Bachelor of Creative Arts (Music)

You’ll be creating new music from your first year, followed by working with creative technologies, performing and recording new music, or composing for media. In addition to practical areas of music making, the course can lead you into music industry professions such as management or promotion, and social engagement.  

Our music degree prepares aspiring musicians for the rapidly changing music industry. Students are encouraged to create works across musical boundaries and strike out in new directions.   

In your final year you’ll work on transdisciplinary industry-connected projects with students from other study areas in the creative and performing arts. You can also participate in music projects which focus on artist development and music-related research. 

Throughout your degree you will also build skills in areas such as critical and creative thinking, self-awareness and digital fluency which will prepare you for a rapidly changing future with QUT You units. 

Customise your degree

If production is your passion, you will focus on creating new music and developing skills in songwriting, studio recording, sequencing, digital processing, and writing for acoustic, electric and digital instruments. Consider complimenting your studies with the production design minor to learn real-world production design skills and techniques, such as set and spatial design, lighting design, projection and multimedia design, and interactive audio-visual performance systems. 

If you are interested in performance, you’ll focus on developing your unique performance style and artistic voice, creating new work, using digital technology, and developing new interpretations of your repertoire, as well as gaining further experience performing in recording studio and live contexts. 

If your passion is making music for film, television, animation, games or any other transdisciplinary media environment, you’ll have opportunities to work with students in those disciplines. 

Double degrees

Combine your music degree with a second study area for greater career flexibility and opportunities in other industries. Consider a double degree with: 

• behavioural science (psychology): promote health and wellbeing by combining music and psychology, for a career as a music therapist, a community music program coordinator or take the first step towards becoming a psychologist.
• business: develop skills to work in a variety of music-related roles including arts management, event or festival management and community arts projects.
• law: use your skills for a career as a music lawyer, solicitor in private practice, policy adviser or intellectual property lawyer supporting creative arts businesses.
• education (secondary): combine your interests in music and education to prepare you to teach music in secondary schools and other education environments. Additional entry requirements apply to the Bachelor of Education, see information on double degrees.

Careers and outcomes

This course can lead you into music industry professions such as performing, recording, management or promotion, and social engagement. Graduates work in an eclectic range of live, recording and multimedia environments as performers, producers, composers, developers of music software and games, DJs and private instrumental music teachers.  

Graduates of this music degree have gone on to find national and international success, including bands such as Ball Park Music and Cub Sport, solo artists such as Moss McGregor, WALTA, and Hallie, music producers such as multi-ARIA award winning Konstantin Kersting and Tristan Hoogland, and composers such as Cannes Gold medal winner Michael Edwards. We also see music students embracing successful portfolio careers managing a range of rewarding, music-related positions such as booking agents, artist management, music marketing and promotions, event management, radio show hosting, graphic design and photography.  

If teaching is your ambition, this course can be also followed with a graduate-entry teacher education Master of Teaching courses (check the entry requirements for specific teaching courses) which enables you to become a qualified teacher.  

Pathways also exist to prepare you for further study including research.