Music BA (Hons) at Coventry University

The first step to becoming a musician is to think of yourself as one. Get trained up with a Music degree and who knows where you’ll end up!

From the outset, you will be treated as a professional musician at the start of your career. Our ethos is to provide an environment to develop creative, dynamic, able artists and musicians, who are versatile, resourceful and ready for a career in the contemporary and emerging music industries. 

Taught by musicians, this course will allow you to develop your skills and musical ability across a range of musical styles, scenarios and genres. You can also take specialist dedicated courses in music education, sound and film composition.

We enjoy close professional links with international education societies like Dalcroze and national orchestras, such as the Orchestra of the Swan. You will also get the chance to work closely with established professional musicians, such as jazz pianist and De Wolfe Music production composer Andy Quin, classical guitarist Sam Cave, Audio Director on SkySaga Matt Black, soprano Juliana Janes Yaffé and visiting lecturer Tony Iommi, a founding member and guitarist of the pioneering and world famous heavy metal band Black Sabbath.

Why Coventry University?

An award-winning university, we are committed to providing our students with the best possible experience. We continue to invest in both our facilities and our innovative approach to education. Our students benefit from industry-relevant teaching, and resources and support designed to help them succeed. These range from our modern library and computing facilities to dedicated careers advice and our impressive Students’ Union activities.

Course information

We seek to provide you with the opportunity to develop a solid foundation of knowledge, practical experience and a professional portfolio with which you can launch a career within the global field of music, related industries, teaching or postgraduate study.

Throughout the course, you will be encouraged to be a proactive musician performing in the choir, as well as chamber ensembles, bands and student-led music groups. We see this as a key part of the learning experience for any musician. We also focus on cultivating your professionalism in all aspects of music – in composition, musicology, pedagogy or performance.

Career prospects

This course places your future employability at its core, equipping you with the academic, personal and professional skills and experience to enable you to enter the creative industries in a variety of roles on graduation. Throughout your studies, you’ll develop your own professional practice portfolio which you’ll use when looking for work.

Typical options may include: teaching; arts management; examiners; musical arranging; incidental music and concert-based music; performers as session musicians and tour artists; setting up bands and ensembles; developing careers as composers working in such areas as: film and dance, sound-libraries and the games industry.

Our Creative Futures employment team is on hand to offer tailored career and enterprise support if you wish to gain employment or take advantage of professional practice opportunities within course specific industries. Our dedicated enterprise officers also offer valuable assistance on how to begin as a freelancer/entrepreneur. 

Coventry University is committed to preparing you for your future career and giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market. The University's Careers and Employability team provide a wide range of support services to help you plan and prepare for your career.

Where our graduates work

Our graduates pursue careers as performers, sound designers and composers. This degree also enables direct progression to suitable courses while others undertake the appropriate qualifications to become teachers in schools and colleges, or they become freelance instrumental or music theory teachers. Graduates also work with community arts organisations or as arts administrators.

Notable successes include a leading professional guitarist and author of a series of advanced guitar handbooks, a recording artist who has released three EPs to date, a YouNow live-streamer and songwriter, and an examiner for Rockschool.