What does studying Music at St Andrews do for your career?
In this post, Amy Kinsman, Careers Adviser, explores how engaging with music alongside your degree at the University of St Andrews can support your employability, and how you can articulate that experience in applications and interviews.
Studying music at St Andrews looks different from many other universities. There is no single-honours undergraduate music degree, but you can study music academically alongside your core subject, while also engaging in extensive extracurricular and student-led music-making.
For many people, music is something you do because you enjoy it. What is less obvious is how these experiences can be used to evidence skills and strengths when applying for jobs. Below are three ways studying and engaging with music at St Andrews can support your future career, with examples drawn directly from the curriculum.
This post draws on information provided by colleagues in the Music Centre. With thanks to Dr Jane Pettegree (Adviser of Studies and Lecturer, Education-Focused) and Dr Bede Williams (Senior Lecturer) for their collaboration and contributions.
Performing and collaborating in real-world settings
(Modules MU1004, MU2001, MU3001)
The core performance strand in music at St Andrews is built around progressive “making music” modules taken at different stages of study. These modules sit alongside, and often draw heavily from, the skills you develop through extracurricular music-making.
Through rehearsals, performances, and assessment, you develop the ability to work collaboratively towards shared outcomes, often under time pressure and with public-facing results. An inherent part of musical practice is the desire to produce the best possible sound. This shared standard requires preparation, discipline, and mutual accountability.
How this supports your career
These modules give you strong examples of teamwork, reliability, preparation, and performing under pressure. They are particularly useful when you are answering interview questions about working with others, meeting deadlines, maintaining standards, or delivering outcomes in high-stakes situations.
This experience is also directly relevant if you are considering performance-based and education pathways. Prospects highlights that music students often move into roles such as musician, private music teacher, and secondary school teacher, where performance preparation, communication, and professionalism are central.
Leading projects and making things happen
(Module MU2006 Music, Leadership and Entrepreneurship)
MU2006 places you in realistic working scenarios where you must collaborate with others you may not already know, bringing together different musical backgrounds and personalities to create a shared musical event.
You may also draw on and extend activity already happening in the extracurricular music scene, including student-led performances, ensembles, productions, and recording projects. The module helps you understand the difference between what is institutionally supported and what must be driven independently.
How this supports your career
This module gives you clear evidence of leadership, initiative, project planning, communication, and adaptability. It translates well into CV and interview examples related to project management, working with unfamiliar colleagues, problem-solving, and taking responsibility for outcomes, particularly in creative, cultural, and organisational roles.
It also links strongly to career areas highlighted on Prospects such as arts administration, event management, talent management, radio production, and other creative industries roles where initiative, organisation, and collaboration are essential.
Developing creative thinking through sound and storytelling
(Module MU1005 Words and Music)
MU1005 is a first-year, semester one module designed to support you if you enjoy music but may not see yourself primarily as a performer. The module explores the relationship between sound and language, combining academic analysis with creative responses.
Alongside conventional essays, you respond to weekly creative prompts based on songs from different historical periods and genres. These choices encourage engagement with complex human themes such as identity, emotion, environment, and storytelling. The final assessment allows you to respond creatively through sound, accompanied by reflective commentary.
How this supports your career
This module supports creativity, critical thinking, communication, and reflective learning. It gives you strong examples for applications requiring evidence of idea development, creative problem-solving, empathy, and the ability to communicate complex issues in accessible ways.
It also connects well with career areas noted by Prospects where communication and creative thinking are central, including writing, editorial work, marketing, and media-related roles.
Where can this lead?
Graduates who have engaged systematically with music at St Andrews have gone on to postgraduate study, arts and cultural organisations, education, production, evaluation, and campaigning roles. Some graduates continue directly into music-related careers, while others take musical experience into roles outside the arts.
Prospects highlights that music graduates can go into careers such as music producer, sound designer, sound engineer, music therapist, and broadcasting and film-related sound roles. It also notes that many music graduates build portfolio careers, combining freelance, contract, and employed work. For example, mixing performance with teaching, production, or project-based roles.
Crucially, many employers accept applications from graduates of any degree discipline. In these cases, your musical experience becomes valuable not as a job label, but as evidence of how you work, particularly in relation to collaboration, creativity, self-management, and performing under pressure.
Final thoughts
You do not need to turn music into a career plan for it to matter. But if you engage with music thoughtfully during your degree, it can give you rich, concrete examples to draw on in CVs, cover letters, and interviews.
If you are unsure how to articulate your musical experience to employers, whether it is academic modules, ensembles, performances, or leadership roles, a Careers appointment can help you identify what to include and how to frame it effectively for the roles you are interested in.
For further career ideas, you may find Prospects’ “What can I do with a music degree?” page helpful.