Subject area: Music
Why choose Music at the University of Edinburgh?
Our staff are world leaders in a wide range of musical areas including musicology, acoustics and music technology, composition, improvisation, music psychology, and community music.
Flexible pathways enable you to explore a breadth of musical interests spanning scientific study of music through to performance and composition. Placements in social and educational settings are possible through our community music courses in Years 3 and 4.
The University hosts more than 25 musical societies and a packed schedule of concerts during the year, ranging from classical and jazz to contemporary and electronic.
Introducing Music
Music is a rich and vibrant subject spanning the arts, humanities, and sciences.
It includes specific areas such as:
- performance
- composition
- acoustics
- audio technology
- music theory
- analysis
Music also engages with much broader issues in:
- history
- anthropology
- sociology
- cultural studies
- philosophy
- cognitive sciences
- psychology
Our programmes
Disciplinary variety is at the heart of our programmes.
BMus
Our BMus is a flexible programme, which will provide you with the opportunity to develop critical and technical skills from a variety of perspectives.
You will study a diverse range of musical genres and styles. You will also explore how music is contextually produced and received:
- sociopolitically
- historically
- culturally
If you wish, you can specialise in composition and/or performance, and you can take courses outside of music in each of your four years of study.
BSc
Our BSc programme explores intersections between:
- music technology
- physics
- engineering
- computer science
You will receive a rigorous grounding in fundamental scientific skills, and study:
- music technology
- sound recording
- computer programming in a range of musical contexts
In Years 3 and 4, you can choose:
- a strongly scientific pathway in physical acoustics
- a multidisciplinary pathway in computer music systems
- your own combination of both
Reid School of Music
The University's Reid School of Music is an exciting place to study. You will have numerous opportunities to make music and perform in university ensembles, including by joining:
- orchestras
- choirs
- a big band
- wind band
- composers' orchestra
- opera group
Our lively concert calendar and central Edinburgh location let you immerse yourself in the city's rich cultural scene.