Mathematics and Music BA at Royal Holloway, University of London

“There is geometry in the humming of the strings. There is music in the spacing of the spheres.” – Pythagoras Looking to keep your love of music alive whilst exploring the true breadth of mathematical ideas and methods? Since Pythagoras developed his theory of the unity of arithmetic, geometry and music around the fundamental laws of proportion and harmony, in the 6th century BC, the two disciplines have influenced and informed each other.

Department: Mathematics  |  Duration: 3 years full time  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Location: Egham, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

Core modules: Year 1: Calculus, Calculus II, Introduction to Pure Mathematics, Linear Algebra I, Theory and Analysis; Fundamentals of Music Theory, Creative Composition Techniques, A Very Short History of Music, Introduction to Historical Musicology, Introduction to World Music and others; Year 2: Probability Theory, Graphs and Optimisation, Linear Algebra II; Year 3: Special Study: Dissertation, Special Study: Theory and Analysis, Special Study: Solo Performance, Special Study: Composition. Optional modules: Year 2: Vector Calculus, Statistical Methods 2, Probability Theory, Ordinary Differential Equations and Fourier Analysis, Ring Theory and others; Year 3: Mathematics Project, Mathematics in the Classroom, Number Theory, Computational Number Theory, Complexity Theory and others.

Career pathways

With a joint Mathematics and Music degree from Royal Holloway, University of London you will be in demand for your wide range of transferable skills, including: numerical skills, data handling powers, logical thinking and creative problem solving abilities, as well as communication, teamwork, technical, time management, commercial awareness and critical thinking and analysis skills.

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