MA English and Music Studies
About this course
MA in English and Music Studies, exploring literary history, performance, and creative practice. Core topics include Research Methods, Communication & Writing. Students complete an independent dissertation in either subject area in their final year.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: BBC IB: 32 points including 5, 5, 5 at HL. SL in English is also required. SQA Highers: BBBB. BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma: DMM in related subjects. Note: BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate (Subsidiary Diploma) achieved at Distinction level, is normally acceptable in lieu of one A Level at grade B.) GCSE English (or equivalent) is required at Grade C/4 or above. GCSE Mathematics at Grade C/4 is also required for Accountancy, Economics and Finance programmes. Irish Leaving Certificate: Five subjects at Higher at H3.
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying Art, Design, Music & Drama degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 17 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 87%
- Learning opportunities: 83%
- Assessment and feedback: 82%
- Academic support: 91%
- Organisation and management: 73%
- Learning resources: 90%
- Student voice: 79%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 35 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 80%
- Left higher education: 15%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 13 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 15%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 10%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Customer service occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 50%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 40 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- London: 15%
- Scotland: 80%
Who gets in
Based on about 45 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 85%
- Other HE qualification: 15%
Modules
- Academic Writing for Language & Literature
- Getting Started at the University of Aberdeen
- Acts of Reading
- Introduction to Music Studies
- Controversial Classics
- Rethinking Reading
- Performing and Composing 1
- Performing and Composing 2
- Writing About Music
- Encounters with Shakespeare
- The Tragedy of Knowledge
- Power, Empire and Equality
- Page and Stage: Renaissance Writings 1500 - 1640 (EL30CP)
- Knights, Virgins and Viragos: Chaucer and Medieval Writing (EL35DQ)
- Romanticism (EL30XR)
- Sympathy for the Devil: Scottish Short Stories (EL30QA)
- Britain and the Nineteenth - Century World (EL35SB)
- Fallen Women and Self - Made Men (EL35VC)
- Modernism: Make IT New (EL30FF)
- American Voices: Self and Society, 1850 - 1930 (EL30RD)
- Haunted Texts (EL35KN)
- Art and Atrocity: Representations of Violence and Trauma (EL35UT)
- English Dissertation
- Dissertation in Music
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen earn?
The median salary is £26,000 after 15 months, £21,000 after 3 years, £26,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £18,500 and £35,000. The £26,500 median after five years is £2,500 less than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen?
87% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen?
The typical offer is BBC at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 172 UCAS points.
Does MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on MA English and Music Studies at University of Aberdeen?
80% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.