Music  (MCJ1)

The School aims to equip its students with essential skills necessary to understand music in terms of both its historical developments and its formal and structural components, as well as its function in society. Close links between academic and practical studies lie at the heart of the school's educational ethos. It aims to instil integrity, further excellence, help to develop a critical and creative attitude and improve the musical and textual expressivity of its students.

BA graduates pursue music-related careers in a broad range of areas including teaching, journalism, arts administration, the music industry, academia and performance. The programme is aimed at a diverse mix of leaving certificate students, mature learners and an increasing international cohort.

The music programme benefits from its international outlook; its lecturers stem from Ireland, Europe and the US, holding degrees from six different countries. Its vibrant student community also includes many international students. A number of general elective modules and a high number of elective students from other disciplines ensure an interdisciplinary atmosphere within the School. Elements of academic and practical music education mutually reinforce each other; students can participate in choirs, an orchestra and an Indonesian gamelan ensemble for credit (and have the opportunity to get involved in organising concerts and other musical activities). Through its ensembles the School is involved in many cultural on- and off-campus activities that broaden students' horizons. The School's comparatively small size means that students quickly develop a strong esprit the corps and get to know all lecturers very quickly.

The School pursues a wide variety of teaching and learning approaches, from the traditional lecture and seminar formats to tutorials, group work, problem-based learning, practical musicianship through membership in the School's ensembles, and field work, all facilitated by online support. The lecturers as well as guest speakers in our seminar series ensure that much of the teaching is informed by the latest research. The School applies formative and summative assessment strategies which are peer-reviewed where appropriate and include essays, exams, reviews, group presentations, poster presentations and reflective journals.

1 - Students will be able to recognise a range of musical forms, techniques and styles of Western and some non-Western musical cultures.
2 - Students will have an understanding of how all music reflects the societies it stems from, as well as in turn contributing to their individual, social and cultural development.
3 - Students will have gained insights into the mutual dependency of practical musicianship and musical scholarship, enabling them to utilise one area to progress in the other one after the end of their studies.
4 - Students will be aware of the central role of critical and original thinking when engaging with different types of tasks and problems.
5 - Students will have practiced finding reliable sources of information on music-related matters, distinguishing them from unreliable ones, planning and executing research and presenting its results.
6 - Students will have learned to be open to the unknown and to engage with musical cultures distant in time and/or space on their own respective terms.

In Stage 2, BA students studying music as a joint major subject will deepen and fortify their knowledge in compositional techniques, analytical methods, keyboard and music technology skills. In addition they will be introduced to ethnomusicological issues and Irish traditional music and will deepen their understanding of music history and musicological methods.

In Stage 3, students are required to take one of the Seminar in Musicology modules where they are introduced to current musicological research presented by leading national and international guest speakers. Students must also choose two ten-credit modules (from the Option Modules list) enabling them to deepen their knowledge in specific areas of ethno/musicology and hone research and writing skills.

We offer Erasmus exchange in Europe and study abroad in the USA, Canada, Japan and other countries.

UCD is Ireland’s Global University and its largest university with a track record in empowering students to enter a diverse range of careers that reflects the most diverse curriculum on the Island of Ireland. Consistently, over 90% of graduates are employed or in further study or training 9 months following course completion. The QS World Ranking on Graduate Employability has placed UCD at number 1 in Ireland for Graduate Employability since 2018. On the global stage UCD leads the Irish higher education sector and is the only Irish university to be ranked inside the world’s top 80 for Graduate Employability.

At University College Dublin we are aware that for many students, programme outcomes in terms of graduate jobs and career options is important. The purpose of this statement is to help you understand and appreciate the range of skills you may develop during your time at UCD and how you may develop your employability. Visit the UCD Careers Networks website and MyCareer, the UCD Career management Platform, to access career information, internships and graduate roles as well as information about the range of initiatives, supports and events available to you.

Music graduates have a range of skills, including research, creative thinking, critical reasoning, and writing, that enable them to pursue careers in education, composition, production, performance, creative practice, the music industry, journalism, media, arts administration, and a diverse range of careers in business and industry.

UCD School of Music offers a taught MMus in Music & Culture, plus research-based MLitt and PhD programmes in Musicology, Ethnomusicology, and Composition. 

UCD School of Music

p. +353 1 716 8178

e. music@ucd.ie

Stage 2

BA Music students are required to take two Core modules plus three Options at Stage 2. Performance modules can be taken as Electives.

Stage 3

BA Music students are required to take New Ideas in Musicology and any two modules from the Option Modules list.
Performance modules can be taken as electives.

Stage 4

BA Music students are required to take New Ideas in Musicology and any two modules from the Option Modules list.
Performance modules can be taken as electives.

See the UCD Assessment website for further details, including worked examples of how degree award GPAs are calculated

---

Module Weighting Info