About this course
With this French and Music degree you’ll develop strong language skills and an understanding of French culture. You’ll also be able to follow your passion and immerse yourself in our vibrant music department, where you can make and study the music you care about.
You’ll have the freedom to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. You could, for instance:
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take a second language
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take modules from other subject areas
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focus on many different areas of music
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explore more about French linguistics, history and culture
Following our system of language development, you’ll start at a level of French that matches your ability. This means we can personalise your learning so you make the best progress.
You’ll spend a year living and working abroad, building your fluency and considerably boosting your employment prospects.
In your year abroad you can choose to:
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work as an English assistant in a school
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study at a university
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take a work placement
You could choose to go to France, Switzerland or Belgium. Some of our students go further afield to Canada, Guadeloupe, Martinique or La Réunion.
Course location
This course is based at Avenue.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the Course Description Document
The Course Description Document details your course overview, your course structure and how your course is taught and assessed.
Changes due to COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.
Find out more on our COVID advice page.
Entry requirements
For Academic year 202223
A-levels
We are not recruiting for entry in September 2022
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Other requirements
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
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our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
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skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
For Academic year
Scottish Qualification
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education.
Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Other requirements
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
-
our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
-
skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
Each year combines compulsory modules to build your mastery of French and Music with a wide range of options. This allows you to tailor your learning to suit your interests and ambitions.
You can also take modules from different subject areas, or learn a second language. If you find a subject you love, you can even make it an official part of your degree as a minor subject.
To give you the best possible start, we use our system of 7 language levels to work out your proficiency in French. We can then make sure our teaching develops your skills as effectively as possible.
Year 1 overview
We’ll introduce you to the study skills you’ll need as a Modern Languages student and you’ll take a compulsory French language module to develop your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.
You’ll then be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules that could include:
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applications of linguistics
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music technology
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the making of modern French
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the producer as composer
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reading culture
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other subject areas, including other languages
Year 2 overview
You’ll continue to develop your French language skills and you’ll take a module that prepares you for your year abroad, including the research project you’ll do while you’re away.
You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of optional modules to tailor your degree to areas that interest you. Topics might include:
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conducting
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immigration, race and ethnicity in France
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the EU and European identity
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psycholinguistics
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music therapy
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music in the community with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
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experience as a classroom ambassador
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other subject areas, including other languages
Year 3 overview
You can spend this year abroad in a French-speaking country:
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as an English language assistant in a school
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studying on a university course
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on an approved work placement
You’ll also do an independent study project.
Find out more about the year abroad.
Year 4 overview
We will support you in your return to university from your year abroad. We’ll help you to talk about your experiences in a way that enhances your employability. You’ll continue to develop your written and spoken French.
You'll have the choice to do one of the following:
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a music research project
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a commercial music portfolio
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commercial composition
You'll then be able to choose from a wide range of other modules. Topics may include areas such as:
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film music composition
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language teaching
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sex, gender and desire in French literature and culture
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The American musical
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Haydn in London
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from teddy boys to drag queens – music and subculture
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your choice of modules from other subject areas, including other languages
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
Changes due to COVID-19
Although the COVID-19 situation is improving, any future restrictions could mean we might have to change the way parts of our teaching and learning take place in 2021 to 2022. We're working hard to plan for a number of possible scenarios. This means that some of the information on this course page may be subject to change.
Find out more on our COVID advice page.
For entry in Academic Year 2021-22
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules in year 1:
This module is designed to ease the transition from A-level to the first year of a single or combined honours degree programme by setting out clearly what we expect of you at undergraduate level and equipping you with the resources to be able to operate a...
Offering a broad overview of European music in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, this module will also allow you to develop your academic writing skills. Lectures introduce styles and genres of the period, including the polyphonic Mass, the sonata, the...
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not ...
This module introduces you to the study of French society and political culture by giving you an understanding of some key moments, personalities and issues.
This module introduces music performance skills. You undertake individual tuition in your chosen performance specialism* (8 hours of lessons) along with a variety of workshops exploring topics from across the performance spectrum. With the help of y...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 1:
This unit will introduce you to the main areas relevant to applied language studies.
Composition Fundamentals will introduce you to a range of compositional techniques and principles. We will consider different ways of creating musical ideas and different approaches to structuring, varying and developing musical ideas. In particular, we w...
This module is intended to provide an outline for some of the main aspects of Linguistics.
This module aims to introduce you to some of the major musical forms, techniques and styles cultivated between 1750 and 1900. During the module you will develop your knowledge and understanding of ‘Classical’ and ‘Romantic’ musical styles and genres while...
Ensemble performance is a crucial skill in any musician's portfolio, in addition to being one of the most rewarding aspects of musical life. In this module you will prepare a 15-18 minute programme of instrumental, vocal or mixed ensemble music of your...
This module explores the history of key twentieth and twenty-first musical styles and practices including jazz, popular and art music’s. Its scope is global, with the aim of "provincialising" European and North American experiences. In addition the module...
This module allows you to develop your music performance skills to a new level. A combination of individual tuition in your chosen performance specialism* (12 hours of lessons) and a variety of workshop and public performance opportunities provide you ...
This introductory course will give you an overview of the history of literary and cultural studies, and to make you aware of a range of different approaches to cultural texts.
This module will introduce you to studying questions of history, society and culture through the prism of Southampton in order that you can apply those approaches to the study of cities in the French-, Spanish- and German-speaking world.
Year 2 modules
You must study the following modules in year 2:
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language (TL) at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not ...
The module will clarify the links between the Year Abroad project and modules in years two and four.
You must also choose from the following modules in year 2:
This module is based on a selection of recent and innovative scholarly writings on music, which challenge the reader to examine their assumptions about the nature of both scholarship and music as cultural practices. It is taught together with MUSI6022 Adv...
This module focuses on the detailed 'hands-on' analysis of works of European art music, guided by a selection of classic and contemporary theoretical and analytical writings that challenge assumptions about the inner structure of musical works. Extramusic...
This module explores important historical and contemporary techniques and approaches to composition to give you a range of ways of thinking about creating, varying, transforming and organising musical materials. We will look at examples of compositional i...
This module covers basic gestures used in duple, triple, compound, mixed and asymmetric metres; cueing of players and singers, and introducing expressive gestures for dynamics, phrasing etc.; basic approaches to rehearsal and score-marking technique.
This module will introduce you to psychoanalytic theories of trauma and their relation to post-war film and literature in French. You will be asked to consider how writers and film makers have sought to remember both national and personal traumas, and h...
This course highlights and analyses the link between language structure and its situation of occurrence.
In this module students prepare one programme of instrumental, vocal, or mixed-ensemble music of their own choice, which is coached regularly by members of staff. There is an expectation that students, not staff, will independently organise an ensemble ...
This module explores the French language from different perspectives in linguistics.
Composing music for films has a rich, 100+ year history, and technological advances and inspired and innovative teams continue to evolve this dynamic sector of the creative industries. You will be introduced to this history and a series of contemporar...
The module aims to develop your critical awareness of hip-hop as a social phenomenon and the ways that scholars have approached hip hop. The main focus of this course will be rap music, and we will also touch on other elements of hip-hop including DJing (...
This module will problematize the concept of globalisation and explore and develop an understanding of its meaning in economic, political and cultural terms.
How are the arts getting back to work again after Covid-19? This is a critically important question for everyone who cares about them, artists and audiences alike. If you’re a student considering a career in the arts you’ll want to know where fresh opport...
This module gives students a practical understanding of the importance of the questions of immigration, race and ethnicity in France.
Interactive music and sound can be found in diverse forms, from video games and interactive installations through to data driven sonic art and works with audience/performer interventions. Such situations provide composers and sound artists with both exci...
This module will introduce you to the notion of ‘Multilingualism’, how this is understood and represented in different ways, and why it matters to you. You will explore how people become multilingual, and whether it makes a difference if multilinguals are...
This module explores how music therapy uses music very differently to the entertainment industry, introducing you to the unique use of music as a powerful clinical tool in health and education settings. Using clinical music therapy techniques, music can b...
This module allows you to explore basic multi-track recording and production techniques. The module is based in the University’s recording studios and music computing facilities where you will explore a range of techniques and equipment from both theoreti...
This module allows you to continue to develop your music performance skills. A combination of individual tuition (10 1hr lessons) and a variety workshop and public performance opportunities provide you with the chance to study new repertoire, improve your...
This unit provides an introduction to the study of French post-war French thought and society.
This course examines three areas of psycholinguistics which help to understand what the relationship between language and the human mind might be.
This module offers a practical introduction to organising, arranging for, rehearsing and performing with groups of singers of any level, from beginners to professionals. It is particularly aimed at students who are interested in community music or music e...
This course builds on the basic concepts of phonetics introduced in the first year, with an introduction to acoustic science for the study of speech sounds.
This course will provide you with an introduction to syntax within current linguistic theory.
This unit will introduce you to key issues, concepts and methods in teaching English as a second/foreign language.
This module introduces you to the history of the American Musical and examines some of the issues connected with race, exoticism, gender and national identity as they were articulated in this multimedia entertainment between the late nineteenth century an...
The course seeks to provide an overview of the evolution of the European Union (EU) from its early stages to the present. In so doing, it examines the ideas and history of the EU, the institutions of the EU, examples of specific issue areas and the presen...
In this module you will explore the operas by Benjamin Britten, one of Britain’s most influential composers. Britten’s operas are among the few 20th-century works that hold a central position in today’s operatic canon. They are produced regularly by world...
This module gives students a chance to compose for jazz and jazz influenced ensembles. This module will embrace the rich tradition of jazz writing and its conventions as heard in the works of the great jazz composers, such as Duke Ellington, Herbie Han...
This module takes an empirical approach to questions such as: - Are there patterns of speech and language associated with males and females in varieties of English? - What is the role of teenagers in the propagation of change in English? - After a...
Year 3 modules
You must study the following module in year 3:
The YEAR Abroad Research Project is a 6000 word piece of independent academic writing which you complete in the target language during your residence abroad (or during the summer between your second and final year, in case of exemption from the Year Abroa...
Year 4 modules
You must study the following module in year 4:
The aim of every language course at the University is to enable you to communicate in your target language at that particular level and in your particular area of interest. We use the word ‘communicate’ in its widest sense, meaning that you will not only ...
You must also choose from the following modules in year 4:
This module is based on a selection of recent and innovative scholarly writings on music, which challenge the reader to examine their assumptions about the nature of both scholarship and music as cultural practices. It is taught together with MUSI6022 Adv...
This module focuses on the detailed 'hands-on' analysis of works of European art music, guided by a selection of classic and contemporary theoretical and analytical writings that challenge assumptions about the inner structure of musical works. Extramusic...
You will be introduced to a series of techniques and processes that can be applied to a wide range of commercial musics in the first semester; in the second semester you will work closely with course tutors in one-to-one tutorials to develop a portfolio o...
With a mixture of lectures and individual supervision, Composition Portfolio is the final stage of the undergraduate pathway in concert-music based composition. Building upon the skills gained in first and second year creative music based modules, the lec...
This module explores important historical and contemporary techniques and approaches to composition to give you a range of ways of thinking about creating, varying, transforming and organising musical materials. We will look at examples of compositional i...
This module covers basic gestures used in duple, triple, compound, mixed and asymmetric metres; cueing of players and singers, and introducing expressive gestures for dynamics, phrasing etc.; basic approaches to rehearsal and score-marking technique.
This module explores the rise of English as a global language focusing on the factors that have led to, and the issues that have arisen from, its dominant status. You will learn about the interrelation between globalisation, standardisation and variabilit...
In this module students prepare one programme of instrumental, vocal, or mixed-ensemble music of their own choice, which is coached regularly by members of staff. There is an expectation that students, not staff, will independently organise an ensemble f...
Composing music for films has a rich, 100+ year history, and technological advances and inspired and innovative teams continue to evolve this dynamic sector of the creative industries. You will be introduced to this history and a series of contemporar...
This option will examine the relationship between French identity and culture since 1981 with the elections of François Mitterrand by exploring the ways in which identities of different social groups are expressed within the economic, political and cultur...
This module in French sociolinguistics aims to build on and re-evaluate your existing knowledge of the French language from a sociolinguistic perspective. The module has three major themes: language change, language variation and language identity in rela...
The module aims to develop your critical awareness of hip-hop as a social phenomenon and the ways that scholars have approached hip hop. The main focus of this course will be rap music, and we will also touch on other elements of hip-hop including DJing (...
How are the arts getting back to work again after Covid-19? This is a critically important question for everyone who cares about them, artists and audiences alike. If you’re a student considering a career in the arts you’ll want to know where fresh opport...
Interactive music and sound can be found in diverse forms, from video games and interactive installations through to data driven sonic art and works with audience/performer interventions. Such situations provide composers and sound artists with both exci...
This unit examines the theory and practice of language teaching and explores 'reflective practice' as a set of skills that can be applied to your future working life.
This module develops awareness of how language testing and assessment have developed in educational and wider social contexts. It focusses on both purposes and processes of language testing and assessment, and critically examines applications in policy ar...
This unit will allow students to undertake independent research to produce an in-depth study of a specific topic located in one of the fields within Modern Languages.
This module explores how music therapy uses music very differently to the entertainment industry, introducing you to the unique use of music as a powerful clinical tool in health and education settings. Using clinical music therapy techniques, music can b...
The aim of this module is to look beneath the surface - challenging assumptions made about music being therapeutic and exploring how to prove music is effective as therapy. Drawing on the knowledge gleaned in the second year module, the module aims to dev...
This module allows you to explore basic multi-track recording and production techniques. The module is based in the University’s recording studios and music computing facilities where you will explore a range of techniques and equipment from both theoreti...
This module allows you to expand your music performance skills to a high standard. A combination of individual tuition (10 1hr lessons) and a variety workshop and public performance opportunities provide you with the chance to study new repertoire, improv...
This module will provide students with both a practical and theoretical insight into the role of a Public Service Interpreter. Beginning with a general introduction to interpreting, it will go on to focus more in depth on the wide range of issues and chal...
This module is based on a topic chosen by the student, completed under the supervision of a member of staff and culminating in a detailed dissertation. The topic may be musical (historical, analytical, critical) or it may relate music to another art or di...
Fuelled by the sexual revolution, the women’s movement and gay activism, the late twentieth century saw a flourishing of critical interest in questions of sex, gender and desire and their relation to literature and culture. This module will develop your u...
This module offers a practical introduction to organising, arranging for, rehearsing and performing with groups of singers of any level, from beginners to professionals. It is particularly aimed at students who are interested in community music or music e...
This final year module builds on the theoretical grounding students gained in LING 2011 Variation and Change in English and the instrumental analysis techniques from LING 2008 Sound and Voice. In Sociophonetic Project Module, students will put the theory ...
This module introduces you to the history of the American Musical and examines some of the issues connected with race, exoticism, gender and national identity as they were articulated in this multimedia entertainment between the late nineteenth century an...
In this module you will explore the operas by Benjamin Britten, one of Britain’s most influential composers. Britten’s operas are among the few 20th-century works that hold a central position in today’s operatic canon. They are produced regularly by world...
This module gives students a chance to compose for jazz and jazz influenced ensembles. This module will embrace the rich tradition of jazz writing and its conventions as heard in the works of the great jazz composers, such as Duke Ellington, Herbie Han...
Translation plays a major role in the exchange and circulation of practical information and culture production. This means that even if they do not enter the translation profession, in a society that is increasingly global, Modern Linguists are frequently...
This course will explore travel writing and cultural encounter across a range of film and written texts. We will look at tourism and leisure and at tourism as exploitation; at the politics of guidebooks, and the quest for authenticity through travel; at ...
The unit will take you through the process, the product and the place of writing. Process will deal primarily with modelling cognitive operations, analysis of composing strategies, and individual differences and changes in processes over time. Product wil...
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
- coursework
- individual and group projects
- independent learning (studying on your own)
Course time
How you'll spend your course time:
Year 1
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 1:
How we'll assess you
- assessed performances
- compositions
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 1:
Year 2
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 2:
How we'll assess you
- assessed performances
- compositions
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 2:
Year 3
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 3:
How we'll assess you
- assessed performances
- compositions
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 3:
Year 4
Study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study for year 4:
How we'll assess you
- assessed performances
- compositions
- composition portfolios
- debates
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
- written and practical exams
- written exams
Your assessment breakdown
Year 4:
Academic support
You’ll be supported by a personal academic tutor and have access to a senior tutor.
Course leader
James Minney is the course leader.
Careers
With an undergraduate degree in French and Music, you can choose from a wide variety of employment options. These will make the most of your skills in:
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gathering and interpreting information
-
working with and leading teams
-
understanding and adapting to different cultures
Previous graduates have gone on to careers including:
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translation
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interpreting
-
teaching
-
marketing
-
publishing
-
international development
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advertising, film and television
Many of our graduates go on to further study. Subjects taken include interpreting and translating, law, accountancy, management and international relations.
We put a great focus on developing employability skills throughout your time with us. This includes a compulsory employability module for all first-year students in the faculty.
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
work experience schemes
CV and interview skills and workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £19,300.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations. Your fees also include specialist vocal and instrumental tuition for music students taking performance modules. Find out how to:
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant that's linked to your chosen subject area.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
When you apply use:
- UCAS course code: RW13
- UCAS institution code: S27
What happens after you apply?
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
You'll be auditioned for entry to this course. This audition may be done in person, or by sending a video. Candidates are also sometimes invited to interview. You'll receive an email with full details if you're shortlisted.
We'll aim to process your application within two to six weeks, but this will depend on when it is submitted. Applications submitted in January, particularly near to the UCAS equal consideration deadline, might take substantially longer to be processed due to the high volume received at that time.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact our enquiries team if you're not sure that you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
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