About the Department of Music

About the Department of Music

Music at Aberdeen is a thriving learning, performing and research community with approximately 200 undergraduate and 40 postgraduate students. The Department has 15 members of academic staff with a wide range of interests spanning composition, community music, music education, (ethno)musicology, performance and sonic arts; we have over 30 visiting instrumental teachers who bring their practical and teaching expertise and experience to our programmes. 

The University of Aberdeen is distinct in placing Music, Music Education and Community Music in the same department, which has positive benefits for all staff and students. Our flexible single honours BMus degree programme is one of only a handful of degrees in Music which can incorporate a teaching qualification or focussed study in Community Music practice. There are also options to study other subjects (such as English, French, German, and Computing) with Music as part of a combined degree.

All our undergraduate honours-level degree programmes last for four years and involve active engagement with performance, composition, and musicianship as well as cultural and historical musicology. We aim to provide students with the subject knowledge and skills to enable them to succeed in the profession of their choice. The BMus in Music Education is a qualification for teaching in secondary schools in Scotland. Graduates in single honours Music have gone on to careers in music, arts, technology, publishing, and much more. 

Many graduates have pursued further study both at the University of Aberdeen and in other leading universities and conservatoires across the UK and beyond. We offer a one-year MMus in Music with study paths in composition, community music, music education, musicology, performance, and sonic arts. The mix of core courses, specialist options and an extended individual project give breadth and depth to this flexible master’s programme. The department also has a vibrant community of PhD students, many of whom gain teaching experience alongside their research activities.

While there is a lot of information available online, we are always happy to hear from prospective students, so please do get in touch if you’d like to know more about Music at Aberdeen.