Music with Drama
A course for the modern musician. The undergraduate Music degree programme is based around four core elements: Performance, Composition, Musicology and Music Technology.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Ulster University |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Ulster University |
Duration
Three years full-time. Two 12 week semesters per academic year.
Entry Requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
96 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.
Careers / Further progression
Job roles
With this degree you could become:
Arts Manager
Arts Officer
Music Facilitator
Music Producer
Music Teacher
Music Therapist
Musician
Career options
Studying music at Ulster prepares graduates for a range of careers both inside and outside of the music industry. Our students have been successful in establishing careers as composers and performers, studio engineers, teachers, community music leaders and many progress to postgraduate study at the University of Ulster and other domestic and international institutions. Meanwhile, the interdisciplinary opportunities afforded to music students across the subject areas at the School of Creative Arts and Technologies equips our graduates with a unique range of skills and experiences vital to any career in the creative industries that few other institutions can provide.
For information on postgraduate research opportunities see: www.arts.ulster.ac.uk/rgs
Further information
Start date: September 2024
Deadlines for on-time applications
2024 entry application deadlines
For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests
Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing
Overview
A course for the modern musician.
Summary
The undergraduate Music degree programme is based around four core elements: Performance, Composition, Musicology and Music Technology. Classes take place over two 12-week semesters and each year a student will study 6 modules totalling 120 credits (normally 20 credits per module). Students studying Music in combination choose modules to the value of 40 credits (major) or 20 credits (Minor) in each semester.
Year 1 is designed to provide students with a comprehensive overview of musical styles, genres and disciplines enabling them to develop existing skills and interests as well as acquire a range of new ones. Musicology 1 and 2 both include strands in fundamental harmony while Performance Studies 1 and 2 include an Aural provision.
Note: BA students taking music as a major take Musicology and Performance Studies while those taking music as a minor may opt for either.
Year 2 allows students the opportunity to begin specialising by introducing a number of optional modules as well as level 2 modules in the four core disciplines. Musicology 3 and 4 – the only compulsory modules - both include strands in advanced harmony.
Note: BA students taking music as a major take Musicology and Performance Studies only (both 20 credits). All year 2 modules are worth 20 credits. BA music minor students may take Performance Studies instead of Musicology.
Year 3 enables students to focus their degree programme in one or more related areas of specialist interest with a broad range of advanced level modules. Placement presents students the opportunity to take part in an internship with a local music or arts organisation while the Project options allow students to pursue an independent course of research or practical work in a chosen field of musical study.
Drama provides an exciting and challenging programme with an emphasis on contemporary performance practices. Our approach to teaching and learning integrates theories and practices of performance in order to extend our understanding of Drama as an art form in its social, political and cultural contexts.
Students taking Drama as a Minor take one compulsory Drama module in each semester in Years 1 and 2 and in Semester 1 of Year 3. They may choose from the range of optional modules in the final semester of Year 3.
About
Music with Drama W3W4 M BA/MusDr
Students taking Music as a Major have a choice of all available modules with the exception of modules requiring prerequisites (Composition and Music Technology). Students take modules to the value of 40 credits in Music in each semester, alongside modules to the value of 20 credits in Drama.
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year 1
Dramatic Structures on Stage and Screen
Space and Performance
Musicology 1
Performance Studies 1
Performance Studies 2
Musicology 2
Year 2
The Form and Function of Performance
Political Theatre from Expressionism to Brecht
Creative Computing - Optional
Writing for Stage and Screen - Optional
Musicology 3 - Optional
Electronic/Electroacoustic Composition - Optional
Musicology 4 - Optional
Performance studies 3 - Optional
Performance studies 4 - Optional
Composition and Orchestration 3 - Optional
Composition and Orchestration 4 - Optional
Sound Recording and Production 1 - Optional
Introduction to Music Business - Optional
Introduction to Music in the Community - Optional
Music and Moving Image - Optional
Experimental Music - Optional
Music and Sound Practices - Optional
Year 3
Liveness and Documentation in Performance
Creative Business - Optional
Industrial Placement - Optional
Representing Violence - Optional
Performance and Disability - Optional
Storytelling and Performance - Optional
Performing Ireland on Stage and Screen - Optional
Arts Entrepreneurship - Optional
Performance and Conflict Transformation - Optional
Performance and Health - Optional
Theatre and Ritual - Optional
Theatre for Young Audiences - Optional
Year 4
Interactive Music Systems - Optional
Sound Theory/Sound Practice - Optional
Project 1 - Optional
Project 2 - Optional
Jazz in the United States - Optional
Double Project - Optional
Music and Moving Image - Optional
Performance Studies 5 - Optional
Performance Studies 6 - Optional
Conversations in Irish Traditional Music - Optional
Composition Portfolio 1 - Optional
Composition Portfolio 2 - Optional
Advanced Audio Production - Optional
Placement 1- Optional
Placement 2 - Optional
Teaching Music in the Community - Optional
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Associate awards
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI
Work placement / study abroad
Optional placement modules are available in both Music and Drama.
Ulster University,
Northland Rd,
Londonderry
BT48 7JL
T: 02870 123 456