Entry requirements
Selected entry requirements English language: Minimum IELTS score of 7.0 or equivalent; eg. NCUK EAP minimum Grade of A with range of 70-79 TOEFL: PBT score of 600; CBT score of 250; TWE score of 5.5; IBT score of 100. A level: Grades AAA-AAB. This should include grade A Music and either English Language, English Literature, History, Philosophy or another English-rich subject at grade A. Also required is Associated Board (or equivalent examinations) grade VIII, preferably at Distinction, on an instrument or voice and Associated Board grade VI standard on the piano (the latter can be self-certified). General Studies and Practical Music are welcomed but not included as part of the standard offer. Unit grade information: The University of Manchester welcomes the provision of unit grade information which, like all other available information, will inform the consideration of applications. Unit grades will not normally form part of offer conditions, except for Mathematics programmes. GCSE: Minimum of grade B in English Language. Key Skills qualification: The University warmly welcomes applications from students studying the Key Skills qualification. However, as the opportunities to take these modules are not open to all applicants, currently this is not an essential requirement of the University. International baccalaureate: 37-35 points overall inc. 6 in Music at Higher level and 6 in either English Language, English Literature, History, Philosophy or another English-rich subject at Higher level. Also required is Associated Board (or equiv. examinations) grade VIII, preferably at Distinction, on an instrument or voice and Associated Board grade VI standard on the piano (the latter can be self-certified). General Studies and Practical Music are welcomed but not included as part of the standard offer. Additional entry requirements Additional entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Course description
Course description
MusB(Hons)
This is a well-established and highly regarded three-year full-time degree programme. It offers scholarly and practical education in Western musicianship designed to prepare you for many avenues, including performance, composition, musicology including ethnomusicology, music journalism, postgraduate study, and many non-music fields in which good critical judgement and teamwork play a vital role. Regular updates in the course content reflect the latest research conducted by our staff, for example studies in Josquin, Purcell, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Corsican polyphony, postmodern, electroacoustic and film music, analysis and all forms of concert hall composition.
MusB(Hons) and Graduate Diploma RNCM Joint Course
We also offer the MusB(Hons) and Graduate Diploma RNCM Joint Course which is a four-year double degree programme. The first three years follow both undergraduate programmes, with your final year spent solely at the Royal Northern College of Music which is located just 300 yards from the Music department. Performance tuition, coaching, chamber ensembles and most orchestral playing are provided by the RNCM throughout the four years.
Course content for year 1
Please note that the following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory
MUSC10011 Introduction to Classical Analysis
MUSC10022 Principles of Musical Structure
MUSC10110 Harmony and Counterpoint I
MUSC10311 Notated Sound
MUSC10511 Western Music and its Contexts A
MUSC10512 Western Music and its Contexts B
MUSC10600 Performance I
Optional (Choice of 1 from 3)
MUSC10212 Musical Notation
MUSC10222 Musicianship Skills
MUSC***** Composition and Notated Sound
Course content for year 2
Please note that the following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory - none
Optional
At least 60 credits to be selected from core units:
MUSC20011 Analytical Techniques A
MUSC20022 Analytical Techniques B
MUSC20111 Harmony and Counterpoint II
MUSC20211 Orchestration
MUSC20320 Composition II
MUSC20411 Music Bibliography
MUSC***** Medieval Music OR MUSC***** Opera in European Culture
MUSC***** Bach and His Contemporaries OR MUSC***** Experimental and Postmodern Music
Optional Course Units:
MUSC20151 Recording Techniques
MUSC20161 Electroacoustic Composition A
MUSC20162 Electroacoustic Composition B
MUSC20600 Performance II
MUSC20620 Chamber Music
MUSC20710 Gamelan
MUSC***** World Music
MUSC***** Faust in Music
MUSC20812 Acoustics for Musicians
Course content for year 3
Please note that the following list is intended to be a guide only - course content or availability may change slightly as we aim to improve and update our courses yearly.
Compulsory - None
Optional
MUSC30160 Live and Interactive Electroacoustic Composition
MUSC30300 Composition Portfolio
MUSC30400 Dissertation
MUSC30011 Analysis
MUSC30412 Editing
MUSC***** Music and Ideas
MUSC30510 Special Subject
MUSC30520 Music-Theatre Composition
MUSC30600 Recital
MUSC30710 Performance Practice
Career opportunities
Our graduates have an excellent record in establishing successful careers within musical professions and beyond, and include some of the country's top musicians and scholars. Many go on to further study in Universities or Conservatoires: several prominent lecturers/professors in musicology and composition are Manchester graduates, as are many performers (conductors Paul McCreesh and Mark Wigglesworth both studied here). The list of professional ensembles Manchester graduates work with is impressively long: it includes several symphony orchestras (Halle, the BBC Orchestras, Manchester Camerata, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, CBSO and the orchestras of Bournemouth, Ulster, Reykjavik and Tucson); opera companies (ROH, WNO, Opera North, Glyndebourne, Carl Rosa Opera), early music groups (Orchestra of the Renaissance, Gabrieli Ensemble, Monteverdi Choir, Rose Consort of Viols, English Bach Soloists), choirs (BBC and Swingle Singers) string quartets (Sorrel, Bingham, Bridge, Archinto, Rivoli), brass bands, jazz bands and pop groups.
Careers chosen by our graduates demonstrate the wide range of music-related professions for which our degrees prepare you. They include teaching, librarianship, music therapy, arts administration, publishing and journalism. They work for institutions and companies such as the BBC, San Francisco Opera, Spitalfields Festival, Britten-Pears foundation, Musicians' Benevolent Fund, Sage Gateshead, NYO, Scottish Opera, London Sinfonietta, Schott, Faber, Universal Edition, HMV, Gramophone, Time Out, The Guardian, and City Life.
The Manchester degree can equip you with an enormous range of skills and, of course, not all our graduates have opted for a career in music. Some become lawyers, doctors, accountants, civil servants, tax inspectors, social workers, computer engineers, or workers in sales and human resources; some acquire management positions in companies such as M&S, the National Trust, IBM and Disney.
