Music is a universal form of expression, one that captures our imagination in countless ways. In UCD, we equip students with the skills necessary to understand a wide variety of musical practices. Study music in UCD if you love performing, listening to, and talking about music.

Develop your musicianship through both theory and performance. Deepen your knowledge of musical history and cultures. Analyse the important role music plays in contemporary life. Learn how to research and write about specific musical genres and topics. Find out why music is such a central part of being human.

First Year: Modules Include:

• Writing about Music
• Listening to Music
• Music, Culture & Society
• Musicianship
• Music Theory 1
• Performance Ensemble

Second & Final Years

Core modules on music history, theory, and Irish/world music, with options including:

• Popular Music & Culture
• Techniques of Composition
• Formal Analysis
• Blues & Jazz
• Traditional Music Practices
• Post-Truth, Politics & Music
• Music & Philosophy
• The Piano Concerto
• Music & the Moving Image
• Music Theatre, plus a choice of performance ensembles

Music is taught in lectures, seminars, tutorials, ensemble rehearsals, and through independent study and practice. Students are assessed through a mixture of end-of-semester exams, continuous assessment, dissertations, recitals, and concerts.

There are six professionally-directed ensembles in UCD that can be taken for credit: Ad Astra Chamber Orchestra, UCD Choral Scholars, UCD Composition Ensemble, UCD Gamelan Orchestra, UCD Philharmonic Choir, and UCD Symphony Orchestra. Auditions take place during the first two weeks of the semester.

BMus

Students who wish to move to a pure music degree, after completing the first year of the BA, may apply to transfer to the single subject BMus, subject to meeting the entry requirements. Alternatively, following completion of the BA, you may add a BMus degree by studying for another year.

For detailed information on subject content click here

You may be interested in the following Blog posts: Why I chose to study Music at UCD.

The UCD School of Music operates Erasmus exchange programmes with universities in:

• Munich
• Prague
• Rouen

Non-EU exchange opportunities include:

• Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada
• Waseda University, Japan
• University of California, Los Angeles.

Performance Scholarships

The School of Music offers over forty performance scholarships each academic year, including with the UCD Choral Scholars and the UCD Symphony Orchestra. Scholars regularly perform on radio, TV and at major events. Details on criteria and auditions can be found on our website.

Music graduates can pursue careers in:

• Performance
• The Music Industry
• Journalism
• Media
• Arts Administration
• Education
• Academia
• Music Therapy

Music graduates often pursue further study. The UCD School of Music offers a taught MMus in Music & Culture, plus research-based MLitt and PhD programmes.

• Level 5/6 QQI-FET
  
• Open Learning Entry Route
• Mature Entry Route
• DARE Entry Route
  
• HEAR Entry Route
  
• University Access
  

UCD School of Music
Newman,
Belfield,
Dublin 4

Tel: +353 1 716 8178
Email: music@ucd.ie