History and Music

This joint degree allows you to combine a passion for history and music. Through your history studies, you will be able to start satisfying your curiosity about the past, acquire an understanding of specific periods and problems, and make discoveries. At the same time, you will develop a deeper understanding of music.

Studying History is exciting and rewarding; it encourages you to appreciate the human experience in other places and at other times. Exploring what people have felt, thought and done in the past expands our self-awareness.

Our internationally renowned academics are developing the very latest thinking on historical problems, and this cutting-edge knowledge informs the curriculum and will enhance your learning experience. By studying History at one of the largest and most influential departments in the country you will be able to choose from an exceptionally broad range of subjects, enabling you to spread your studies across the medieval and modern worlds, from Ancient Rome through to modern China, from Saladin through to Margaret Thatcher.

Studying Music at Royal Holloway allows you to tailor your studies to your own interests and passions. We have expertise spanning traditional, modern and world music. Through studying musical texts, practices, cultures and institutions you will explore issues in history, sociology, ethnology, and philosophy covering an exceptional geographical and chronological range. You will also be able to gain practical skills in composition, music technology and performance.

You will join a music department that is among the very best in the country, and the only one to hold a prestigious Regius Professorship. You will have access to well-equipped studios and recording facilities as well as incredible performance spaces including the Windsor Auditorium, Boilerhouse Theatre, Victorian Picture Gallery and College Chapel. Our department is well-connected with valuable music industry contacts that you can take advantage of, such as Wigmore Hall, the BBC Proms, and the Royal Opera House.