What A-levels do you need to study music?
Unsurprisingly a music A-level is a MUST for anyone wanting to take a music degree. But what other subjects should aspiring musicians consider for a tuneful combination?

- Essential A-levels for music
- Useful or handy A-levels for music
- Other typical A-levels taken by music students
- Examples of university entry requirements for music
- Other degree subjects with similar A-level requirements
A-level subjects for music
What A-level subjects are needed or essential for music?
- music and Grade VII/VIII for your main instrument (for most traditional courses).
Find out more about university entry requirements.
What A-levels are useful for music?
- some universities have a preference for at least one essay-based subject such as history or English.
Choosing your A-levels? See where different combinations can lead with our Explorer tool.
Other typical A-levels taken by current music students
- maths
- French
- physics
Take a look at individual music courses on The Uni Guide to find out the most popular subjects students studied before taking a degree in music.
Examples of music degree requirements
Below is a range of Bachelor of music (with Honours) courses offered by different universities and the A-level entry requirements they ask for (as of 11 April 2018):
The University of Cardiff: ‘A,A,B-B,B,B. To include grade B in A-Level Music, excluding General Studies and Critical Thinking.
University of Oxford: 'A,A,A. A in Music Excluding General Studies (if taken).'
Royal Holloway, University of London: 'A,A,B-A,B,B. Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A-levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio-economic factors which may have impacted an applicant’s education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required: Grade A in Music A-Level or Grade 8 Music Theory at Pass A Level English Literature or English Language & Literature Preferably Grade 7 ABRSM (or similar practical exam) Five GCSEs graded A* - C (or 9-4) including English and Maths'
Other similar degree subjects
These subjects may have slightly different A-level requirements to music, so if you want to keep your degree options open, be sure to check the entry requirements of specific courses before you finalise your choices.