Music/Scottish Literature

Music and Scottish literature places two of the richest traditions in Scottish cultural life in productive dialogue. Music at the University of Glasgow engages you with the technical, cultural, historical, and philosophical dimensions of the subject, ideally complemented by some practical musical experience. Scottish literature opens up one of the most distinctive bodies of writing in the English-speaking world, from medieval makars and Robert Burns through to contemporary novelists and poets writing in English, Scots, and Gaelic.

Together, the two subjects deepen your understanding of what culture is, how it is made, and how it speaks across time.

This four-year full-time programme at the University of Glasgow is structured to allow flexibility. In each year you are given a range of options in both music and other subjects, allowing you to design a degree pathway that reflects your own particular interests and strengths, whether you are drawn to composition, performance, musicology, or literary criticism and cultural history. The year abroad expands that flexibility further, giving you the opportunity to study at a partner institution in another country, where different musical and literary traditions can inform and challenge your thinking.

With a typical entry tariff of 200 points, the programme attracts students who bring genuine intellectual curiosity and a commitment to developing expertise across two demanding disciplines. Graduates pursue careers in music performance, composition, arts administration, broadcasting, journalism, academic research, teaching, heritage, and cultural policy. The combination of analytical depth, cultural knowledge, and creative sensibility developed through this degree is valued across the creative and cultural industries, as well as in wider professional sectors where communication and critical thinking are prized.