Overview

The BA (Hons) (Arts-Music) is a three-year honours degree programme. Applicants for this programme must pass the Music Entrance Test which will satisfy the Head of Department of Music and the College that they are capable of completing the programme successfully. Enquiries about the Music Entrance Test, and the Departmental Open Day and practice test, held annually by the Music Department, should be made to the Music Department in September twelve months before a student wishes to enter University.

To be eligible for the award of the BA (Hons) degree a student will be required to have achieved 180 credits by obtaining 60 credits in each of First, Second, and Third Arts-Music. A student may not register for more than 60 credits in one academic year.

BA (Hons) (Arts-Music) (International) Pathway

During their second year, students may choose to continue in the BA (Hons) (Arts-Music) (International) Pathway, which is a four-year programme which enables students to study abroad for a year in an approved University outside Ireland.

BMus (Hons) Pathway 

At the end of First Year students may choose to continue in the BMus (Hons) Pathway which is a four year programme in Music.

First Year - Arts-Music

In First Arts-Music students take Music as a 30-credit subject together with two other subjects from those listed below. To avoid timetable clashes no more than one subject may be chosen from any separate group below:

1. Asian Studies, Computer Science¹, History, Portuguese²
2. (a) Folklore, Gaeilge/Irish, Greek and Roman Civilisation
2. (b) History of Art
3. Archaeology, Chinese Studies³, German⁴, Latin⁵, Mathematical Studies, Politics
5. Béaloideas⁶, Economics, English, Greek⁷, Religions and Global Diversity
6. Geography, Italian⁸

Groups 2(a) and 2(b): Students can combine group 2(b) History of Art with any subject from Group 2(a) in First Year.

¹

Computer Science: This is available in First Arts-Music and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject within the Single Subject Degree Programme.

²

Portuguese: Students wishing to take Beginners' Portuguese must have obtained a minimum Grade H4 in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) in another modern continental language, or Irish, Latin or Greek.

³

Chinese Studies: This is available in First Arts-Music and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject in the Single Subject programme or as a 20-credit subject in the Major Subject Programme. Students wishing to continue with Chinese Studies as a 30-credit subject must choose the four year Arts-Music Chinese Studies Pathway at the end of first year. These students will spend the third year of the programme in a university in China before returning to complete their degree in fourth year.

⁴

German: Students wishing to select German (Beginners) are recommended to have a minimum grade H3 in another modern continental language or Irish or Latin or Greek in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). Students wishing to select German (Non Beginners) should have a minimum grade H4 in German in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent). Students will be accepted to the Beginners group only if they have no prior German, or if they have reached a level no higher than Junior Certificate German.

⁵

Latin: This is available in First Arts-Music and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject in the Single Subject programme.

⁶

Béaloideas: Students wishing to select Béaloideas should normally have a minimum grade H4 in Irish in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). Lectures are through the medium of Irish. Students may not take both Béaloideas and Folklore.

⁷

Greek: This is available in First Arts Music and thereafter only as a 10-credit subject in the Single Subject programme.

⁸

Italian: Students wishing to take Non-Beginners' Italian are recommended to have a minimum of Grade H4 in Italian in the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). Students who have studied Italian at second level and obtained a grade below H4 can join the Beginners' Italian course.

BMus (Hons) Pathway (for students entering Second Year from 2016/17 onwards)

At the end of First Year students may choose to continue in the BMus (Hons) Pathway which is a four year programme. Students wishing to take the BMus Pathway in Second Year must have passed three subjects in First Year, including Music.

BA (Hons) (Arts-Music) (International) Pathway

At the end of First Year students may choose to continue in the Arts-Music (Hons) (International) Pathway and spend their third year at an approved Foreign University. Students wishing to take the Arts-Music International Pathway in Second Year must have passed three subjects in First Year, including Music.

Second Year - Arts-Music

No student may register for Second Arts-Music until he/she has passed the First University Examination in Arts-Music. The selection of any module is conditional on the Professor or Lecturer concerned and the College being satisfied that a student is capable of profiting by attendance thereat. Students may not select modules which involve a timetable clash.

Student who wish to take the four-year option with a year abroad must register for the BA (Arts-Music) (Hons) (International) Pathway at the beginning of Second Year.

Student who wish to take the four-year BMus option must register for the BMus (Hons) Pathway at the beginning of Second Year.

In Second Arts-Music, students take Music as a Single Subject (50 credits) or a Major Subject (40 credits) or a Joint Subject (30 credits). Students may also apply to transfer to the BMus to take 60 credits of Music.

Single Subject: Modules amounting to 60 credits will be studied by combining 50 credits of Music with 10 credits from one of the following subjects passed at the First Arts-Music University Examination: Archaeology, Asian Studies, Béaloideas, Chinese Studies, Computer Science, Economics, English, Folklore, Gaeilge/Irish, German, Greek, Greek and Roman Civilisation, History, Italian, Latin, Politics, Portuguese, Religions and Global Diversity, Studies in Psychology (for notes regarding specific subjects see Table 2 under 'General' in the CK101 regulations).

Major Subject: Modules amounting to 60 credits will be studied by combining 40 credits of Music with 20 credits from one of the following subjects passed at the First Arts-Music University Examination: Archaeology, Asian Studies, Béaloideas, Chinese Studies, Economics, English, Folkore, Gaeilge/Irish, Geography, German, Greek and Roman Civilisation, History, History of Art, Italian, Mathematics, Mathematical Studies, Politics, Portuguese, Religions and Global Diversity, Studies in Psychology (for notes regarding specific subjects see Table 2 under 'General' in the CK101 regulations).

Joint Subject: Modules amounting to 60 credits will be studied by combining 30 credits of Music with 30 credits from one of the following subjects passed at the First Arts-Music University Examination: Applied Mathematics¹, Archaeology, Asian Studies, Béaloideas, Economics, English, Folklore, Gaeilge/Irish, Geography, German, Greek and Roman Civilisation, History, History of Art, Italian, Mathematical Studies, Mathematics, Politics, Religions and Global Diversity (for notes regarding specific subjects see Table 2 under 'General' in the CK101 regulations).

¹

Students who achieve at least 55% in each of Applied Mathematics and Mathematics in First Arts may apply for transfer to Science in the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science (full details available from the College of Science, Engineering and Food Science).

Third Year - Arts-Music

No student may register for Third Arts-Music (or Fourth Arts-Music in the case of students choosing the Chinese Studies Pathway and European Pathway) until he/she has passed the Second University Examination in Arts-Music (or the Third University Examination in Arts-Music). The selection of any module is conditional on the Professor or Lecturer concerned and the College being satisfied that a student is capable of profiting by attendance thereat. Students may not select modules which involve a timetable clash.

In Third Arts-Music, students take Music as a Single Subject (50 credits) or a Major Subject (40 credits) or a Joint Subject (30 credits). Music is also available through the BMus Pathway (60 credits).

Note: BA (Hons) graduates in Music who have obtained Honours in either their Single Subject Degree in Music or their Major Subject Degree in Music, and who have completed at least 110 credits of Music, are eligible to transfer to Fourth Music and complete the BMus (Hons) Degree in one further year.

BMus Pathway 

At the end of Third Year students who have taken 40 credits of music may choose to continue in the BMus Pathway which is a four year programme and transfer their registration to the BMus at the end of Third Year. Students wishing to take the BMus Pathway in Fourth Year must have passed Third Year, and taken 40 credits of Music.

Programme Requirements

For information about modules, module choice, options and credit weightings, please go to Programme Requirements. 

Programme Requirements

¹

For second-year students, MU2089 only allowed with prior permission of the Department due to pre-requisites.

²

Note: Students choosing German as a 10-credit Subject take the module GE2101 (10 credits).

³

Note: Students choosing German as a 10-credit Subject take the module GE3101 (10 credits).

Examinations

Full details and regulations governing Examinations for each programme will be contained in the Marks and Standards Book and for each module in the Book of Modules.

Programme Learning Outcomes

Programme Learning Outcomes for BA (Hons) in Arts-Music (NFQ Level 8, Major Award)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to perform and write about scholarly research
• Exhibit critical thinking skills in a range of applications in music
• Demonstrate ability in practical music making
• Exhibit awareness and understanding of multiple musical genres
• Show a diverse range of skills applicable to multiple forms of employment in music

*** Only for Incoming First Years, Repeat First Years, Second Years and Repeat Second Years 2025/2026 ***
*** Click here for Marks and Standards for all other years ***

Marks and Standards

These Marks and Standards should be read in conjunction with the Programme Requirements and the Book of Modules.

Fitness to Practise

All students on programmes subject to Fitness to Practise in UCC will be required to comply with the Fitness to Practise Policy and meet the relevant Fitness to Practise standards, in order to progress to the next year of his/her/their programme. Click here for a list of programmes subject to the Fitness to Practise Policy.

First Year - Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

First Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass first year and progress to second year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in all Music modules with a mark of not less than 40% in each module,
3. A pass mark in at least one other subject with a mark of not less than 40% in each module, and
4. A mark of not less than 30% in the remaining subject (15 credits).

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in a subject with modules to the value of 15 credits and pass the year overall.

Note: only subjects which are passed with at least 40% in each module in that subject may be continued in second and third year.

Second Year - Marks and Credits

Students are required to take modules to the value of 60 credits.
Total Marks for year: 1200.

Second Year - Pass and Progression Criteria

To pass second year and progress to third year, students must achieve:

1. An aggregate mark of 40% across all modules,
2. A pass mark in modules to the value of at least 50 credits,
3. A module mark of at least 30% in any remaining modules, and
4. A pass mark in the following module(s) if taken:
   • Students taking Asian Studies must pass any AS or CH language modules taken.
   • Students taking Chinese Studies must pass CH2107.
   • Students taking Gaeilge/Irish must pass GA2001.
   • Students taking German must pass GE2101.
   • Students taking Italian must pass IT2101.
   • Students taking Portuguese must pass PU2201.

Pass by Compensation: Students who satisfy each of the above criteria are allowed to compensate in modules to the value of 10 credits and pass the year overall.

Award of Honours in the Degree Award

An honours classification is awarded for the final degree using the final year examination results and marks carried forward from the penultimate year. The aggregate of 33.33% of the penultimate year marks plus 66.67% of the final year marks will be used to calculate the final degree award.

Honours will be awarded as follows:

1. First Class Honours: ≥ 70%
2. Second Class Honours, Grade I: ≥ 60% and <70%
3. Second Class Honours, Grade II: ≥ 50% and <60%
4. Pass: ≥ 40% and <50%

Award of Honours when a student undertakes Study Abroad
When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, the calculation of the final degree award is based on modules in the Book of Modules only.

Examination Boards

• Provisional marks for Semester 1 examinations are released in January/February of each year. These marks are subject to approval at the University Examination Board.
• Marks for all modules taken in Semester 1 and 2, including those wholly assessed by Continuous Assessment, will be presented to the University Examination Board at the end of Semester 2.

Supplemental Examinations and Assessment

• Students who fail to achieve the progression standard for the year at the Summer Examination Board must complete Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment for those specific module(s), where there is provision to do so.
• Please refer to the Book of Modules for requirements governing the Supplemental Examination and Assessment for individual modules. Note: For some modules there is no Supplemental Examination and Assessment.
• The marks achieved in the Supplemental Examinations and/or Continuous Assessment of a repeat module are considered at the Autumn Examination Board.
• The actual mark achieved by the candidate in the Supplemental or Repeat Year Examination will be recorded on the student record (Academic Transcript).
• The maximum mark that will be taken into account for aggregation and progression purposes is a pass level, unless the student has been granted a cap waiver or deferral by the University Mitigation Committee, or a University Examination Board, or has been approved to defer the previous attempt by the University Mitigation Committee.
• At the Autumn Examination Board, marks from all passed modules approved at the Summer Examination Board are carried forward and are combined with the marks achieved in Supplemental Examinations and/or Assessments. The pass and progression criteria are applied to the aggregate mark achieved.

Note: The mark achieved at the last examination/assessment attempt is the mark that is included in the calculation of the aggregate mark for pass and progression purposes.

Study Abroad

• When students study abroad as part of his/her/their degree programme, they will be assessed by his/her/their host university.
• To pass the study abroad period and progress to the subsequent year, a student must achieve a pass standard as applied by the host institution.
• A Pass/Fail judgement will be presented to the UCC Examination Boards:
  • At the Summer Examination Board for students spending Semester 1 abroad.
  • At the Autumn/Winter Examination Board for students spending the full academic year abroad or Semester 2 only.
• For students failing to achieve a pass mark, Supplemental Assessment will be prescribed by the School in UCC, and these results will be presented at a Winter Examination Board.

Exemptions

All passed modules carry an exemption, which is limited to a period of five academic years (or two in the case of Computer Science modules) subsequent to the award of the exemption.

Repeat Year Examinations

Students repeating the year may do so choosing one of the following mechanisms:

1. Students retain module exemptions, if any, and must repeat all failed/absent modules, including those modules where the failing mark previously achieved was greater than the level of compensation (≥ 30%) but who failed to achieve the progression standard for the year (see above). The pass and progression criteria are then applied to the combination of full marks achieved in modules passed at the first attempt, plus capped marks achieved in modules in the Repeat Year Examinations.​

Note: For students selecting different modules not previously taken, there are no restrictions on the marks awarded for those modules at the first attempt in a repeat year. The selection of different modules by the student means that the student foregoes any previous marks achieved in the original modules (including previously passed modules).

2. Students may forego all module exemptions achieved and repeat the year choosing modules to the value of the full 60 credits. In determining pass and progression, there is no restriction on the marks awarded for modules taken at the first attempt of the Repeat Year. Modules taken at the subsequent Supplemental Examination and Assessment are capped at the pass mark.

Subject to capacity, all students - whether they have failed or passed - are allowed to choose this second option, in an attempt to improve his/her/their grade.

Students repeating the final year are eligible for the award of Honours in the first Repeat Year only. Final year students wishing to repeat the year with a view to improving his/her/their degree result may do so only if they have not been conferred.

Three Year Rule

Students must pass/progress within three academic years of the date of first registration for a year, otherwise they cannot continue in the programme.

Terms and Definitions

Programme Description

• The programme description is outlined in the Programme Requirements tab.

Module Descriptions/Assessment

• Module descriptions, including the pass standard for a module, special requirements to pass a module, and assessment elements and their weightings, are contained in the Book of Modules.

Marks and Credits

• A maximum of 100 marks may be awarded for every five credits of a programme.
• Some modules are assessed on a Pass/Fail basis only, i.e. marks are not awarded.

Pass and Progression

• Progression is defined as the permission granted to a student to register in the subsequent academic year for the next set of modules within his/her/their programme of study.
• Compensation is defined as the process by which a student, who fails to satisfy some of the regulations for credit in a specific module, is nevertheless recommended for credit to be awarded on the grounds that the failure is offset by his/her/their performance in the other modules on his/her/their programme of study.