich year and a year abroad, as well as work placement opportunities, giving you the chance to gain professional experience in the music industry, education, arts management or another related field, and to experience musical cultures and academic perspectives beyond the UK.

Music graduates work in an unusually wide range of fields. Many build careers as performers, composers, producers, music educators or music therapists. Others go into arts administration, arts journalism, broadcasting, sound design, the music industry in business roles, or technology companies working on audio products and platforms.

The analytical, creative and communication skills that music study develops are transferable into almost any sector. Many graduates continue to postgraduate study in performance, composition, musicology, music education or music technology. If you love music and want to understand it as deeply as you can, a music degree is one of the most rewarding ways to spend three years.