About this program
Italian/Music (4 years)
Our aim at the School of Modern Languages and Music is to develop and educate our students to become ‘global citizens’. By combining Italian and Music you will gain a variety of transferable skills and knowledge beneficial to the world of employment, making you competitive and attractive in an increasingly global workforce and opening the doors to a variety of career paths.
Italy is a major actor on the European and world stage, possessing a rich and sophisticated culture. Italian is one of the official working languages of the European Union and of the United Nations.
We offer Italian for both advanced students and beginners. In your first year, in addition to your language tuition, an introduction to Italian history and culture seeks to provide a solid foundation for more specialised studies as you progress through your course.
Your understanding of the language will be further developed and refined during your year abroad, when you will experience life in a Italian-speaking country at first hand.
In the final year, you have the opportunity to write a dissertation, which stimulates initiative and can serve as a useful preparation for postgraduate study.
It is important to remember that studying languages is not just about the language itself, it involves exploring many aspects of a country, and we aspire to offer a genuinely broad course that offers challenging and stimulating modules.
Home to the arts, Cardiff is a great location for the study of music in the UK. The city has a professional opera company, Welsh National Opera, and a professional symphony orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The School of Music enjoys a fruitful relationship with both organisations that allows, for instance, our students to attend dress rehearsals and buy cut-price tickets for concerts.
You are expected to have gained or shown evidence of working towards Grade 8 in one or more instruments or voice at the time of your application. You may be considered if you are not taking A-level Music but have Grade 8 Practical and Grade 7/8 Theory and are studying appropriate Humanities subjects at A-level.
As a joint honours student, you will find that often there are complementary issues and perspectives that link subjects, be they critical analysis, historical contexts or recent research. On completion of this four-year program, you will have a high level of language proficiency, as well as a critical understanding of key aspects of French history, culture, literature, politics and contemporary society.
Distinctive features
- Research-led teaching that allows you to engage with new ideas that are helping to shape the future of Italian studies and Music.
- High-quality language teaching delivered by native speakers.
- A vibrant program of extra-curricular activities to support your language learning and immersion into Italian culture.
- A curriculum with a clear learning arc, drawing on the latest research and providing a thorough understanding of Italian culture.
- The option of taking a credit-bearing work placement.
- The opportunity to spend your third year either studying or working in Italy or an Italian speaking country,
- An exciting range of opportunities beyond your formal studies to engage with local schools and communities in promoting language learning and develop your own skills and profile.
- Fully-funded instrumental (or vocal) tuition on your principal study instrument.
- The option in both subjects to write a dissertation lets you choose a topic that draws on both disciplines.
- Exploring music within a broad cultural context, embracing the literary, the social and the political.
- Opportunities for contact with active music professionals through composition workshops, performance masterclasses, the University concert series, and our careers talks.
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2020/21 academic year. The final modules will be published by September.
Admission requirements
Typical A level offer
BBB-BBC including B in Music. Applicants holding a B in Italian A Level will have access to the Languages advanced pathways.
Extended Project Qualification: Applicants with grade A in the EPQ will typically receive an offer one grade lower than the standard A level offer. Please note that any subject specific requirements must still be met.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the university website
Does this course require proof of English proficiency?
The TOEFL iBT® test is accepted by 11,500 universities and higher education institutions in over 160 countries. Book your test today!
Learn moreChat with students
Program content
The modules shown are an example of the typical curriculum and will be reviewed prior to the 2022/23 academic year. The final modules will be published by September 2022.
Year One
- Introduction to Italian Studies in a Transnational Context
Year Two
- Whose 'culture' is it anyway? Identity, Power and Memory in C20th Italy
Year three: Sandwich year
Your third year is spent in Italy or another Italian-speaking country. The year abroad will enable you to develop your language skills, deepen your understanding of Italian culture and develop your independence, resourcefulness and resilience.
Your options will include:
- studying at one of our partner universities;
- working as an English assistant in a school through the British Council Scheme, or
- working for a Italian organisation or company.
If you choose the study option, we have established exchange programmes which provide opportunities to study in institutions in cities that have included Venice, Verona, Milan, Pavia, Parma, Ferrara, Florence, Pisa and Catania.
Year Four
- High-Level Proficiency in Italian Language
Scholarships & funding
For more information about scholarships, please visit the university website.
Tuition
- Tuition fees for UK and Ireland Students: £9,000 per year.
- Tuition fees for International Students: £19,450 per year.
For more information about tuition fee, please visit the university website.
Qualification
What skills will I practise and develop?
Knowledge & Understanding
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to speak, write, and understand one or more foreign languages to a high level of competency.
- An in-depth intercultural understanding including specific knowledge of other cultures, allied to the ability to navigate and mediate between more than one culture.
- Musical creativity and imagination;
- Key compositional techniques and skills.
- Notate ideas effectively and correctly.
- Knowledge of composers, their musical languages, techniques and styles.
Intellectual Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- Enhanced linguistic skills, as well as a broad appreciation of the culture, literature, and history of Italy and Italian speaking countries.
- The ability to communicate clearly, concisely and persuasively in writing and speech, in English and Italian.
- Critical reading, independent research, and writing skills.
- Skills in literary analysis, interpretative reading, and written expression.
- Analytical skills and developing instinct towards independent and informed, researched interpretation.
- Notate musical ideas correctly and effectively.
Professional Practical Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- Using a range of IT programs and digital media, where appropriate.
- Resilience and independence through time spent in immersive foreign language contexts.
- Communication and critical-thinking skills.
- Working to deadlines and priorities, managing a range of tasks at the same time.
- Skills when working as part of a team, developing a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
- Use of a range of instruments and their technical capabilities.
Transferable/Key Skills
On successful completion of the program you will be able to demonstrate:
- The ability to grasp complex issues with confidence.
- The ability to analyse complex texts.
- The ability to interpret and apply relevant data.
- Practical research skills.
- Imaginative solutions of your own that are rooted in evidence.
- Learning from constructive criticism and incorporate its insights.
- Taking responsibility for your own learning program and professional development.
- Critical skills (reasoning, evaluating evidence, problem-solving, relating theory to practice).
- Creativity and innovative thinking.
- Leadership, teamwork and self-management skills.
- Identifying, recording and communicating your relevant career attainments.
Message the school
About this institute
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is among the top 25 universities in the UK and is ranked 166th in the world. Founded in 1883, Cardiff University combines a prestigious heritage with impressive modern facilities, on one of the most beautiful campuses in the UK....
Contact info
Cardiff University
Want to know more about Italian/Music (4 years)? Fill out the following form and we'll pass your details on to a representative from the school, who will respond to your enquiry.
Be the first to write a review!
