Economics/Music
Economics and music is a combination that might seem unlikely at first, but it reflects the reality that the questions music raises, about culture, value, meaning, social function, and aesthetic experience, sit alongside and sometimes intersect with the economic analysis of markets, incentives, and collective decision-making. Economics is a rigorous discipline that uses mathematical and empirical tools to understand how scarce resources are allocated, how people and organisations make decisions, and how markets and institutions shape outcomes. Music, studied academically, explores technical, historical, cultural, and philosophical dimensions of one of the most universal forms of human expression.
Together, they cultivate versatility and breadth.
At the University of Glasgow, this four-year, full-time programme includes a year abroad, which enriches both the economic and musical dimensions of the degree by placing you in a different academic and cultural environment. In each year you are given a range of options in music and other subjects, allowing you to design a pathway that reflects your particular interests and strengths. The economics curriculum will develop rigorous analytical and quantitative skills, while the music strand builds your capacity as a critical thinker about musical works, practices, and contexts.
Glasgow's research culture in both departments means the teaching is connected to active scholarly inquiry. The typical entry tariff is 232 UCAS points.
Graduates from economics and music programmes bring a distinctive combination of analytical and cultural understanding to the job market. Economics opens doors into finance, consultancy, government, policy analysis, and business, while the musical dimension is valued in arts management, cultural policy, the music industry, and public service broadcasting. The combination also equips graduates well for roles in media, research, and communications.
Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in economics, music, or arts management, and the analytical rigour of economics also supports doctoral research in either discipline.