BMus Music with Integrated Foundation Year
Royal Holloway, University of London
About this course
BMus in Music, a four-year programme with an integrated foundation year. Core topics include Programming, Research Methods, Fieldwork, Historical Research, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Design & Creative Practice. The programme includes a foundation year covering humanities and music studies, with specialisation options in performance, composition, or musicology in later years. Final-year students complete a dissertation or undertake advanced study in theory, analysis, solo performance, or composition.
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: CCC-CCD (Students wishing to take Solo Performance options will need to be of Grade 8 level in performance at point of entry. We require English Language and Mathematics GCSE at grade 4 (C) T-levels We accept T-levels for admission to our undergraduate courses, with the following grades regarded as equivalent to our standard A-level requirements: AAA* – Distinction (A* on the core and distinction in the occupational specialism) AAA – Distinction BBB – Merit CCC – Pass (C or above on the core) DDD – Pass (D or E on the core) Where a course specifies subject-specific requirements at A-level, T-level applicants are likely to be asked to offer this A-level alongside their T-level studies.) IB: 24 points overall
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What students say
Based on about 44 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 94%
- Learning opportunities: 90%
- Assessment and feedback: 90%
- Academic support: 94%
- Organisation and management: 86%
- Learning resources: 92%
- Student voice: 90%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 85 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 92%
- Left higher education: 8%
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: 70%
- Working and studying: 15%
- Further study: 10%
Most common jobs
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 20%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 20%
- Teaching Professionals: 20%
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations: 15%
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 90%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 75%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 135 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North West: 3%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 3%
- West Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 12%
- London: 38%
- South East: 27%
- South West: 7%
- Wales: 3%
- Scotland: 2%
Who gets in
Based on about 70 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 94%
- Baccalaureate: 3%
- Access course: 1%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Digital Cultures
- Cultures of Thinking
- Society on Screen
- Textual Cultures
- Fundamentals of Music Studies
- Theory and Analysis
- Fundamentals of Music Theory
- Creative Composition Techniques
- A Very Short History of Music
- Introduction to Historical Musicology
- Introduction to World Music
- Contemporary Debates in Music
- Solo Performance
- Creative Ensemble Performance
- Introduction to Composing with Music Technology
- Studies in Music Analysis
- Studies in Composition
- Studies in Music History
- Studies in Ethnomusicology
- Studies in Music, Media and Technology
- Practical Performance I
- Adorno’s Philosophy of Music
- Analysing Late Tonal Music: Riemannian and Neo-Riemannian Theories
- Bach: Context and Reception
- Baroque Performance Practice
- Britten's Operas
- Claude Debussy and French Musical Aesthetics
- The ‘Classical’ Canon and ‘Popular' Culture since 1945
- Composing with Technology 1
- Composing with Technology 2
- Composition Portfolio
- Contemporary Music Performance
- Creative Project in Composition, Performance and Technology
- Digital Tools for Music Studies
- Ensemble Performance
- Ideas of German Music from Mozart to Henze
- Introduction to Jazz: Theory, Practice and Contexts
- Issues in Sound, Music and the Moving Image
- Korean Percussion Performance
- Late Beethoven
- Mahler and Viennese Modernism, 1897-1918
- Mozart's Operas
- Musical Aesthetics
- Music and Gender
- Music and Video Games
- Music Pedagogy
- Music, Power and Politics
- Music and Society in Purcell's London
- Popular Music and Musicians in Post-War Britain and North America
- Practical and Creative Orchestration
- Practical Conducting (Choral and Orchestral)
- Silent Film Performance
- The String Quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich
- Wagner's Ring
- Special Study: Dissertation
- Special Study: Theory and Analysis
- Special Study: Solo Performance
- Special Study: Composition
- The Music Film
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BMus Music with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months, £22,500 after 3 years, £28,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £23,000 and £34,500. The £28,000 median after five years is £3,500 more than the UK median for Music.
What do graduates of BMus Music with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London 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 with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London?
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 with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London?
The typical offer is CCC at A level, or 24 points in the IB. The average entrant had 148 UCAS points.
Does BMus Music with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional placement year and an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BMus Music with Integrated Foundation Year at Royal Holloway, University of London?
92% of students continued into their second year, and 8% left higher education.