The Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Advanced Science combined program enables students to complete a Major in Advanced Science as well 24-48 units of credit (UOC) of project or thesis work in Science while studying for a specialist music degree involving instrumental performance and/or composition.

The Bachelor of Music (BMus) enables students to develop their instrumental technique and performance; musicianship and composition skills; and to gain a contextual understanding of music in preparation for professional work in music areas such as solo and/or orchestral performance, studio teaching and coaching, composing, broadcasting, and recording, to mention only some of the common careers.

The flexibility of the program allows for emphasis on: performance or composition; scholarly examination of musical repertoires, utilising both traditional and innovative methodologies; technologically-based musicology, including the study of electronic music and psycho-acoustics; music aesthetics and criticism, both in historical overview and contemporary application; music as social and cultural practice, through both historiographically and ethnographically-informed study. Students will have a broad contextual knowledge that links to wider fields of historical, philosophical, cultural and social study.

The Advanced Science program enables students to develop in-depth understanding and practical skills in specific disciplines. At the same time it also focuses on instilling a culture of research and enquiry through early induction into the research ethos and access to research groups and facilities. The program covers fundamental knowledge in mathematics and a number of the "enabling" sciences, upon which the majors are then developed.

For admission to this program students must satisfy the entry requirements for Advanced Science. Applicants must also successfully pass a music audition / interview and demonstrate an acceptable level of attainment in year 12 music studies or equivalent. Assumed knowledge is HSC Music 2 or Extension or equivalent qualification

At the completion of the music program, students will have broad expertise in at least one of the sub-disciplines of musicology, a high level of practical skills in music cognition, analysis, and performance, and high level generic graduate skills in the gathering, synthesis, criticism and presentation of information.

At the completion of the Advanced Science program, students will have developed both breadth and depth of scientific knowledge and professional skills; capacity for critical thinking and independent learning; general and science-specific graduate attributes; a habit of seeking and recognising relationships between phenomena, principles, theories, conceptual frameworks and problems; and they will have been exposed to disciplines outside science, and the social context of science

The combined degree will therefore enable students to either choose between a career in science and a career in music, or to seek highly specialised fields where such a combination is essential or provides them with a market advantage. At the innovative end of industry and research interdisciplinary knowledge is becoming increasingly desirable. As mentioned under 1.6.1 there are many areas where training in psychology and music, or acoustics (or psychoacoustics) and music, or mathematics and music, etc. are essential. These students will be well equipped for such posts or to do further interdisciplinary study (or research) at the graduate level.

This combined program requires the successful completion of 240 units of credit in an approved sequence of study.

Students are required to undertake courses totalling 84 units of credit in Music, 96 units of credit in Advanced Science and an additional 48 units of credit in an Honours sequence at Level 5 in Science.

The remaining 12 units of credit may be taken from courses offered in either the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or the Science Faculty or elsewhere with the permission of the Program Authority.

In addition, students must complete an approved Advanced Science Major with core and elective courses as specified in Table C (Advanced Science) or Table D (High Performance Student Program) in the Undergraduate Handbook. Students should do at least 6 UOC of courses drawn from three different basic science areas (Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Psychology, and Geosciences) and 6 UOC of the compulsory Advanced Science/Advanced Mathematics core course (SCIF1021).

Students should enrol in at least 24 Level I units of credit and no more than 36 Level I UOC in each of the Music and Science components of the program. No more than 18 UOC at Level 1 can be taken in any one school for either the music or the science component.

Students must declare their Advanced Science Major before enrolling in Level 2 courses.

Progression to Stages 2, 3, and 4 in Advanced Science is subject to academic performance. A student will be required to have attained a single term weighted average mark (WAM) of 70 or higher in each prior semester.

For more information on Advanced Science majors please refer to the program entry 3972 Bachelor of Advanced Science in the Undergraduate Handbook or contact the Science Student Centre.

 

Students enrolled in the combined BMusBSc(Adv) are exempt from the General Education requirements

Pass Degree

To qualify for the award of the degree at Pass level, a student must obtain, normally over five years of study, a minimum of 240 units of credit in approved courses including:

1. 84 units of credit from the Music component;
2. 96 units of credit in the Advanced Science component;
3. an additional 48 units of credit in an Honours sequence at Stage 5 in Science;
4. 12 units of credit from either Arts and Social Sciences or Science, excluding Music courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences or elsewhere with the permission of the Program Authority;
5. the approved Music sequences in Professional Practice courses (36 units of credit) and Musicianship/Musicology courses (48 units of credit);
6. complete an approved Advanced Science Major including Science Honours (144 units of credit) with core and elective courses as specified in the Advanced Science Program 3972 in the Undergraduate Handbook;
7. enrol in at least 24 Level 1 units of credit and no more than 36 Level 1 units of credit in each of the Music and Science components;
8. no more than 18 units of credit at Level 1 can be taken in any one school for the Science component;
9. progression to Levels 2, 3 and 4 is subject to academic performance, a student will be required to have attracted a single term weighted average mark (WAM) of 70 or higher in each prior session;
10. students must declare their Science major before enrolling in Level 2 courses;
11. the Pass degree of Bachelor of Music may be awarded with Distinction where a candidate has achieved a weighted average mark (WAM) of at least 75% in all courses completed since enrolment at UNSW which are credited towards the degree.

Honours Degree (Bachelor of Music)

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Music degree at Honours level, a student must:

12. have obtained 240 units of credit in accordance with 1.-10. above and satisfied the appropriate prerequisites for entry to the Honours level program;
13. obtain a further 48 units of credit in an approved Honours program.

The Honours degree is awarded in three classes (Class 1, Class 2 in two Divisions and Class 3). Students who fail to obtain one of these classes may proceed to graduate with the Pass degree.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html

All BMus students must take part in at least two of the performance ensembles offered by the School, one of which must be a major performing ensemble such as the orchestra.

Progression to Honours in Music is subject to academic performance. Students seeking to enrol into honours have to have completed all requirements for award of the BMusBSc and to have satisfied specified prerequisites, and have obtained a credit average in music courses.

Completion of Honours in the Music component will require an extra (ie sixth) year of study.

The Academic Rules for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Undergraduate programs and the online enrolment facility provide students with a wide range of course choices. The online enrolment facility checks that students meet the enrolment requirements for individual courses but not that a course complies with Program Rules. Students are responsible for ensuring they are enrolling in accordance with the Academic Rules outlined above. Students should not assume that because they have enrolled in a course online that the course is automatically credited to their degree program.