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Physics with Music

Entry requirements


A level

A,A,A-A,A,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-economics factors which may have impacted an applicant's education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Required subjects: Mathematics, Physics and in Music, plus a Pass in the practical element of all Science A-levels taken. A pass in ABRSM Music Theory grade 7 is acceptable in place of A-level Music. Applicants without A-level grade A in Music or pass in Grade 7 Music Theory may be eligible for the Intensive Theory entry. This requires Music GCSE grade A/7 or equivalent, plus performance at Grade 7 level. In term 1 you will be required to take Fundamentals of Music Theory, an intensive music literacy course. Students wishing to take Solo Performance options will need to be of Grade 8 level in performance at point of entry.

Access to HE Diploma

D:33,M:12

Pass in a relevant subject with Distinction in all Maths and Physics units. Plus Music Theory Grade 7 or A-level Music grade A. Please note that the Access to Higher Education Diploma will only be acceptable if the applicant has had a considerable break from education.

Applicants with the Cambridge Pre-U are strongly encouraged to apply to Royal Holloway. Offers will be made on the basis of equivalent A-Level grades as can be found on the Royal Holloway website.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

We require at least five GCSEs at grade A*-C or 9 - 4 including English and Mathematics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

6,6,6 at Higher Level including 6 in Maths, Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory and 5 in Physics with a minimum of 32 points overall. Plus Grade 7 ABRSM in performance.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2,H2

Including H2 in Maths, H2 in Physics and H2 in Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory and Grade 7 ABRSM in performance.

Scottish Advanced Higher

A,A,A

Including A in Maths, Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory and B in Physics and Grade 7 ABRSM in performance

Scottish Higher

A,A,A,A,A

Including A in Maths, Music or pass Grade 7 in Music Theory and B in Physics and Grade 7 ABRSM in performance.

Requirements are as for A-levels where one non-subject-specified A-level can be replaced by the same grade in the Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate.

UCAS Tariff

136-168

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Music

Physics

Choose Physics with Music at Royal Holloway, University of London and you'll combine two of the subjects you love across three years of study. You’ll develop a wide range of skills including mathematics, experimental skills, computing, communication, composition and historical musicology, all while maximising your graduate employability with a desirable honours degree.

You'll study in one of the University of London's major centres for physics teaching and research, with research strengths including Quantum physics, condensed matter and particle physics informing our teaching. Physics is studied as the major subject, and you'll learn the mathematical, conceptual and experimental skills expected of a graduate physicist.

This degree is run jointly with the Department of Music, where our expert academics have worked hard to build excellent industry connections. You'll learn about music composition, theory and analysis, together with historical musicology, and issues that shape contemporary music, including politics, urban development, gender and globalisation.

You'll graduate with excellent employability prospects across a range of sectors, with employers valuing graduates with the diverse skillset offered by this degree.
Physics is studied as the major subject with the addition of music as a significant component.

This degree is run jointly with the acclaimed Department of Music at Royal Holloway (no. 5 in the UK, Complete University Guide, 2018).

You will learn about music composition, theory and analysis together with historical musicology and issues that shape contemporary music.

Modules

Please refer to our website for information https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/courses/home.aspx

Assessment methods

Your course will be assessed by a combination of examinations and in-course assignments in the form of essays or presentations.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£26,500
per year
International
£26,500
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Royal Holloway, University of London

Department:

Physics

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

86%
Music
79%
Physics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
93%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

65%
Library resources
82%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

79%
UK students
21%
International students
36%
Male students
64%
Female students
94%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
A
B

Physics

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

77%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
59%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

91%
UK students
9%
International students
68%
Male students
32%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
20%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Music

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education
73%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
18%
Teaching and educational professionals
11%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

Physics

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£25,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
50%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

24%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
9%
Business, finance and related associate professionals
7%
Business, research and administrative professionals

Although the subject has seen a bit of resurgence in recent years, the UK is still felt to be short of physics graduates, and in particular physicists training as teachers. If you want a career in physics research — in all sorts of areas, from atmospheric physics to lasers - you'll probably need to take a doctorate, and so have a think about where you would like to do that and how you might fund it (the government funds many physics doctorates, so you might not find it as hard as you think). With that in mind, it's not surprising that just over a fifth of physics graduates go on to take doctorates when they finish their degree, and well over a third of physicists take some kind of postgraduate study in total. Physics is highly regarded and surprisingly versatile, which is why physics graduates who decide not to stay in education are more likely to go into well-paid jobs in the finance industry than they are to go into science. The demand and versatility of physics degrees goes to explain why they're amongst the best-paid science graduates.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Music

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Physics

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£32k

£32k

£28k

£28k

£41k

£41k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
Royal Holloway, University of London | Egham
Physics
BSc (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 136-168

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here