Arts - Music
Our Arts-Music (Honours) degree allows you to combine the study of two subjects – Music and an Arts subject of your choice from the many Arts options on offer in UCC.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 or 4 Years
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements:
At least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish. Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Other Language O6/H7
Additional requirements: Applicants are also required to pass a music entrance exam and will be called for this automatically once the application is made through the CAO. The entrance exams are usually held in April of the incoming year.
Applied Mathematics (Group 2a)
Students who wish to take Applied Mathematics must have achieved at least a H3 in Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent).
Béaloideas (Group 5)
Students wishing to select Béaloideas should normally have a minimum grade H4 in Irish in the Leaving Certificate examination (or equivalent). Lectures are through the medium of Irish.
German (Group 3)
Students wishing to select German Non Beginners should have a minimum grade H4 in German in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). Students wishing to take German (Beginners) are recommended to have a minimum of grade H3 in another modern continental language, or Irish, or Latin, or Greek, in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). Students will be accepted to the Beginners group only if they have no prior German, or if they have reached a level no higher than Junior Certificate German.
Italian (Group 6a)
Students wishing to take Beginners’ Italian are recommended to have a minimum of grade H4 in another modern continental language, or Irish, or Latin, or Greek in the Leaving Certificate examination (or equivalent). Students wishing to take Non-Beginners’ Italian are recommended to have a minimum of grade H4 in Italian in the Leaving Certificate examination (or equivalent).
Mathematics (Group 3)
Students who wish to take Mathematics must have achieved at least a H3 in Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent).
Portuguese (Group 1)
If you wish to take Beginners' Portuguese, you must have obtained a minimum H4 in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent) in another modern continental language, or Irish, Latin, or Greek.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
UCC awards the following points to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme Link Modules:
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
While Link Modules are counted for point scoring purposes they may not be counted as one of the six subjects to satisfy minimum entry requirements.
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Our Arts-Music graduates have a great record for finding employment. Employers recognise Music degrees as being particularly rich in transferable skills, and varied in breadth of learning, a facet reinforced by inclusion of a second subject area taken to graduate level. The result is a graduate who is both versatile and very broadly competent. Our BMus graduates are highly trained and self-reliant specialists, with the strength of an additional year’s maturation and expertise and are in demand professionally.
BA Arts-Music graduates work in a variety of settings including areas such as:
performing musicians
music teachers
the music business
arts and cultural heritage management
film/tv/radio
This BA degree also qualifies you to explore exciting postgraduate options, at home and abroad. Some UCC options include:
Music (HDip in Arts)
MA Arts Management & Creative Producing
MA Experimental Sound Practice
MA Music - Ethnomusicology
MA Music & Cultural History
Please see the CACSSS postgraduate study page for more information on a vast array of postgraduate programmes including PhD options for CACSSS graduates.
Further information
Approximate Available Places 4
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
Approximate Available Places Overall 50
Entry 2024 - Restricted Course
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid submitting an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all fees are non-refundable.
Restricted Courses
Applying for a restricted course – you must have applied to CAO by 1 February 2024 at 5pm if you wish to apply for a restricted course. The restricted course must be included on your course choices list by that date, or added to your application using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm.
Restricted courses normally require additional assessment procedures, for example, the submission of a portfolio, an oral assessment or interview, or a written assessment. Restricted courses are identified in the handbook by the words “(Restricted - see page 3)" on the same line as the restricted course’s title. Please make sure to acquaint yourself with the additional requirements, if any, of the restricted course(s) that you have applied for and go to page 24 of the 2024 CAO Handbook for more information about interviews and assessments.
Exception: If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures with a course you had applied for by 1 February 2024, you may be permitted to introduce it on a Change of Mind. You should consult with the relevant HEI before introducing such a course.
Mature Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2024 at 5pm, and include course choices by that date or add them using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature
Supplementary Admission Routes
Applying for DARE and/or HEAR – to be considered for DARE and/or HEAR, applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1 February 2024 at 5pm. To apply to DARE, you must answer YES to Question 1 ('Do you wish to be considered for DARE?) on Section A of the fully completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
To apply to HEAR, you must indicate on your CAO application that you wish to apply for HEAR and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
Supporting documents for DARE and/or HEAR applicants must be sent to CAO offices before 15 March 2024 at 5pm
Our Arts-Music (Honours) degree allows you to combine the study of two subjects – Music and an Arts subject of your choice from the many Arts options on offer in UCC. Studying music at UCC allows you to explore both the theory and practice of music. Not only will you come away with a comprehensive understanding of the role that music plays in society you will have the opportunity to create music, through solo and ensemble performances. This, combined with your second subject choice, will give you the creative edge that makes you stand out from the crowd.
The BA (Arts-Music) programme now offers three pathways after Year 1:
BA (Hons) Arts-Music (3 years)
BA (Hons) Arts-Music (International) (4 years) – includes study abroad
B Mus (Hons) (4 years)
In Year 1, regardless of which pathway you ultimately choose, you will take courses providing key foundational skills in Music and two further Arts subjects offered from Groups 1, 2, 3, 5, 6(a).
As part of your degree, you will gain experience and understanding of music in contemporary society. You will experience classical, popular, jazz, film, Irish traditional and world music. We integrate practical study alongside academic and theoretical courses and you will have a considerable choice of music-related options, allowing you to build up a distinctive profile as a composer, songwriter, performer, producer, educator or worker within the cultural and music industries.
Modules
The BA Arts-Music programme combines two kinds of learning: that of practice and theory. Firstly, students create music through solo and ensemble performance, improvisation, composition, aural training, applied work in education or in the computer music studio. Secondly, students investigate music in historical and contemporary cultures worldwide.
Much of the degree is selected by you from a wide set of options. In Year 1 you take the core modules, listed below, comprising 30 credits. You also choose 30 credits from Groups, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6(a).
Year 1 Core Modules
MU1020 Western Music, Culture and Media (5 credits)
MU1021 ITM Studies and Introduction to World Music (5 credits)
MU1022 Gamelan & Ensemble (5 credits)
MU1023 Solo Performance & Ensemble Studies (5 credits)
MU1024 Composition & Music Technology (5 credits)
MU1025 Music Theory & Aural Skills (5 credits)
Plus 30 credits from two other First Arts subjects from Groups 1, 2, 3, 5, 6(a).
Group 1 Asian Studies; Computer Science; History; Portuguese
Group 2(a)* History of Art
Group 2(b)* Applied Mathematics***; European Studies; Folklore; Gaeilge/Irish; Greek & Roman Civilisation
Group 3 Archaeology; Chinese Studies; German; Latin; Mathematical Studies; Mathematics***; Politics
Group 5 Béaloideas; Economics; English; Greek; Religions & Global Diversity
Group 6(a)** Geography; Italian
*** Please note that these subjects will not be available as a subject option to first-year students from September 2025 onwards.
European Studies: European Studies is only available through Arts (International) CK108 after first year. Students who wish to keep on European Studies in second and subsequent years must apply to transfer to CK108 Arts International at the end of first year in CK101. Please contact the College Office for application.
Year 2 Modules
In Year 2 Arts-Music, students take Music as a Single Subject (50 credits) or as a Major Subject (40 credits) or a Joint Subject (30 credits). Students may also apply to transfer to the BMus to take 60 credits of Music.
Core
MU2017 Music in Culture and Society
MU2001 Music Theory 2
Electives
A choice of theoretical options from a broad range of subjects – from film music to the music of Java, from the history of jazz to music education, from Opera to fieldwork. You can choose from more than 30 solo and ensemble performance-based options in numerous genres from around the world; plus 10, 20 or 30 credits from another Arts subject continued from Year 1.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules.
Academic Programme Catalogue
See the Academic Programme Catalogue (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/programmes/) for the complete and up-to-date content for this course. Note that the modules for all courses are subject to change from year-to-year. For complete descriptions of individual modules, see the Book of Modules (https://ucc-ie-public.courseleaf.com/modules/)
Contact Details For This Course
Finola Horgan
music@ucc.ie
+ 353 21 490 4530
http://www.music.ucc.ie