Music

Music is a discipline of extraordinary breadth, encompassing composition, performance, music history, music theory, ethnomusicology, and the philosophy and analysis of sound. Studying music at university level means engaging rigorously with all of these dimensions: not simply developing your ability as a performer or composer, but building a deep understanding of how music is organised in time, how it has developed across cultures and centuries, and what it means in the contexts in which it is made and heard.

At Cardiff University, the undergraduate music programme develops your musical thinking and practice within a lively and creative academic community. You will deepen your understanding of music theory and analysis, engage with the history and diversity of musical traditions, and develop your own practice in performance, composition, or critical musicology. The programme encourages you to develop a specialism that reflects your own musical interests and strengths while ensuring you have the breadth of knowledge that serious musicianship requires.

You will encounter the full range of music as an academic discipline, from close analysis of scores and recordings to the social and cultural contexts in which music is produced and consumed.

The typical entry tariff is 152 UCAS points, and the programme is studied full time over three years. Cardiff's strong tradition in music research and its position within a vibrant musical city give the programme a distinctive character.

Graduates from music programmes go on to careers as performers, composers, music educators, conductors, music journalists, arts administrators, music producers, and researchers. Many develop portfolio careers that combine several of these activities. Further study at postgraduate level is available in performance, composition, musicology, music education, and music technology for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue research.