Music

Music as an academic and practical discipline encompasses composition, performance, theory, history, and the cultural and social study of how music is made and experienced. It is a field that demands both intellectual precision and creative imagination, whether you are analysing the harmonic language of Beethoven, developing your skills as a performer or composer, or examining the ways in which music shapes and reflects the societies that produce it. A music degree develops a breadth of knowledge and capability that is distinctive in higher education.

Northumbria University in Newcastle offers this three-year full-time music programme with a sandwich year, a year abroad, and professional work placement experience, making it unusual in the depth of professional engagement it offers alongside the academic curriculum. The placement and year abroad provide you with experience in professional musical or creative contexts and the opportunity to study in an international environment, reflecting the genuinely international nature of contemporary musical practice and the creative industries. You will develop your skills in performance, composition, music technology, music history and analysis, and the business and organisational aspects of the music sector.

Northumbria's connections with the vibrant music scene of Newcastle and the north-east provide rich opportunities for practical engagement beyond the classroom.

Music graduates go on to work as performers, composers, music teachers, music producers, arts administrators, music journalists, event managers, and in a wide range of roles across the creative and cultural industries. Many pursue teaching qualifications to work in schools, while others continue to postgraduate study in performance, composition, musicology, or arts management. The combination of technical skill, creative ability, and cultural knowledge that a music degree develops is valued across education, the arts, and the broader creative economy.