BA (Hons) Music with Philosophy Bachelor's degree at Royal Holloway, University of London
BA (Hons) Music with Philosophy at RHUL combines musical study with philosophical enquiry, covering core theory, research and methods, applied practice, specialist options, an independent project, and professional skills development.
About this course
Learn a range of musical performance and composition techniques, and develop your understanding of ancient and contemporary philosophy. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Music with Philosophy is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at RHUL, based in Egham Campus. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Philosophy graduates from this provider, 85% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 45% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £27,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Philosophy & Religion, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 85% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 81% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 11 modules
- Problems of KnowledgeCore
Module details
Introduction to basic topics in contemporary epistemology, addressing questions such as: why is knowledge valuable?; how do we acquire knowledge and how do we pass it on to others?; how do we become better knowers?; is there such a thing as collective knowledge?; do animals have knowledge?; is there such a thing as knowledge at all?
- Theory and AnalysisCore
Module details
Develops basic music-analytical literacy and introduces basic concepts concerning counterpoint, harmony, melody and form that underpin the analysis of music. Addresses contrapuntal, melodic, harmonic and formal elements of tonal music through lectures, listening, score study and practical exercises.
- Fundamentals of Music TheoryCore
Module details
Develops students' awareness of music theory through practical exercises and musical analysis. Students develop the ability to identify and analyse the musical parameters of metre, rhythm, pitch, harmony, counterpoint and form through listening exercises and written exercises.
- Creative Composition TechniquesCore
Module details
Introduces students to fundamental techniques of music composition including soundworlds and scale formations, the vertical dimension (chords and simultaneities), the horizontal dimension (melody and voice leading), developments in rhythm, developments in harmonic vocabulary and tonalities, form in contemporary composition, and acoustic timbre and texture.
- A Very Short History of MusicCore
Module details
Introduces a wide range of repertories within the history of music from early music to music of the twentieth century. Stimulates students to relate features of musical compositions and performances to their wider historical contexts and provides a conceptual map of musical styles, composers and practices.
- Introduction to Historical MusicologyCore
Module details
Introduces concepts underlying the historical and critical study of music. Enables students to think critically about the priorities that underlie historical texts and relate features of musical compositions and performances to wider historical contexts. Introduces different kinds of historical questions about music.
- Introduction to World MusicCore
Module details
Introduces students to the socio-cultural contexts, functions, philosophies, techniques, and organising principles of a variety of musics of the world from at least three continents. Musical traditions are approached from both theoretical and practical perspectives with hands-on experience.
- Contemporary Debates in MusicCore
Module details
Introduces students to key debates and issues in contemporary musicology and concerning music in the contemporary world. Surveys contemporary issues in music and looks at controversies that have emerged, including topics such as authenticity, value judgements, music and identity, music and gender, music and race, and music and nationalism.
- Solo PerformanceCore
Module details
Furthers students' skills as performers through regular one-to-one vocal/instrument lessons with an approved visiting teacher. Students perform in practical seminars where matters of interpretation and stage manner are discussed, develop skills in writing programme notes and concert reviews, and engage with professional preparation.
- Creative Ensemble PerformanceCore
Module details
Develops a broad range of innovative, practical, creative and collaborative musical skills. Promotes student initiative and creativity while developing focused, critical, technical and context sensitive perspectives on selected musical repertoires, traditions and genres. Students form groups and document their experience in a performance diary.
- Introduction to Composing with Music TechnologyCore
Module details
Provides the opportunity to develop skills in working with music technology, write music to a brief and develop skills in independent creative work. Topics include introduction to media, film and game music composition, introduction to non-linear compositional techniques, the basics of digital audio, composing to a brief, and audio engines for games.
Year 2 2 modules
- Introduction to European Philosophy 1: Kant to HegelCore
Module details
Develops an understanding of major debates in European and some Anglo-American philosophy. Examines key texts by eighteenth and nineteenth-century philosophers Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, their continuing significance, major epistemological, ethical and aesthetical issues, and the importance of the role of history in modern philosophy.
- Mind and WorldCore
Module details
Develops an understanding of how the rationalist and empiricist traditions in philosophy influence contemporary thought in the philosophy of mind.
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
This course combines musical performance and composition with philosophical inquiry into ancient and contemporary thought. You'll usually begin with foundational modules in philosophical thinking, covering knowledge, mind and reality, alongside core work in logic and ethics. As you progress, you'll study the history of philosophy and explore specialisations such as philosophy of mind, ethics and applied ethics, political philosophy, religion and theology, logic, and philosophy of science. In your final year, you'll typically engage with advanced seminars on current philosophical research and complete a substantial independent dissertation. Throughout, you'll develop your range of musical performance and composition techniques alongside your philosophical understanding.
Who it's for
This course suits students with a genuine interest in both music and philosophy who wish to explore how these disciplines intersect. Most accepted students held A-levels or equivalent qualifications, with typical UCAS tariffs ranging from 128 to 143 points. You'll study in English at a higher education college founded in 1879. Check the university's funding pages for information on bursaries and scholarships.
Careers & job market
Across Philosophy and Religion courses nationally, 85% of graduates are in work or further study within 15 months of graduating. Of those working, 60% are in highly skilled roles or undertaking further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries of £23,500–£30,000 at 15 months, rising to £25,500–£36,000 after five years. These figures reflect national outcomes rather than university-specific guarantees. Ninety per cent of students continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their studies.
University & format
This is a full-time, 3-year Bachelor's degree (BA Hons) taught in English at Royal Holloway, University of London, a higher education college on the Egham Campus. The degree is nationally recognised as awarded by a recognised UK degree-awarding body. Royal Holloway holds Silver for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Placement year. Availability, selection and pay can vary.
Entry & how to get in
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 93% |
| another higher-education qualification | 5% |
| a Baccalaureate | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W3V5). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at RHUL →For students who normally live in England
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
That does not mean no funding exists. Check the university directory for current amounts, eligibility and application dates.
We only display a named award when its provider source identifies the award and who it is for.
Still deciding what to study?
StudyKit brings course choice, applications and funding together in one place, with a personal AI assistant. Find what really fits you and start your UCAS application step by step.
Careers & earnings
What Philosophy & Religion graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £27,000 | £23,500 – £30,000 | 15 |
| 3 years after | £25,500 | £20,500 – £33,000 | 25 |
| 5 years after | £31,000 | £25,500 – £39,000 | 25 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in philosophy & religion · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Philosophy & Religion nationally
National figures for Philosophy & Religion graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with Philosophy & Religion courses at the same study level.
Compared with 497 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Administrative occupationsSOC 2020 41 · 20% of published destinations · ASHE median £27,006
- Teaching ProfessionalsSOC 2020 231 · 15% of published destinations · ASHE median £42,660
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupationsSOC 2020 62 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £22,297
- Business and public service associate professionalsSOC 2020 35 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £38,760
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
- Artistic, literary and media occupationsSOC 2020 341 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £33,824
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 30; response rate: 65%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Philosophy & Religion graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
How AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Philosophy & Religion graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Schools & universities
- Think tanks
- Charities & NGOs
- Civil service
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Philosophy & Religion graduates.
Philosophy AdjunctCommonwealth Of VirginiaTeaching Fellow in Ethics and Political Philosophy - DurhamDurham UniversityIs this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
Where graduates go
85% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £27,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.3 out of 10: NSS 82.4% · in work or study 85% · continued 81%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Royal Holloway and Bedford New College
Historical, philosophical and religious studies across the UK
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Egham Campus
437 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Philosophy & Religion right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to RHUL from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £28,500 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check RHUL’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with RHUL and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
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Common questions
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