Please view the online prospectus Factfile for full details

As demonstrated by the University’s excellent graduate employment record, integrated professional training increases employability on graduation by providing relevant training and experience in the workplace.

The four-year Music programme with professional training was established in 1999 in response to the need for motivated and enthusiastic people to work in the arts, and to prepare students for entering the highly competitive music and arts sector.

The programme is particularly useful to students who are considering a career in arts management, arts marketing, venue management, music education, community music, music therapy, and to those students who want to develop professional contacts and professional skills to support a performance, composing or portfolio career.

If you are not sure what you want to do on graduation or wonder whether a career in arts management is what you want, then the professional training year can help you to define what you are looking for. It is a chance to explore your strengths and interests and to find out which areas of working life inspire you.

Students are placed for a period of between 30 and 46 weeks with nationally or internationally renowned music and arts organisations, usually UK-based. Placements are supervised by University staff and students benefit from mentoring and support from placement hosts who are experts in their field. This is a unique and distinct feature of our professional training, which distinguishes it from general internships or shorter-term work placements, which many arts organisations now offer to graduates.

As a member of a professional team working with highly-regarded experts and leaders, you will have many opportunities to develop communication, organisational and interpersonal skills. Employers interviewing our graduates are impressed by the variety of activities undertaken and the maturity and professionalism of students who have been on placement. This experience gives our graduates a distinct advantage when entering the competitive and demanding arts employment sector.

Most professional training opportunities have been based in London or the South East, but placements can be anywhere in the country. Not all students receive a salary, but employers usually cover travel expenses or offer small bursaries.

Organisations and companies that have participated in the scheme include the London Symphony Orchestra, South Hill Park Arts Centre, BAFTA, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal School of Church Music, Devon Music Trust, Oceans Event Management, Schott Music Publisher, The Orchestra of St John’s, Faber Music Publishers, Sherriff Rosebriars Trust, the Royal Opera House, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, GU2 Radio, the Chelsea Festival, London Sinfonietta, HMV, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Cambridgeshire Music, Floating Earth and Signum Records.