BMus Music
About this course
Bachelor of Music in Music BMus, a music degree exploring musicology, performance, and composition. Core topics include Research Methods and Fieldwork. Students complete independent study options in their final year through modules such as Composition (Independent Study), Musicology Dissertation (Independent Study), and Solo Performance (Independent Study). The first year covers foundational concepts through compulsory modules such as Music and Ideas I, Music and its Cultures I, Solo Performance, and Techniques of Tonal Music 1. The second year builds proficiency with modules like Analysis of Music, Critical Musicology, Conducting I, and Orchestration I. In the final year, students select advanced and specialised options spanning subjects such as Advanced Jazz Composition, An Introduction to Music Therapy, Arts Management in Practice, and Electronic Music Studies.
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 to include a B in A level Music. See below for full information.. IB: 6,6,5 32 points overall (to include 5 in HL Music). See below for full information.. BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM, plus a B in Music. See below for full information.
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What students say
Based on about 17 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 94%
- Learning opportunities: 81%
- Assessment and feedback: 81%
- Academic support: 89%
- Organisation and management: 84%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 68%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 10 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 45%
- Working and studying: 30%
- Further study: 15%
Most common jobs
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 35%
- Teaching Professionals: 20%
- Skilled trades occupations: 10%
- Finance Professionals: 10%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 90%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 80%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 65%
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 20 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 95%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
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
- Music and its Cultures I
- Music and its Cultures II
- Solo Performance
- Techniques of Tonal Music 1
- Techniques of Tonal Music 2
- Composing with Technology (semester 1)
- Composing with Technology (semester 2)
- Instrumental Composition (semester 1)
- Instrumental Composition (semester 2)
- 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 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
- Composition (Independent Study)
- Musicology Dissertation (Independent Study)
- Solo Performance (Independent Study)
- Special Subject Composition
- Special Subject Musicology
- Special Subject Solo Performance
- 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
- Composing for Voice
- 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
- 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
- Professional Skills
- Professional Skills - Freelance
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BMus Music at University of Birmingham earn?
The median salary is £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 £4,500 more than the UK median for Music.
What do graduates of BMus Music at University of Birmingham do next?
95% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BMus Music at University of Birmingham?
94% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BMus Music at University of Birmingham?
The typical offer is AAB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 152 UCAS points.
Does BMus Music at University of Birmingham include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BMus Music at University of Birmingham?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.