Music/Scottish History

Music and Scottish History is a combination that brings together the intellectual and creative dimensions of musical study with the history of one of Europe's most distinctive nations. Music encompasses the technical, cultural, historical, and philosophical questions that musical practice and study raise: how sounds are organised into works of meaning, how musical traditions develop and interact, how music functions in society and culture, and what it means to engage with it analytically and creatively. Scottish History explores the distinctive trajectory of Scotland's political, social, and cultural development from the medieval period to the present, engaging with questions of nationhood, religion, union, industrialisation, and contemporary identity.

At the University of Glasgow, this four-year, full-time degree is designed for students with a keen interest in the technical, cultural, historical, and philosophical questions that music opens up, ideally with some practical experience. In each year you have a range of options in both music and history, allowing you to design a degree pathway that caters to your particular interests and strengths. The programme includes a year abroad, extending your academic experience internationally.

Glasgow's status as a city with a rich musical and historical heritage gives particular depth to both aspects of this combination.

Graduates of this combination develop a distinctive set of skills: the analytical and creative capacities that music develops alongside the research, archival, and argumentative skills of historical study. Careers in music, education, cultural heritage, museums, journalism, arts administration, and broadcasting are all natural directions. Scottish history graduates are also particularly well placed for roles in Scottish public life, policy, and culture.

Postgraduate study in music, Scottish history, or cultural studies provides routes to more specialised professional and research roles.