BA Mathematics and Music
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Music, a mathematics and music degree centred on technical language and formulae alongside musical technique and practice. Core topics include Programming, Data Analysis, Statistics, Mathematical Modelling, Research Methods, Fieldwork, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. The course spans three years of undergraduate study, combining mathematical theory with practical musical disciplines. The first year covers core foundations through Mathematical Foundations, Calculus and Linear Algebra, Probability, Data and Statistics, Music and Ideas I, and Introduction to Music and its Cultures I. The second year branches into specialised studies with modules such as Applied Linear Algebra and Optimisation, Differential Equations and Mechanics, Analysis of Music, and Orchestration I. The final year allows students to undertake independent study projects including Composition (Independent Study), Musicology Dissertation (Independent Study), and Solo Performance (Independent Study), alongside advanced options like Data Science and Machine Learning, Statistical Machine Learning, and Fieldwork Methods.
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: AAB with A level Music grade A and A level Maths grade A. See below for full information.. IB: 6,6,5 32 points overall. See below for full information.. BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus AA at A-level in the required subject/s mentioned below. See below for full information.
See the highest paying Mathematics degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying Art, Design, Music & Drama degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 10 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 95%
- Learning opportunities: 93%
- Assessment and feedback: 95%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 64%
- Learning resources: 97%
- Student voice: 82%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
What graduates do next
Based on about 53 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Working: 56%
- Working and studying: 12%
- Further study: 12%
- Unemployed: 14%
Most common jobs
- Finance Professionals: 29%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 13%
- Information Technology Professionals: 12%
- Elementary occupations: 8%
- Teaching Professionals: 8%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 85%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 45 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 5%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- East Midlands: 5%
- West Midlands: 20%
- East of England: 10%
- London: 25%
- South East: 20%
- South West: 10%
Who gets in
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Music and Ideas I
- Music and Ideas II
- Mathematical Foundations, Calculus and Linear Algebra
- Probability, Data and Statistics
- Techniques of Tonal Music 2
- Techniques of Tonal Music 1
- Composing with Technology (semester 2)
- Instrumental Composition (semester 1)
- Introduction to Music and its Cultures I
- Introduction to Music and its Cultures II
- Analysis of Music
- Critical Musicology
- Conducting I
- Conducting II
- Orchestration I
- Orchestration II
- Advanced Performance Skills
- British Music Renaissance 1880 - 1914
- Film Music Techniques and History
- Free Composition
- From Glinka to Glazunov
- Introduction to Jazz Styles: 1920 to 1980
- Music Festivals
- Music Year Abroad
- Music and Emotion
- Music and Gender
- Music for Games
- Music, Nations and Nationalism 1789 - 1945
- Solo Performance
- The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim
- The Hybrid Sound Lab: Acoustic and Electronic Composition
- The Symphony: Prestige and Politics
- Traditional Music in Britain and Ireland
- Applied Linear Algebra and Optimisation
- Differential Equations and Mechanics
- Graphs and Algorithms
- Groups, Rings and Fields
- Mathematical Modelling with Differential Equations
- Multivariable and Vector Calculus
- Real Analysis
- Statistics
- Composition (Independent Study)
- Musicology Dissertation (Independent Study)
- Solo Performance (Independent Study)
- Special Subject Composition
- Special Subject Musicology
- Special Subject Solo Performance
- Combinatorics and Computation
- Continuum Mechanics
- Data Science and Machine Learning
- Galois Theory and Coding Theory
- Game Theory
- Graph Theory and Applications
- Mathematics in Biology and Medicine
- Mathematics of Financial Derivatives
- Medical Statistics
- Metric Spaces and Geometry
- Multivariable and Vector Calculus
- Number Theory and Cryptography
- Numerical Analysis
- Optimisation
- Partial Differential Equations and Applications
- Real and Complex Analysis
- Statistical Machine Learning
- Statistical Modelling
- Composing for the Creative Industries A
- Composing for the Creative Industries B
- Dramatic Italian Vocal Music: Monteverdi & His Contemporaries
- Advanced Jazz Composition
- Advanced Performance Skills
- An Introduction to Music Therapy
- Arts Management in Practice
- Baroque Analysis
- Beethoven’s Late Style
- Black Music in Britain
- Classical Composition
- Eighteenth Century Counterpoint
- Electronic Music Studies
- Experimental Musics
- Fieldwork Methods
- Gustav Mahler: The Philosophy of Music
- Historically Informed Performance
- Introduction to Sound Recording A
- Introduction to Sound Recording B
- Landscape, Counterpoint and Morality: The British Symphony, 1880–1960
- Love, Death, Religion and Music in the Renaissance
- Music Cognition
- Music Education
- Music in the Weimar Republic and Third Reich
- Professional Skills
- Sonic Alchemy: Live Electronic and Mixed Music Ensemble
- Sounding Image
- The Blues
- The Sixties
- The Wagner Brand
- Tonality: An Introduction
- The Singers’ Survival Guide: the effects of commercial opera on singing culture in the Later Baroque Period
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham earn?
The median salary is £31,000 after 15 months, £23,000 after 3 years, £29,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £23,500 and £34,000. The £29,000 median after five years is £10,500 less than the UK median for Mathematics.
What do graduates of BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham?
95% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham?
The typical offer is AAB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 172 UCAS points.
Does BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Mathematics and Music at University of Birmingham?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.