Music with Placement Year

Music at degree level is concerned with understanding the art form in its full complexity: the historical contexts that shaped it, the theoretical frameworks that explain how it works, and the practical craft of making it. A good music degree develops you as both a musician and a critical thinker, asking you to engage seriously with both the making and the meaning of music across a wide range of styles and traditions.

At Brunel University London, the four-year BA programme, which includes a placement year, is designed to develop your particular interests in music-making while providing a solid grounding in the craft of creativity. The degree reflects the diversity of musical styles and genres in today's world, moving beyond the classical tradition to engage with popular music, jazz, world music, electronic music and the contemporary music industry. You will study music history and theory, develop your compositional and performance skills and explore the professional contexts in which musicians work today.

The placement year gives you the opportunity to spend a period working in a music-related professional environment, whether in performance, education, production, events or the music industry.

Brunel's London location provides access to one of the world's great concentrations of musical activity, from concert halls and recording studios to music publishers, venues and educational organisations. This proximity to the professional world enriches the degree and supports the placement opportunities it offers.

Graduates of music degrees work in performance, composition, music teaching, music production, music management and promotion, arts administration, cultural journalism and the music technology sector. Many combine several of these activities. Postgraduate study in music performance, composition, music education or musicology is a natural continuation.