Bachelor of Arts (Music)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
Find Out More

An Insight into Studying Music at University of Galway Studying Music at University of Galway

Entry Points (2024)

348

Course Overview

The BA in Music at the University of Galway is Ireland’s newest undergraduate music degree. Students learn about the theory and history of music, and develop creative practical skills in performance, composition and technology. There is also the possibility to take a work placement in a music-related field during the third year of the degree, for which students will receive training in transferable professional skills. This is an ideal course for anyone interested in pursuing a career in music, including teaching music in secondary schools and many other fields.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Dr Aidan Thomson

Dr Amanda Feery

Dr Ann-Marie Hanlon

Prof Patrick Lonergan

Dr Méabh NíFhuartháin

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 Level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes. Leaving Cert Music is recommended, but not essential.

Additional Requirements

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2025

A Level Grades (2024)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

2 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY130

Course code

Course Outline

Year 1

Year One provides an introduction to musical studies. Students study the following modules: Introduction to Music History, Introduction to Irish Traditional Music, Music Practice, and Theory and Critical Listening. Alongside Music, students take two other Arts subjects.

Year 2

In Year Two, students consolidate the knowledge and skills they acquired in their first year. All students study modules in composition, harmony and keyboard harmony, sound technology and music history. There are further optional modules in Irish Traditional Music Performance, Music Practice, Popular music and Musical Theatre. Alongside Music, students continue with one of the other subjects that they studied in Year One.

Year 3

Year Three is dedicated to Music and to the development of special skills and/or experiences. In Semester 1, students take three Music modules on campus. These may include Popular Music, Culture and Identities in Ireland, Topics in Irish Music Studies, Scoring and Arranging, Musical Theatre and Introduction to Musicology. In Semester 2, students may have the opportunity to study Music abroad or carry out a locally based work placement or complete an extended project in Music at the University of Galway.

Year 4

In Year Four, students study Music alongside the subject that they studied in Year Two. All students complete an extended essay or composition portfolio, as well as taking modules in music history and performance analysis. Optional modules include Music Practice, Traditional Music Performance, Opera, and Women in Pop. Upon graduation, students receive a degree in Music and one other subject (e.g. French, Mathematics, Psychology, Information Technology, English, History etc.).

Students will be assessed using a combination of class tests and written and practical continuous assessment.

Students spend an average of 40 hours a week attending lectures, tutorials and practicals, and undertaking independent study.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Music graduates typically go on to careers in such fields as performance, teaching, composition, academia, sound engineering, music therapy, arts administration, journalism, broadcasting, publishing, librarianship and archivism. In some cases, this may require a further vocational qualification or postgraduate study.

The BA Arts Music programme has been designed to meet the requirement of the Irish Teaching Council, so graduates will be qualified to use music as a teaching subject as part of their study for a postgraduate degree in post-primary education.

Students will also have opportunities to avail of at the University of Galway are unique offerings in creative arts management and business, ensuring they have real-world skills that will be directly relevant to the creative arts industry in Ireland and internationally.

Music BA graduates have transferable skills in such areas as public presentations, teamwork, research, and written and verbal communication. These skills are highly attractive to employers in a wide range of fields beyond music.

Students can combine the study of music with subjects such as Psychology, Legal Studies, Information Technology or Languages, all of which open up career opportunities in those areas.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

In the third year of the programme, most students spend a semester either studying abroad at an international university or on a placement with an Irish arts, media or educational organisation. The university has partnerships with Galway Music Residency and Music for Galway; students may take placements with such organisations in the areas like marketing, production, administration or other areas relevant to their course. Students taking a language must spend a semester abroad studying in a country where that language is spoken, such as University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, France; University of Bologna, Italy or University of Oviedo, Spain. There are also international links with American universities where students can study Music and other performing arts subjects such as Notre Dame University in Indiana, USA.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,276 p.a. (€6,416 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

Fees: Tuition

€3,276 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2025/26

Fees: Non EU

€21,000 p.a. (€21,140 p.a. including levy) 2025/26

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy* €140. *Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

For 25/26 entrants, where the course duration is greater than 1 year, there is an inflationary increase approved of 3.4% per annum for continuing years fees**.
**Excludes Full-Time EU Undergraduate fees. These are fixed and do not change.

Find out More

Dr Aidan Thomson, Senior Lecturer and Head of Music at University of Galway
School of English and Creative Arts
T: +353 91 493675
E: music@universityofgalway.ie
Other useful sourse of information links:

Saoirse Kellegher | Graduated - 2023-24.

Having completed the BA Music degree at the University of Galway, I can confidently say that it has equipped me with the skills, knowledge and confidence to pursue a career in music. Students explore a wide array of modules, including theory, performance, composition and history modules, resulting in a well-rounded course. The course lecturers are not only experts in their field but also approachable and supportive, providing students with a wealth of experience and knowledge. The course offers a solid foundation for anyone seeking to turn their passion for music into a profession and it has greatly influenced the direction I want to take with my music career.

Kaitlin O’Brien | Final Year Music Student 2022-2023

Now having completed my studies in Music in University of Galway, my knowledge of music theory and music practice, along with various other areas, has grown vastly. With such an array of subject areas, I have been able to explore many avenues, resulting in a well-rounded degree. During this degree, students are given the opportunity to develop their skills not only academically, but also creatively, as there are so many opportunities to work on their talents as musicians. As I have also been a class representative numerous times throughout the course of the degree, I have also gained many communication tools to liaise with both students and staff.

Katie Feeney | Final Year Music Student 2021-2022

“Studying in the BA Music course in University of Galway has not only enriched my music knowledge, but it has also introduced me to like-minded people who have become great friends throughout our four years of study. The course’s wide range of modules opened my eyes to areas of music I had not thought about or encountered before studying in University. As I am now at the end of the degree, I have come to realise that some of these specific modules I was introduced to through the BA Music have hugely influenced where I aspire to go with my music career.

GY101 Bachelor of Arts (Joint-Honours)

GY118 Bachelor of Arts (Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies)