The School of Music offers degrees in Performance, Composition, Musicology, Music for Film and Video Games, and Music Technology, across Bachelor Degrees, Honours, and Postgraduate Research programs.

All students have the opportunity to combine their study in music with other disciplines across ANU in our Flexible Double Degree program. Single degree students have the opportunity to take double majors across any two disciplines, for example combining Composition with Performance.

Performance focusses on the elemental power of music as it is heard in society, comprising creativity, collaboration, communication and innovation. Students are guided to find their individual voice, with graduates equipped to engage with the world of professional music-making both here and abroad.

Students in Composition work in a studio environment, with teachers who understand the changing nature of music in today’s world. The focus on the creation of music aligns with the evolving sphere of technological innovation, developing a fully rounded composer equipped to work across diverse genres and styles.

In Musicology, students gain an in-depth understanding of how and why people make music across different cultural contexts and historical periods. Students benefit from staff expertise across the areas of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, popular music studies, and Indigenous music. The School has the largest Indigenous teaching cohort in Australia, with six identified First Nations scholars on staff. 

Students in Music for Film and Video Games and Music Technology similarly benefit from a contemporary approach. Our students work with world-leading hardware and software, in a School that creates its own sample libraries, and with a faculty that features renowned leaders in composition for film, television, and video games. Our facilities include a world-class studio, and one of Australia’s largest microphone collections.

Undergraduate programs

• Bachelor of Music
• Bachelor of Arts (Music Major)
• Bachelor of Arts (Music Minor)

Honours

• Bachelor of Music (Honours)
• Bachelor of Arts (Honours)

Postgraduate research

• Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

For more information about our Postgraduate Research Degrees and the admissions processes, please see the ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences website.

Not sure which study option is right for you?