Combine Music with History to maximise your potential as a creative and analytical professional.
As a Major student in Music, you choose modules to the value of 40 credits in each semester from the pathways in Musicology and Performance Studies. These are led by our specialist subject team who will support you to develop in your understanding of music and as a performer.
You then take modules to the value of 20 credits in each semester in History. Our Historycourse gives you the freedom to choose the topics that interest you most. We teach early modern, modern and contemporary histories and provide a broad range of optional modules. You can study the histories of Britain and Ireland, the United States, Russia and the Soviet Union, the Middle East, and many more. In your final year, you can design your own research project We have expertise in medical history, gender history and social and political history.
We are consistently the highest ranked History course in Northern Ireland and amongst the highest ranked in the UK for student satisfaction meaning you will study with leading historians who are nationally recognised for the quality of their teaching.
Our recent Historygraduates are in high demand from employers who recognise the fundamental skills of writing and presentation, research and time management, critical thinking and independence, that our History degree provides. If you have a passion for knowledge, are a critical thinker and want to better understand the past and its influence on the present and the future then this course is for you.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
In this section
Within the Music Major pathway
Year 1 is designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of musical styles, genres and disciplines enabling you to develop existing skills and interests as well as acquire a range of new ones. Musicology 1 and 2 both include strands in fundamental harmony while Performance Studies 1 and 2 include an Aural provision.
Year 2 allows you the opportunity to begin specialising by introducing a number of optional modules as well as level 2 modules in the four core disciplines. Musicology 3 and 4 – the only compulsory modules - both include strands in advanced harmony.
Year 3 enables you to focus your degree programme in one or more related areas of specialist interest with a broad range of advanced level modules. Placement presents the opportunity to take part in an internship with a local music or arts organisation while the Project options allow you to pursue an independent course of research or practical work in a chosen field of musical study.
Tutor-led classes take place over two 12-week semesters per academic year, with a further three weeks in each semester assigned to assessment. Taught classes are compulsory and you can expect to be class for up to 12 hours per week.
In addition, you will undertake a wide range of independent work, including: individual preparation, group work, reading, rehearsal and performance. There are also many opportunities for extra-curricular activities and support that will enrich your experience with us.
Learning and teaching methods include lectures, tutorials, seminars, practical workshops, group work, projects, rehearsals and production meetings. Particularly at Levels 5 and 6, divisions between these class types dissolve and an individual session with a tutor may involve a range of student-tutor activities. Tutor-led classes provide the core structure and support on individual modules, but the emphasis in learning remains on the student’s independent engagement with the scope of the module. Students are routinely expected, therefore, to prepare in advance for taught sessions.
Digital resources are used to support students’ learning, made available primarily through the University's VLE, Blackboard Learn. Students are supported in using these resources from their Level 4 induction programme onwards through dedicated training sessions, support handouts and manuals and online tutorials.
Assessments include essays, presentations, performances, literature reviews, dissertations, workshop demonstrations, compositions, portfolios, and podcasts. While there are a relatively small number of summative assessments for any module (normally two, a maximum of three), these are supported by a range of opportunities for formative feedback.
We present History in unique and exciting ways. You will learn mainly in interactive workshops rather than in lectures and seminars. You will create podcasts and digital presentations, design websites, organise conferences and produce research portfolios.
The content for each course is summarised on the relevant course page, along with an overview of the modules that make up the course.
Each course is approved by the University and meets the expectations of:
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
This course is taught by leading Music scholars and historians. We publish books and articles, create digital content, make performances and provide expert analysis for national and international media outlets.
The specialisms of Music staff include: composition; musicology; new music; sound technology; and a wide range of performance traditions including jazz, contemporary; orchestral; and Irish traditional. You will see our staff listed for Music awards such as the Ivor Novello Award for composition; encounter their performances in venues or in internationally renowned recordings; and find out about their research in a wide range of international journals and conferences.
Some recent examples of the work of our specialist staff in History include:
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year 2022-2023.
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Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module investigates the primary forces shaping Irish politics, political institutions and structures, political behaviour, the mass media and policy making.
Year: 1
Status: C
This module is designed to introduce students to the practical skills required for studying history at degree level and the methods and approaches that inform historical practice.
Year: 1
Status: C
Musicology 1 introduces students to the nature of musicological enquiry. Its purpose is to develop students' familiarity with important areas of musical activity, trends and genres, and to address some of the major issues in relation to the study and performance of Western Art and Popular Music. The module also enables students to develop fundamental skills in the study of tonal harmony.
Year: 1
Status: C
In this module students will be introduced to the study of Irish traditional music and the evolution of early jazz.The study of fundamental harmony introduced in Musicology 1 will be continued with emphasis on early jazz.
Status: O
Year: 1
This module is optional
The module will illustrate and analyse the key themes and issues in American history from colonial times to the present day. Patterns and problems in the development of America will be discussed, and consideration of differing interpretations and source evaluations are implicit throughout the course. By the end of the module students should understand how the history of America has been shaped by the key events and debates that have taken place over the last four hundred years.
Status: O
Year: 1
This module is optional
This module provides a comprehensive introduction to the histories of modern Britain and Ireland. It explores key themes such as migration; industrialisation and urbanisation; reform and revolution; class and identity; religion, nationalism and unionism; war and empire. It utilises the latest historical scholarship and key primary sources delivered by research-active scholars via interactive workshops. The module brings to light the key events and historical processes which have shaped the Britain and Ireland of today.
Status: O
Year: 1
This module is optional
This module examines Revolutionary Russia from the last Romanov ruler through to the establishment of Stalinism in the USSR. Key historiographical debates will be examined and assessed. The political, economic, and social and cultural aspects of this period will be covered
Year: 2
Status: C
This module introduces the student to a variety of approaches relating to the study of musical performance, promotes self-awareness and provides a broad context for further development. It is designed to develop current levels of aural awareness and serve as an introduction to improvisation as a means by which musicians may generate and develop musical ideas spontaneously, without reliance on a score
Year: 2
Status: C
This module builds on the skills acquired in MUS102, develops self-awareness, and encourages students to advance their understanding and appreciation of artistic qualities that characterise musical performances. Students are encouraged to make relevant connections between the skills developed here and within other areas of the programme
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module is designed principally for students studying History and provides an introduction to some of the main developments in world and international history from the First World War to the post-September 11th world.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module tackles the social and cultural realities of early modern Europeans from all social strata. The various issues studied include: urban development; social problems involved in rapid urbanization; daily lives, material culture, and dissimilar forms of social existence of the various heterogeneous groups that constituted early modern society; the complex interaction between elite and popular groups; and the attitude of urban society towards marginal and deviant groups.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module is designed, primarily, for History students, and will introducing them to both side of the coin of human development: war and peace; promoting an understanding of the patterns in war and peace & advancement in the course of human history, with a particular focus on the post-1648 & post-1815 periods, but especially, post-World War One, post-World War Two and post-Cold War/post-9/11 history and systems.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
The module explores the history, media, film and political culture in the context of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. The module explores major debates in the historiography of the era. Film representations of the war are subject to scrutiny for what they reveal about American society, and how they depict the changing perspectives of the "history" of the conflict. The module also follows the way in which the war developed and the changing attitudes it provoked at home and abroad.
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
This module will introduce students to the key creative, practical, theoretical, and aesthetic strategies associated with contemporary composition and performance which utilises timbre as the central tool for compositional exploration.
Year: 3
Status: C
This course will examine the emergence and the evolution of the 'Fighting Irishman' in history, literature, art, iconography, film and media. Lectures and readings will deal primarily with the period between the Reformation (1534) and the Good Friday Agreement (1998).
Especial emphasis will be placed on Irish involvement in 17th and 18th century Europe and the Americas; Irish participation in the American War of Independence, the war of 1812, the Civil War and the subjugation of native American peoples. The course will also focus on the historical and military contexts of this tradition, and the ideologies (royalist or republican, nationalist, unionist), which often prompted military service.
Year: 3
Status: C
A study of the Irish outlaw in his various political, socio-economic, historical, historiographical and cultural contexts.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module is designed for students who wish to develop their practice in interactive systems for live digital music or visual performance, application prototype and/or installation work.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
The module tracks the emergence of an internationally powerful British nation state by examining key issues and events from c.1630-1730. It will explore governance in contested kingdoms and diverse societies, the rise of the fiscal-military state and parliamentary monarchy, religious confessionalism and religious pluralism. It will also examine the early modern family, the emergence of the middle class, social and economic improvement, and the Early Enlightenment.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module examines the rise to power of the Spanish Empire in the sixteenth century, and its subsequent decline from the seventeenth century onwards. The following issues will be emphasized: Spain's Empire building; its image in the European political discourse; the military, economic, and social crises of the seventeenth century; the importance of honor and religion in all realms of society; and the cultural impact of Spain in the early modern world.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module introduces students to key themes and topics on the history of death and illness in the long nineteenth century. Drawing from social, medical and Victorian history, students will explore themes such as murder in the Victorian city, ghosts, asylums, suicide, Victorian funerals and bodysnatching. Students will examine interdisciplinary sources including literature and art, as well as standard historical sources.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
Race remains one of the most contentious issues in United States society. It has had a profound impact on America's domestic political process and culture and the way in which the US is perceived by the rest of the world. This module seeks to provide insight and understanding into the questions raised by the African American struggle and race relations in America and the continuing problems faced by Black Americans. The module proceeds chronologically through Black history from slavery through to the present day. This module also assesses the cultural contribution of African Americans in the United States in the twentieth century, and explores the legacy of the slave experience. It is interdisciplinary in method and will examine such issues as rebellion and assimilation, black nationalism, family, gender, film and popular culture.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides a comprehensive introduction to key themes within an emerging strand of Irish historiography, with a particular focus on sport and identity. It utilises those themes to engage students in both large and small-group teaching methods which provide a chance to test and further develop some of the key elements of the historians' skill-set.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module engages with a cross-section of musicological and performance-practice issues in the study of nineteenth-century Western Art Music and Contemporary Classical Music.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module introduces students to the key theoretical principles, creative practices and tools for electronic/electroacoustic music production, in addition to other sonic arts and sound design activities.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module builds on the perspectives established in Musicology 3, and provides students with both a broad appraisal of Irish traditional music, song and dance and specific explorations of music in a variety of styles as well as advanced harmony skills and an insight into popular music aesthetics/experimental pop.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module provides an overview of the studio environment and of the techniques involved in the different stages of modern music production.
Status: O
Year: 3
This module is optional
This module will give students an understanding of key working practices, skills and national and international organisations relevant to the music business. It will provide students with a set of practical skills to equip them as professional practitioners within the music industry
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module provides students with the opportunity to experience life as a professional in the creative industries as a paid employee of a company. They will be expected to conduct themselves professionally being an employee of a company and an ambassador for the University during this period. They will be supported by an academic coordinator.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
In this module students increase their knowledge of repertoire and performance styles and develop a range of performance and performance-related skills.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
In this module students develop their individual strengths in performance, their critical faculties and their awareness of the visual dimensions of performance
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module develops students' composing and orchestration skills, providing opportunities for them to engage with a range of contemporary scores and recordings while facilitating their composition of original musical works. Particularly focuses of the module include the application of rhythmic techniques, expanding the students' working knowledge of harmonic writing and developing their technique in arranging for acoustic instruments.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module is geared towards consolidating and developing composing and orchestrating skills as acquired in Composition and Orchestration 3, and channelling them towards the production of a large-scale original composition and orchestration.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module will introduce the role of the musician in community arts, exploring skills which will equip students to participate in all aspects of community-based arts projects
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module provides students with a historical, theoretical, stylistic and aesthetic study of music and moving image and the opportunity to compose for the screen. The module focuses primarily on film music and its genres but also covers other screen media, in particular music video and music for television. The module is divided between theoretical and analytical work, including the discussion of selected case studies, and practical work composing and editing in the lab.
Status: O
Year: 4
This module is optional
This module will introduce students to the key historical, practical, theoretical, and aesthetic themes associated with experimental music composition and performance.
Year: 5
Status: C
This module is designed principally for students studying History and will promote and in depth understanding of U.S. foreign policy post-1945, and its significance vis-à-vis the rest of the world. It seeks to examine the complex interaction between the United States and the wider world by looking at key events, issues and debates in U.S. Foreign Policy. The chronological approach will focus on the Cold War, Post-Cold War, and post-September 11th eras, analyzing the administrations of Presidents from Harry S. Truman to Barack Obama.
Year: 5
Status: C
This module investigates the evolution of the working class in Ireland, and its interaction with capital, labour organization, society, and politics.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module examines the attempts of the post-Stalin leadership to manage, reform, and improve the prosperity of Soviet domestic communism. The political, economic, and social and cultural policies of the three main general secretaries - Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev - will be examined and assessed critically.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module will allow students to develop the skills necessary to undertake and complete a research project, allowing them to pursue in depth a particular topic, agreed with a supervisor, in which they have a particular interest.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module will allow students to develop the skills necessary to undertake and complete a research project, allowing them to pursue in depth a particular topic, agreed with a supervisor, in which they have a particular interest.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This modules explores the development of Jazz in the United States in the twentieth century using a range of critical and analytical techniques.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module will allow students to develop the skills necessary to undertake and complete a research project, allowing them to pursue in depth a particular topic, agreed with a supervisor, in which they have a particular interest.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
This module provides students with a historical, theoretical, stylistic and aesthetic study of music and moving image and the opportunity to compose for the screen. The module focuses primarily on film music and its genres but also covers other screen media, in particular music video and music for television. The module is divided between theoretical and analytical work, including the discussion of selected case studies, and practical work composing and editing in the lab.
Status: O
Year: 5
This module is optional
In this module students may focus on repertoire/styles in which they have demonstrated particular strengths. They enhance their performance profile through involvement in a range of performance-related activities.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module develops the learner's understanding of the key role the `forgotten' medium of sound has in contemporary media and in our everyday lived experience. Learning will be grounded in an historical overview of the development of sound study, sound technology and the principal sound art projects of the last 150 years. This grounding will be used to encourage students to develop their own analyses of the ways in which sound frames and permeates our everyday lives and to create their own sound productions informed by these perspectives.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module will use the study of women in Irish society from 1850-2000 to consider the role of women in areas such as politics, religion, culture, work and sexuality and how their role and experiences changed over the period. It will allow students to gain an alternative historical perspective on the major political and societal changes of the period. Though the use of oral history students will gain a personal understanding of female experience in the past.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module will examine the historical process since 1945 whereby European colonial powers either withdrew This module will examine the historical process since 1945 whereby European colonial powers either withdrew or were driven from formal occupation of their overseas possessions. The module will not only examine various interpretations of imperial disengagement but will also provide an in-depth study of the actual mechanics of European decolonisation for particular territories in South and South East Asia, Africa and the Pacific. It also aims to enhance student skills in evaluating interpretations put forward by historians through allowing them to make a detailed study of one particular colonial possession.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This is an interdisciplinary study of one of the most significant events in the history of the United States since 1900, the Depression that began in 1929 and lasted until the USA entered the Second World War in 1941. This course will examine the turbulent years of the Great Depression and the New Deal. It will cover political, social, economic, and cultural aspects of the events and circumstances that led to the Depression, the election of FDR in 1933, and the formulation of the New Deal as national policy. It will then look at various aspects of New Deal policies and will assess the achievements and limitations of those policies.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module examines the dramatic changes in experiences of health and illness that occurred in the twentieth century. Focusing on Britain and America, it explores how our attitudes to matters such as sex, death, eating, disability and mental health were revolutionized in the twentieth century. The module also looks at ethical problems issues such as Cold War human experimentation. Students will engage with broader themes such as class, gender and race relations.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
The early modern period in Europe saw around 40-50,000 people executed for the crime of witchcraft, and many more prosecuted, imprisoned or otherwise punished. This module will examine the many facets of the witchcraft experience in Europe and New England using a variety of contemporary sources: from artwork, to printed books and pamphlets, court records and private correspondence. It will examine patterns of witchcraft accusation and prosecution, the intellectual context of witchcraft beliefs, the connection between witchcraft and women, the decline in educated belief, and the continuation of popular notions and traditions. Early modern witchcraft will be located in its wider magical context by exploring both popular magic (cunning-folk, magical healers and fortune-tellers) and elite magic (astrology, alchemy and angelology). Developments in witchcraft and magic in the early modern period will also be linked to wider societal, cultural and religious changes..
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module examines the origins, course and legacy of the Troubles in Northern Ireland using innovative learning and teaching methods that promote transferrable skills. Workshops cover the key events and issues of the conflict and its impacts on everyday life, while weekly case studies demonstrate the spatial aspects of issues like urban violence, segregation, and changes in society before, during and after the Troubles.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module is designed for students who have displayed the potential to pursue performance to a level of artistic excellence.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
The module will provide students with an overview of the sounds, conversation, communities and contexts of traditional musics in Ireland with a view to developing critical thinking and commentary skills in relation to issues raised.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This Module is intended to encourage and empower the student to compose medium scale (6-10 minute) works demonstrating a variety of creative approaches and skills.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module is geared towards developing compositional skills the student has acquired in MUS517 Composition Portfolio 1, and channelling them towards the production of two large scale pieces of music.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced study in audio production.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module allows students to spend a period of time working outside the university in a suitable music or arts organisation.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module allows students to spend a period of time working outside the university in a suitable music or arts organisation.
Status: O
Year: 6
This module is optional
This module introduces students to the practice of teaching music outside the formal school environment. It considers practical supports to help build skills in the planning, delivery and monitoring of teaching, and to encourage future teachers to become reflective in their practice. It also introduces students to the entrepreneurial context in which such teaching in the community is often situated.
We recognise a range of qualifications for admission to our courses. In addition to the specific entry conditions for this course you must also meet the University’s General Entrance Requirements.
In this section
Grades CCC
Applicants may satisfy the requirement for the final A level grade in the above grade profiles by substituting a combination of alternative qualifications to the same standard as defined by the University.
English language requirements for international applicants
The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.
Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.
Applicants from other institutions should apply via UCAS. Applications will be considered on their individual merits.
Students may apply to transfer into the programme, having completed a Higher National Diploma. While the Northern Ireland Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (NICATS) allows for transfer into Level 6, this remains exceptional. In the experience of the Subject Team, HND students benefit from transfer into Level 5 as a period in which to firmly ground themselves within the approach to study at degree level. Where students seek to transfer into either Level 5 or Level 6, the application is assessed in terms of a written application, references and an interview. In some instances students may be required to complete written and/or practical tasks to allow them to demonstrate to the subject team the capacity to meet the Programme Learning Outcomes.
Students transferring into the programme from other BA programmes may be considered for entry at any level. The application is assessed in terms of interview, references, and the transcript from the student’s current HEI.
In this section
With this degree you could become:
Studying Music with Historyprepares you for a range of careers both inside and outside of the music industry. Our Music students have been successful in establishing careers as composers and performers, studio engineers, teachers, community music leaders and many progress to postgraduate study at the University of Ulster and other domestic and international institutions. Our recent History graduates are working in media, education, civil service, retail, banking and finance, the heritage sector, in law, and many more.
Importantly the interdisciplinary opportunities afforded to Music with Historystudents across the School equips our graduates with a unique range of skills and experiences vital to any career in the creative industries that few other institutions can provide.
There are optional work placement modules and opportunities to study abroad.
The price of your overall programme will be determined by the number of credit points that you initiate in the relevant academic year.
For modules commenced in the academic year 2024/25, the following fees apply:
| Credit Points | NI/ROI Cost | GB Cost | International Cost* |
|---|---|---|---|
120 | £4,750 | £9,250 | £16,320 |
60 | £2,375 | £4,625 | £8,160 |
30 | £1,187 | £2,312 | £4,080 |
20 | £792 | £1,542 | £2,720 |
NB: A standard full-time undergraduate degree is equivalent to 120 credit points per year.
*Please note our on campus part-time undergraduate courses are not open to international (non-EU) students.
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
See the tuition fees on our student guide for most up to date costs.
We know that choosing to study at university is a big decision, and you may not always be able to find the information you need online.
Please contact Ulster University with any queries or questions you might have about:
For any queries regarding getting help with your application, please select Admissions in the drop down below.
For queries related to course content, including modules and placements, please select Course specific information.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Robert Hunter (recent History graduate)
‘I am really enjoying studying History at Ulster. It offers lots of interesting modules that cover a wide variety of eras and cultures, taught by helpful expert staff. It has taught me transferable skills such as how to analyse, interpret and present information that will be valuable when it comes to seeking employment after graduation. History at Ulster has also given me access to amazing travel opportunities. In my second year, I was awarded a bursary to work in the “In Flanders Fields Museum” in Ypres, Belgium for three weeks where I helped to digitise the records of Irish soldiers who died during the First World War’.
Karolina Stonkute (recent History graduate)
‘During my three years on the History course at Ulster, I have never felt unsupported. The History lecturers have continuously provided me with help whether it was academic or personal. They strive to push their students to achieve grades that they believe best represents their skills. I would not have the experience nor the confidence to enter the next chapter of my career without them.’
Orin McIvor (recent History graduate)
‘At the end of my second year studying History at Ulster I applied for the ‘study abroad’ programme and spent a year at university in America. I had an incredible time. It was truly a life changing experience that boosted my self-esteem and confidence. It was amazing being able to experience different cultures and to meet people that I would become friends with that I would have had no opportunity to do so before. I miss the experience a little more every day and still catch up with the friends I made. It was an experience that I feel anybody with even a hint of interest in studying abroad should go for as they will not regret it’.
Ulster continues to develop and support sustainability initiatives with our staff, students, and external partners across various aspects of teaching, research, professional services operations, and governance.
At Ulster every person, course, research project, and professional service area on every campus either does or can contribute in some way towards the global sustainability and climate change agenda.
We are guided by both our University Strategy People, Place and Partnerships: Delivering Sustainable Futures for All and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our work in this area is already being recognised globally. Most recently by the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact rating where we were recognised as Joint 5th Globally for Outreach Activities and Joint Top 20 Globally for Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Visit our Sustainability at Ulster destination to learn more about how the University strategy and the activities of Ulster University support each of the Sustainable Development Goals.
