Mathematics and Music BSc (Hons)

Level: Undergraduate

Subject: Mathematics

Year of entry: 2026

Key facts

UCAS Code

GW13

Award

BSc (Hons)

Duration of study

4 years

Delivery

Full-time

Study location

Multiple campuses

Start date

September 2026

School

School of Mathematics

College

College of Science and Engineering

Study abroad

Available

Placement

No

Open days and events

About the degree programme

Mathematics has often been considered an arts subject, with many studying it for the beauty of the subject. Likewise, although a very creative subject, music has many links to mathematics and can be studied as a scientific subject.

On this joint honours programme, you will study elements of mathematics and music and explore the historical connection between these two disciplines. You will split your time evenly between the two subjects over the entire programme.

Areas of study

You will take compulsory mathematics courses, and study the theoretical and cultural aspects of music, such as:

  • listening and musicianship
  • music technology
  • composition

Later in the programme, you can choose to:

  • specialise in particular aspects of mathematics
  • specialise in particular aspects of music
  • examine the links between the two subjects
  • study a broad range of topics across the two subjects

Music performance

Studying music performance is not possible as part of this degree. However, we strongly encourage our students to pursue performance opportunities through the University's societies and ensembles. 

List of University societies

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years.

A key benefit to studying a 4-year degree programme is that you have the flexibility to study a range of subjects, outside your chosen degree programme, in Year 1 and Year 2.

This allows you the opportunity to study other courses that interest you or enhance your degree. By the end of Year 2, you can decide which of these subject areas you want to focus on in the honours years of your programme.

How long it takes to complete our degree programmes

How a joint degree programme works

A joint programme allows you to gain a well-rounded learning experience. You will have more exposure to different disciplines, allowing you to expand your knowledge and expertise.

Teaching on joint programmes is split across the two subject areas, and teaching will take place in locations associated with both subjects.

You will gain a different perspective through studying more than one subject and have a wider skill set that is highly attractive to future employers.

Programme rankings

  • 5th in the UK for mathematics and statistics (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025 by Subject)
  • 5th in the UK for mathematics in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

Programme benefits

  • Enhance your knowledge of both mathematics and music by studying them together in this joint degree programme.
  • Our teaching fosters interactive engagement that promotes long-term understanding. It is enhanced by technology, including voting systems and online quizzes, and we actively encourage collaborative learning.
  • Our programmes focus on employability skills. Our Student Development team and the University's Careers Service give students employability support. This includes presentations from industry employers and alumni career showcases, which demonstrate the range of careers open to mathematics graduates.
  • We host regular workshops to help you prepare for applying to internships, jobs and further study.
  • Both schools have expertise in a variety of research areas, allowing you to tailor your degree programme to your area of interest.
  • You will also be part of a rich community of musicians, and creative artists, designers, filmmakers, animators and others in the Edinburgh College of Art.

Find your entry requirements

Use the dropdowns to find out your entry requirements.

  1. Select the country where you are studying or where you studied your qualification.
  2. Select the qualification you are studying or studied.
United Kingdom,

Tuition fees for BSc (Hons) Mathematics and Music

View the tuition fees for one academic year of BSc (Hons) Mathematics and Music.

Tuition fees for this programme

Additional costs

You should expect to buy the necessary textbooks for some components of your programme.

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that a single student can potentially spend a maximum of £920 to £2,257 on living costs each month, depending on your accommodation.

This estimate covers the costs of:

  • accommodation
  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel within Edinburgh
  • health and wellbeing costs

See a breakdown of living costs

Scholarships and funding

Funding information

You can find detailed information on financial support available, based on where you are living, in our funding section.

Funding

Featured funding

School of Mathematics Scholarships

Scholarships are available for full-time undergraduates studying in the School of Mathematics. These are offered to students of outstanding ability and cover the duration of their studies, subject to satisfactory academic progress each year.

What you will study

In Years 1 and 2, you will study mathematics and music courses, with the potential to study additional outside subjects. 

At pre-honours, the mathematics courses are compulsory. This allows you to develop as a well-rounded mathematician and widens your options for specialisation later on.

You will have more choice in your music course selections, and you can select courses that prepare you for certain pathways, such as music history or composition. 

From Year 3 onwards, you will study mathematics and music only. You will split your time evenly between the two subjects.

The courses listed for the individual years of study may be subject to change.

Mathematics courses

You will take a number of compulsory mathematics courses:

  • Introduction to Mathematics at University
  • Introduction to Mathematical Analysis
  • Linear Algebra 1

These courses are designed to build on your knowledge of mathematics from school, introducing you to more rigorous ways of mathematical thinking required at university level. They cover a wide range of mathematics, including some applications of mathematics, so you can make informed choices at honours level.

Music courses

You will also take music courses, such as:

  • Topics in Popular Music
  • Psychology of Music

If you are interested in the composition pathway, you can also take a course in creative musicianship.

Fundamentals courses

You can also take our fundamentals courses to support your transition to university:

  • Fundamentals of Algebra and Calculus: an online, introductory course that provides extra preparation in key topics from advanced high school level mathematics and further supports your transition to university
  • Fundamentals of Music Theory: foundational concepts of Western music theory
Find Year 1 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

In Year 2, you will spend between half and two-thirds of your time studying mathematics. 

You will take two compulsory mathematics courses that will extend your knowledge of analysis and calculus and generalise what you have seen in linear algebra.

  • Linear Algebra 2
  • Further Analysis and Several Variable Calculus
Option courses

Students can take other optional mathematics courses such as:

  • Elementary Probability and Statistics
  • Modelling and Computing

You will also continue to take courses in music. Year 2 topics vary, but current options include:

  • Understanding Music History 1: Critical Approaches to Music from the Middle Ages to the Late Eighteenth Century
  • Architectural Acoustics and Spatial Sound
  • Composing for Voices and Instruments
  • Sound Recording
Find Year 2 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

In Year 3, you will study two compulsory mathematics honours courses, and have the option to start to specialise within your degree programme. 

Our compulsory mathematics courses provide an excellent grounding in advanced mathematics and prepare you for the options available later on.

Each honours course contains a skills component. This enables you to develop valuable employability skills such as:

  • programming
  • group work
  • presentation skills

You are encouraged to study Research Methods in Music, to support you with music courses in the latter part of your degree programme.

Option courses

You will spend the rest of your time studying option mathematics and music courses. 

In music, you will have the option to specialise within your degree programme by choosing from a selection of focused topics spanning areas such as:

  • composition
  • history
  • analysis

Current music course options include:

  • Instrumentation and Timbre
  • Screen Music History: texts and contexts

In mathematics, you will have a selection of courses to choose from to allow you to begin specialising in the subject and narrow your mathematical focus, or continue to study a wide range of mathematical topics.

Previous mathematics option courses have included:

  • Financial Mathematics
  • Introduction to Number Theory
  • Statistical Computing

It is also possible to combine mathematics and music together by studying courses such as:

  • Musical Applications of Fourier Theory and Digital Signal Processing
  • Physics-based Modelling of Music Instruments
Find Year 3 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

In the final year of your programme, you will complete a significant research project in either mathematics or music, which can include the creation of new compositions and musical works. This will account for a third of your final year. 

The remainder of your year will consist of mathematics and music courses. You have free choice from the wide range of courses offered by each school, and can create a programme that suits your interests and career aspirations. 

Our course selection is influenced by the varied research interests in each school and you will learn from those at the forefront of their fields.

Option courses

Mathematics offers a large selection of courses in:

  • pure mathematics
  • applied mathematics
  • statistics
  • operational research
  • financial mathematics
  • mathematical physics
  • mathematical education

Current courses include:

  • General Topology
  • Stochastic Modelling
  • Mathematical Education
  • Entrepreneurship in the Mathematical Sciences

You can also take option music courses in composition and analysis. Current choices include:

  • Music and Human Communication
  • Jazz Studies: Critical Perspectives on Music and Culture
  • Soundtracks for Screen
Find Year 4 courses (2024-2025 academic year)

Study abroad

You will have opportunities to study abroad through exchange programmes. Students have recently completed placements in:

  • California
  • Sydney
  • British Columbia

Exchanges are typically taken in Year 3, before returning to Edinburgh to complete Year 4. 

What are my options for going abroad?

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Mathematics teaching 

Mathematics is taught through a mixture of lectures and workshops. 

You will have approximately 15 hours of teaching each week. However, this will vary depending on your year of study and your chosen outside subjects.

Lectures

In Year 1, mathematics lectures are usually interactive, and lecturers use online voting systems and encourage small-group discussions to improve your understanding of core material. 

These lectures are linked to your subject reading, so you will be familiar with the content before you attend. Lectures in later years follow a more 'traditional' lecturing style but occasionally include the voting system or other innovative teaching methods.

Workshops

Lectures are supported by small-group workshops. These sessions give you the opportunity to apply the concepts you have learned in lectures and to develop your understanding. You will work with five to six other students, with a tutor on hand to support you and answer questions.

Interactive learning

Our teaching fosters interactive engagement that promotes long-term understanding. Teaching is enhanced by technology, including voting systems and online quizzes, and we actively encourage collaborative learning.

Music teaching

Music courses are taught primarily through lectures, tutorials, workshops, computer labs or seminars. These small-group sessions tend to focus on a discussion.

Assessment

Mathematics courses

Mathematics courses are mostly assessed through exams.

In your first and second year, these exams are primarily 'open book' exams, where you can use your textbook and notes. This allows you to concentrate on understanding and using the ideas and concepts involved, rather than memorising procedures.

In later years, there is a mixture of open and closed-book exams, depending on the course.

Most mathematics courses have regular assessments throughout the year, both written and online, so you can get feedback on your progress. These typically count for a small part of your course grade.

Later in the degree programme, there are some courses available which are entirely assessed by coursework, usually in the form of reports, posters, projects or presentations.

Music courses 

Music courses are assessed through: 

  • coursework
  • exams
  • projects
  • portfolios
  • presentations

Support for your studies

You will have access to broad-ranging support from within the School of Mathematics, including:

  • drop-in Year 1 mathematics support
  • the option to take part in our peer-assisted learning scheme, MathPALS
  • Mathematics Student Services team
  • Student Development team

Our academic staff

The School of Mathematics has expertise in a variety of research areas, allowing you to tailor your degree programme to your area of mathematical interest. To find out more about our research and its applications, take a look at our Researchers on Record video series.

Researchers on Record

As a joint honours student, you will also have access to the expertise of the Reid School of Music, and you will be part of a vibrant musical community. You will study with scholars, composers, and performers of international renown who are passionate about teaching. You can join one or more of the many orchestras, ensembles, and choirs available at the University, enjoy our varied concert series, and take advantage of the school’s location in the centre of Edinburgh, a city with a rich musical life.

Where you will study

Study location

The School of Mathematics is based in the James Clerk Maxwell Building at the King's Buildings campus. Your mathematics teaching will take place at the King's Buildings campus throughout your degree programme.

Most music teaching takes place in the University's Central Area at:

  • the Reid School of Music in Alison House
  • the Reid Concert Hall
  • St Cecilia’s Hall

Teaching also takes place at other locations across the Edinburgh College of Art and the University's Central Area. 

These two degree subjects are based on different campuses, so you will need to travel between campuses for classes.

Academic facilities

Mathematics facilities

Undergraduate students in the School of Mathematics have access to dedicated study spaces, MathsBase and MathsHub.

MathsBase is a drop-in study space staffed by tutors on weekdays during the semester.

MathsHub is a suite of rooms in the James Clerk Maxwell Building for the sole use of undergraduate mathematicians as a study space.

Music facilities

You will have access to:

  • the School of Music’s practice rooms and recording studios
  • the Musical Instrument Museum at St Cecilia’s Hall

ECA facilities

Investing in our learning environment

The University is investing in the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) estate and facilities to further develop our flexible, stimulating, supportive and sustainable learning and research environment for students and staff. ECA are undertaking a capital redevelopment of its Lauriston campus between April 2024 to April 2027.

The project aims to maximise the use of existing space, improve accessibility, and create a vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and innovation.​

The project involves refurbishing and repurposing various spaces across the Lauriston campus, including technical facilities, student and teaching spaces, and the relocation of the Reid School of Music from Alison House to the Lauriston campus. New social spaces, seminar rooms, and studios are being created to accommodate our growing community.

You can find more about the project at the link below:

Building work at ECA’s Lauriston campus

Career paths

Our programmes focus on employability skills.

As a mathematics graduate, you will have a wide range of careers open to you. 

Studying a joint honours degree enables you to develop a wider range of transferable skills, and opens up more varied employment opportunities. 

You will develop skills that are highly sought-after by employers:

  • logical and analytic abilities
  • programming
  • data analysis
  • written communication
  • aural skills
  • presentation skills
  • practical problem-solving

Our graduates

Recent graduates have gone into fields including:

  • finance (accountancy, actuarial, banking, insurance, risk, tax)
  • data science and statistics
  • IT (for example, software engineering and programming)
  • operational research
  • education

The School of Mathematics regularly invites alumni back to share their experiences and showcase the range of careers available to you.

Music graduates can go on to careers in areas such as:

  • composition
  • teaching
  • arts management
  • community music
  • music therapy
  • the games industry

Enhance your CV

You will have many opportunities to develop your skills and enhance your CV. For example, you can:

  • become a Student Ambassador and inspire prospective students
  • work with the wider community as a member of the mathematics outreach team
  • apply for a project scholarship to work with a University lecturer during the summer

Employability support

Working in partnership with the Careers Service, academics, alumni and the business community, the Student Development Team provides activities, events and resources focused on developing skills, engaging with opportunities and building networks:

  • applications support (for example, CV writing, interview preparation, how to network)
  • specific career advice (for example, insights into actuarial careers, how to apply for PhDs)
  • interactions with recruiting organisations and alumni (for example, annual careers showcase and presentations with employers)

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

Further study is also a popular option. You can progress from this programme into masters or PhD level study in mathematics or physics, or apply your training to postgraduate study in another subject.

Graduate profiles

Read stories on our blog from recent graduates who shared their memories of studying in Edinburgh and how it shaped their careers.

Mathematics graduate profiles

How to apply

You must submit a full application through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) before the relevant deadline.

Guidance on applying through UCAS

Apply to one Mathematics degree  

Apply for only one degree in the School of Mathematics as we are only able to consider one application to this subject area. You will have the opportunity to switch between degrees in later years provided the required courses have been passed.

What you need to apply

As part of your application, you will need:

  • your academic qualifications
  • a personal statement
  • evidence of your English language skills (with relevant qualifications)
  • a reference

How we select

If you have met, or are predicted to meet, all our entry requirements by the relevant deadline, then your application will go into our selection process.

As part of this selection process, we will review all the information you submit in your UCAS application when we decide who to select for this degree programme.

How we select applicants

When to apply

  • 2026 entry UCAS deadline: 14 January 2026 (6:00pm GMT)

This is the deadline for all UK, EU and international applicants to non-medicine and veterinary medicine programmes.

To find out if any degree programmes have spaces after 14 January 2026, search the University of Edinburgh on the UCAS website.

Search degrees that are open on the UCAS website

Key application dates and deadlines

After you apply

After you have applied for your degree programme, we suggest you have a look at the following information to help you prepare for university:

Applying as an international student

As an international student, you apply for this degree programme through UCAS.  

Find out more about applying through UCAS  

Visas and immigration 

If you do not have the right to live in the UK, you will need to apply for and secure a Student visa before the start date of your degree programme.  

Our Student Immigration Service can help you with the Student visa application process. 

Applying for a visa  

Agents  

An education agent is someone who can help you with the application process as an international student. 

We work with education agents around the world and have a list of local offices you can contact.  

Find contact details for an education agent

What our students say

Hear from some of our current undergraduate students about their experience studying in the School of Mathematics.

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single undergraduate students from outside Edinburgh. To be eligible, you need to meet all criteria and apply for accommodation by 16 August in the year of your entry to the University.

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Mathematics society

MathSoc is the University’s Mathematics Society. The society hosts a mixture of both academic and social events throughout the year, including quizzes, bitesize lectures and collaborative events with the School of Mathematics.

Learn more about MathSoc

Music societies

The University hosts more than 25 musical societies and a packed schedule of concerts during the year, ranging from classical and jazz to contemporary and electronic. You could become a part of: 

  • Music Technology Society  
  • Electronic Music Society  
  • Independent Music Society  
  • Hip Hop Society  
  • Rock and Metal Society  
  • FreshAir Radio  
  • Taylor Swift Society  
  • Music Society (Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia, and Chorus)  
  • Programming Society  
  • Folk and Traditional Music Society  
  • West African Drum and Dance Society  
  • Wind Band, Brass Band  
  • Composers Orchestra, Jazz Orchestra, String Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra  
  • A Cappella Society, Chamber Choir, Female Voice Choir, Edinburgh University Singers  

Other societies and sports clubs

Our societies are not only subject-specific, and you could join a society based on your interests, a charity or cause or a hobby. 

Our societies and sports clubs will help you meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise. 

Societies 

Sports clubs 

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life.

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include:

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustment

Health and wellbeing support services

Contact us

Contact us through our enquiry team if you have any questions about this programme.

Open days, events and visits

Find out when our next open days will be taking place

Open days, events and visits

Chat to our students on Unibuddy

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