There are many career paths in music which can be followed, several universities across Scotland offer both undergraduate and postgraduate courses in music.

Firstly music is taught in secondary school at Higher and Advanced Higher – for keen musicians looking to develop their passion for music.

Music at school/further education colleges

The Higher course in music provides students with many opportunities to enhance their career choices in the field of music. It is a course which is designed for students who intend to pursue a career in music. The course enables the individual to gain understanding of music as an influential medium of communication.

Further Education

Colleges across the country, such as Jewel and Esk in Edinburgh run music courses in various areas and at a range of levels, ranging from short courses to HND's.

Courses available range from sound engineering to musical instrument studies.

Higher Education

There are several music opportunities available in Further Education with undergraduate courses running in universities across Scotland. Usually these courses run for three years, with a fourth optional year for those intending to pursue their interest further. These courses will include a range of theory and practical exams throughout each year.

The University of the West of Scotland offers various music courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Follow the link to find out more information on the courses offered.

The University of Glasgow offers music courses both at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels. Follow the link to obtain further information on admissions and start dates.

The University of Strathclyde offers music courses too.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland also offers a wide variety of undergraduate and postgraduate music courses. Follow the link for more information on courses taught.

The Open University (OU) also offers flexible learning music courses; the OU is the United Kingdom's only university dedicated to distance learning and provides a wide range of opportunities to study music, from Access level to postgraduate research.

There are also many music courses on offer at degree-level through the Open University, you may want to look into the courses below if you are interested in pursuing a career in music.

Postgraduate Degrees

The Open University also offers students registered for postgraduate degrees can work towards either the MA in Music, or a research degree (MPhil or PhD). Research students work under the supervision of one of the academic members of the department, often in collaboration with an external supervisor from another university.

Qualifications

Students on music courses may be working towards a wide variety of qualifications, from the credit of passing a single course, up to a full degree. Qualifications specific to Music currently include the Diploma in Music and the BA (Humanities with Music) within the BA (Humanities) degree scheme. There is a postgraduate taught degree of MA in Music. Postgraduate research students may work towards the degrees of MPhil or PhD.