Musicology / Sound Studies, B.A.
Would you like to study music, sound and culture scientifically during your bachelor's degree?
Then the bachelor's degree program in Musicology/Sound Studies is just the thing for you. The Department of Musicology/Sound Studies offers a broad degree program, which can be followed by a consecutive master's degree in the department if you are interested.
Programme facts
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 semesters, 180 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Required English | B2 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07 |
| Admission | No admission restriction: every eligible applicant is admitted |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €363.07 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
Every applicant who meets the formal requirements is admitted — but places can run out before the deadline, so apply at the start of the window.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
Musicology deals with the research, analysis and reflection of music in its historical and cultural diversity and views music as an aesthetic, social-cultural and historical object.
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The aim of the course is to enable students to perceive, analyze and describe musical phenomena in a differentiated manner and to critically classify them into the cultural, social, historical and media conditions of their time and ours. Accordingly, research is not only carried out “about” music, but also “through” music - for example on globalization, industrialization and subjectification processes. In addition, broad knowledge of general music history (including a focus on popular music forms) and music theory as well as historical composition theory is imparted.
What you study
The bachelor's degree program "Musicology/Sound Studies" is studied as one subject as part of a two-subject bachelor's degree program. The standard period of study is 6 semesters, all 78 credit points are acquired as part of compulsory modules.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Opera/music theater (e.g. dramaturgy, assistant director), concert institutions, cultural and creative industries (e.g. music and sound production and distribution, cultural and event management), artist placement, media (radio, television, online music portals, etc.), press (music criticism), music publishers (editing, editing), music libraries/archives, associations, foundations, science (science management, teaching/research at universities, research institutions, etc.) upon completion of a master's degree program.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (North Rhine-Westphalia), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €363.07 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | General content requirements for successful studies Our first-year students in the subject 'Musicology/Sound Studies' are generally very open to historical and current forms of music as well as to all other manifestations of 'organized sound'. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1, English B2 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, winter semester until 15.07 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application directly to the university until 15.07Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.07.2027 (274 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.