Primary instrument/specialism
- Accordion (classical)
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Composition
- Cornet
Course summary
The Joint Principal Study (JPS) pathway is a specialist four-year pathway that enables students with exceptional potential in two disciplines to pursue these in parallel at degree level. It is strongly practical and vocational in purpose, with most of your study time devoted to activities in the two principal study areas, but this is substantially complemented by a core curriculum in professional skills development, research skills, and development of critical and reflective thinking. The programme’s structure and content are designed to allow you to develop the full range of your creative and technical abilities and to equip you with the professional skills and knowledge that will enable you to pursue your musical interests and aspirations to the highest level. The programme offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in a creative and supportive environment dedicated to the study and practice of music in a multidisciplinary setting that includes dance, drama, film and production programmes alongside music. Our aim for our graduates is to prepare you for both postgraduate study and professional employment as performers, teachers, and in other careers as part of the portfolio career common within the contemporary music profession. JPS is a demanding programme and students taking this study additional credits (140 credits per year instead of the usual 120). To continue each year on the JPS pathway, students must normally achieve a specified minimum grade for each Principal Study module; failure to achieve this level in both Principal Studies will normally result in the student being required to pursue the better Principal Study as a ‘single study’ (i.e. transfer to the Performance/ Composition/ Jazz route). The JPS pathway includes Conducting as a principal study. Conducting is not routinely offered as a Joint Principal Study option at undergraduate level. Applicants with a strong interest in conducting are encouraged to contact us before applying, as opportunities are limited and highly competitive. Successful candidates would typically already demonstrate:
- Significant prior experience as a conductor
- A high level of musical maturity and technical skill in their principal study
- A clear understanding of the repertoire and rehearsal processes involved
- Your name
- A bit about your musical background and training you’ve had till now
- Your musical ambitions
- Your reasons for applying to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
- This video should be no longer than 3 minutes long and separate to your performance video
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Joint main specialism
You would like to study two specialisms, both studied equally.
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Secondary instrument/specialisms
- Accordion (classical)
- Bassoon
- Cello
- Clarinet
- Composition
- Conducting
Modules
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website, please visit your instrument/department specific pages for further information.
Assessment method
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website, please visit your instrument/department specific pages for further information.
How to apply
*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
02Oct
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- 301F
- Institution code:
- R58
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 55 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. To find out more please visit: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - A* - E
Scottish Higher - A - D
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 45 - 24 points
A strong indication of potential is sought at the entrance audition for this programme. Successful applicants will normally be of a standard at least equivalent to Grade 8 with Distinction of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in their Principal Study. You can apply and audition without having obtained Grade 8 with distinction, however as an indication only, applicants are normally expected to have reached this standard in their performance.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-hons-joint-principal-study/
Additional entry requirements
Audition
Please refer to our Guide for Applicants for what to prepare for audition - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/studyhere/how-to-apply/music/
Interview
An interview will be part of the audition process. If you have submitted an recording submission, then an interview will be at the discretion of the department. Please note sightreading may be included at the interview for certain departments. More information can be found on our website.
Other
All applicants are required to create an Acceptd profile regardless of where you are auditioning. More information on this can be found on our website. Conducting is not routinely offered as a Joint Principal Study option at undergraduate level. Applicants with a strong interest in conducting are encouraged to contact us before applying, as opportunities are limited and highly competitive. Successful candidates would typically already demonstrate: • Significant prior experience as a conductor • A high level of musical maturity and technical skill in their principal study • A clear understanding of the repertoire and rehearsal processes involved Please note that capacity for undergraduate conducting is extremely limited, and applications will only be considered in exceptional cases.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | Applicants who first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.5 in each component (with no component below 5.5) is required. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | Overall score of 80, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17 |
| PTE Academic | 59 | Overall score of 59 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing) |
More information about our language requirements can be found at the weblink.
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | £100 | £100 |
| RCS | £100 | £100 |
| Singapore | £100 | £100 |
| Qingdao | £100 | £100 |
| Seoul | £100 | £100 |
| New York | £100 | £100 |
| Los Angeles | £100 | £100 |
| Chicago | £65 | £65 |
| Toronto | £65 | £65 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Recording | No fee charged | |
| RCS | No fee charged | |
| Singapore | No fee charged | |
| Qingdao | No fee charged | |
| Seoul | No fee charged | |
| New York | No fee charged | |
| Los Angeles | No fee charged | |
| Chicago | Not available at this location | |
| Toronto | Not available at this location | |
Additional information
All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile and application regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) and needs to be completed once your UCAS application has been submitted. All live in-person auditions will be scheduled through the Acceptd platform. If you don't have an acceptd application, we won't be able to audition you. We may not be able to audition certain instruments at our overseas auditions. All applicants will need to provide their own instruments (except piano) and accompanist for auditions. Further details of dates and locations can be found on our webpages, under the 'How to apply' section. Please note, our locations are subject to change at short notice. If you choose a location that becomes unavailable we will be in touch to offer an alternative, this will likely be a recorded submission. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course on the relevant programme page on our website. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants (and where possible international applicants) to attend in person.
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Channel Islands | £9535* | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9535* | Year 1 |
| England | £9535* | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9535* | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9535* | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £1820* | Year 1 |
| EU | £28919* | Year 1 |
| International | £28919* | Year 1 |
*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
All new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
For more information on fees, funding and Scholarship, please see our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/
Please note all tuition fees per year are subject to an annual review.
Sponsorship information
Within the School of Music, the majority of scholarship awards are made in January following an audition and offer of a place at the RCS. Scholarships are made based on ability and potential with some for financial need. Many School of Music scholarships are made for the duration of the programme. There is no separate scholarship application for the School of Music as everyone is automatically considered at the point of audition. More information can be found at: www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/
Provider information
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB