Arts - Studies in Music
Our BA degree programme at University College Cork is the gateway to the immense and exciting possibilities of education. We offer a wide variety of subjects across diverse fields – this allows you the flexibility and opportunity to choose your career pathway or postgraduate route.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | National University of Ireland |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | National University of Ireland | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
3 years, full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Leaving Certificate Entry Requirements
At least six subjects must be presented. Minimum grade H5 in two subjects and minimum grade O6/H7 in four other subjects. English and Irish are requirements for all programmes unless the applicant is exempt from Irish. Applicants will need to meet the following minimum entry requirements:
English O6/H7
Irish O6/H7
Other Language O6/H7
Studies in Music (Group 4)
This is available in First Arts and thereafter as a 10-credit subject in Single Subject Programme only.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme LCVP
Distinction 66 points
Merit 46 points
Pass 28 points
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Careers / Further progression
Skills and Careers Information
Today’s market requires graduates whose education has equipped them to be flexible, innovative and imaginative, and the BA degree equips students with these skills. Many graduates go directly into employment in areas such as:
Administration
Public relations
Arts management
Finance and banking
Heritage and tourism
Further information
September 2026
CK101 Arts: Approximate Available Places 50
Find out about the mature entry requirements at https://www.ucc.ie/en/study/undergrad/entryreqs/matureapplicants/
CK101 Arts: Approximate Available Places Overall 500
Entry 2026
Early online application (discounted): Fee €35 Closing Date: 20 January 2026 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €50 Closing Date: 1 February 2026 at 5pm
Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: €65 Closing Date: 1 May 2026 at 5pm
Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2026 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2026 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.
LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2026. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2026, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2026 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €65 applies.
Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:
General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices
Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course
Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants
Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR
This programme gives you the space to explore your options. Ultimately you will not only excel in specific subject knowledge you will develop those intellectual, social and management skills essential for today’s working environment.
Our Arts CK101 programme is a full-time three-year honours programme, based at the College of Arts, Celtic Studies & Social Sciences (CACSSS). If you wish to spend a year abroad at one of our partner institutions in Europe and beyond, you can apply to our four-year Arts (International) CK108 programme which is open to language and non-language students.
Subject options on registration: Students choose four subjects from the list below in Year 1, with not more than one subject from any group.
Students continue with 2 of these subjects in Years 2 & 3:
Group 1: Asian Studies, Computer Science***, History, Portuguese
Group 2(a)*: History of Art
Group 2(b)*: European Studies, Folklore, Gaeilge/Irish, Greek and Roman Civilisation, Studies in Psychology****
Group 3: Archaeology, Chinese Studies, German, Latin***, Mathematical Studies, Politics
Group 4: French, Sociology, Studies in Music
Group 5: Béaloideas, Economics, English, Greek***, Religions and Global Diversity
Group 6(a)**: Geography, Italian
Group 6(b)**: Celtic Civilisation, Philosophy, Spanish
*Groups 2(a) and 2(b): Students can combine History of Art with any subject from Group 2(a) in Year 1 only.Students can only study one subject from Groups 2(a) and 2(b) in Years 2 & 3.
**Groups 6(a) and 6(b): From Year 2, students may combine Italian with Spanish, but students may not combine Italian with Celtic Civilisation or Philosophy; or Geography with Celtic Civilisation, Philosophy or Spanish.
***These subjects are available in First Arts and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject in the Single Subject Programme
****This subject is available in Year 1 only
Studies in Music
This is available in First Arts and thereafter as a 10-credit subject in Single Subject Programme only.
Studies in Music is a broad introduction to the study of music as part of human society; it makes available Modules about music from all over the world and in many periods of history. The course embraces historical, sociological, ethnographic, political and educational approaches, among others, and will enable you to develop your knowledge in key areas of modern music studies.
You will develop an understanding of how music works as a part of human culture in varied settings. This understanding will help you understand people and their musical behaviours and preferences. You will learn to reflect critically on the roles and uses of music as an expressive device in a range of environments, historical and present-day. You will be positioned to contribute directly to future cultural and economic development, for instance by writing insightfully about music’s connections to other fields of activity, such as digital media, language, literature, governmental policy, religious practice or educational development.
You will complete courses that examine music from humanistic and cultural perspectives, that enhance critical thinking and communication skills and that develop an understanding of the main modern fields of music studies.
Modules
All modules 5 credits unless otherwise stated.
Year 1 Modules:
MU1000 Integrated Studies in Music
MU1008 Exploring Irish Traditional Music
MU1009 Music in Modern Ireland
MU1020 Western Music, Culture and Media
MU1021 ITM Studies and Introduction to World Music
*it is not recommended not to choose MU1021 (ITM Studies) and MU1008 (Exploring Irish Traditional Music) as there is some overlap of course content..
Year 2 Modules:
In Year 2, you take 10 credits of Music from the following provisional list of modules (the list may change):
Sound and the Moving Image
Musical Cultures of East Asia
Global Sounds: World Music in the 21st Century
Latin American Music
Music-making and the Middle Classes in Nineteenth-century Europe
Music in Community
Music Education in Contemporary Context
Planet Rap: Global Hip Hop and Postcolonial Perspectives
Creating and Performing Experimental Music
Global Sounds: World Music in the 21st Century
Music, Trauma and Recovery (10 credits each)
Uillean Pipes in Irish Traditional Music
Sounds Like Listening
History of Jazz 1: Roots Through Swing
Art of Sound
Exploring Irish Traditional Arts
Music and Cultural Tourism
Collectors, Collections and Fieldwork in Irish Traditional Music
History of Jazz 2: Bebop through Tomorrow’s Jazz
Fieldwork Project
An Introduction to Intermedia Studies (5 credits each)
Year 3 Modules:
In Year 3, you take a further 10 credits of Music as follows: 10 credits from the list shown for Year 2 See the College Calendar for additional information on Programmes and the Book of Modules for further information on modules.
Music: Students who are interested in studying Music with another Arts subject, should apply to CK104 Arts - Music. Studies in Music through Arts CK101 is only available as a minor subject after first year and you will not be eligible to apply to transfer into the second year of CK104 from CK101 Arts.
Finola Horgan
music@ucc.ie
+353 21 490 4530
http://www.music.ucc.ie/