Graduate Destinations
How does a degree in Music help with my career?
Graduates who specialise in Music at SOAS gain intercultural awareness and understanding of global music; vocational skills including sound recording, radio presenting and editing; and competency in a wide range of performance styles. They develop familiarity with specific regions through the study of their music and culture and are introduced to the creative and cultural industries.
Graduates leave SOAS with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and creative capacities, including interpersonal skills, communication skills, focus, team work, passion and dedication. Our students go on to diverse careers in music and related fields, including museum and sound archives, recording companies, arts management and media including Songlines and the BBC World Service. Our alumni include performers, music teachers, composers, and lecturers in ethnomusicology at universities around the world.
What do Graduates do?
- SOAS Graduate Careers Case Studies from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
- Options with your music degree, What can I do with a music degree?
- What London graduates do
Destinations of 2015 Graduates: Undergraduates
All undergraduate students are contacted 6 months after graduation (for undergraduate students this is January) to find out what they are doing - working, studying or something else, such as travelling. We find out this data in the summer, and here is the latest information from the 8 known destinations of the 2015 UK, EU and International graduates of single and joint honours within the department. Examples are given from the past two years destinations.
Example employers include:
| Argus Media |
| Cirque d'Hiver Bouglione de Paris |
| South Asian Art UK / Yorkshire Young Musicians |
| St Augustine's CE High School |
Example occupations include:
| Accordionist |
| Composer |
| Freelance Media and Communications Professional |
| Freelance Musician |
| Journalist (Market Reporter) |
| Professional Performer |
Destination of 2014 Graduates: Postgraduates
All postgraduate students are contacted 6 months after graduation (so for postgraduate students this is in April) to find out what they are doing - working, studying or something else, such as travelling. This data is added to the Undergraduate survey the following January and we receive the data in the summer (i.e. approximately 18 months after graduation).
Below is the latest information from the 20 known destinations of the 2014 UK, EU and International postgraduates within the department. Examples are given from the past two years destinations.
Example employers include:
| Arts Educational Schools London | Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore |
| Campaign for Social Science | Live Music Now |
| Core Arts | Macbeth Media Relations |
| Creative Mentors Foundation | Royal Hospital For Neuro-Disability (NHS) |
| India Beat | Sasa Music Promotions |
Example occupations include:
| Assistant Manager of International Relations | Music Tutor |
| Assistant Publicist | Performing Arts Administrative Assistant |
| Enterprise Co-Ordinator | Production Manager |
| Music Teacher / Associate Lecturer | Secondary School Specialist Music Dyslexia Mentor |
| Music Therapist | Senior Media Officer |
Destination of 2014/15 Graduates: Further Study
Examples of further study institutions:
| King's College London |
| SOAS, University of London |
| University College London (UCL) |
| University of Roehampton |
| Wesleyan University |
| University of York |
| Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Denpasar |
Examples of further study courses:
| Language Documentation and Description |
| MPhil/PhD Music |
| PGCE Primary Education |
| PhD Anthropology |
| PhD Ethnomusicology - Jewish Music |
Job Profiles and Careers Information
- SOAS Careers Moodle – Careers by Sector, including Theatre, Music and Performance, Broadcasting, Film and Video, Education and Teaching, and International Development
- SOAS Careers Service
- Occupational profiles and information on Postgraduate Study at Prospects
- Sector and careers information at Careers Tagged