The London Music Program, offered only in fall semesters, provides students with the opportunity to live and study in one of the world’s most important cities for music performance. Students receive all music instruction through the Royal College of Music (RCM), as well as one-on-one music lessons. Students also join the RCM Orchestra, Chamber groups, and Choral Ensemble.
Before starting classes at RCM, students take an intense liberal arts course at the centrally located BU London Academic Center. The London Music Program will expand the existing academic and artistic offerings of the School of Music and will provide students with an opportunity to further their theoretical and musicological studies.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
BU Abroad: London, Where Classical Music Thrives
BU Abroad: London, Where Classical Music Thrives
Requirements & Considerations
Curriculum
Students receive all music instruction through the RCM including Music Theory, Music History, Psychology of Performance, as well as one-on-one music lessons. Students also join the RCM Orchestra, Chamber groups, and Choral Ensemble. Before taking classes at RCM, students take an intense liberal arts course. This course, CAS HI 251 Cultural Capital: The History of Popular Culture in London, is taught by BU British Programmes faculty through a combination of lectures and experiential visits around London venues and historic places.
Note: Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.
Required Courses
Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin. All students will register for:
- CAS HI 251 Cultural Capital: The History of Popular Culture in London (4)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Critical Thinking
- Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
- Historical Consciousness
- Prerequisite: completion of one university-level History course.
- Traces the historical development of popular culture in London from the late seventeenth century to the present day. Concerned with texts (visual, aural, written) and sites. Organised chronologically and thematically, engages with theoretical perspectives. Engages with wider history of Britain.
- Syllabus
- CFA MH (4)
- Students will be able to choose a CFA MH course for 4 credits from a range of options available at the Royal College of Music
- CFA MT 301 Music Theory 5 (2)
- This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:
- Quantitative Reasoning II
- Individual musicianship problems developed according to the major area of study. Formal and compositional idioms of the Romantic period of music. Individual study or compositional projects.
Students will register for additional courses dependent upon their individual program, for a total of 16 to 20 credits.
Housing & Student Services
Program Residences
- Accommodations for the Fall and Spring semester London Programs are residence hall style suites in BU’s own housing. Bedrooms consist of doubles, triples, and quads and all bedrooms come with an en suite bathroom. Please note that housing for the Summer London Internship Program is in a variety of locations in central London, and Summer London Internship students commute to classes and to internships.
- Limited single rooms may be available for an additional charge.
- Fully equipped kitchens are available within BU housing. Kitchens are shared between approximately 6-14 students.
- Board is not included in this program. Students are responsible for budgeting their own cost of meals.
- BU London does not have dining hall facilities, but there are ample grocery stores, restaurants, and other amenities in the immediate areas surrounding the residences.
- All buildings are within walking distance to local transportation, including the London Tube and bus systems. Students commute to their internships using public transportation.
- Card-operated laundry facilities are located in the basements of all residences. Cost of laundry is not included in the program fee.
- Students have access to the BU London Library for research and printing purposes. For recreational and social activities, students may take advantage of the BU London Social Programme as well as the clubs and societies of Imperial College London.
- Wi-Fi is available throughout all the BU buildings.
Program Dates
- Fall Semester: late August to mid December
Application Timeline
Fall Semester
- Applications Open December 15
- Applications Deadline March 15
This program is not on a rolling admissions cycle. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all required materials have been received by the BU Study Abroad office by the application deadline. Decisions will not be made until after the application deadline. Applicants will receive their decision via email.
Information on other programs that do not follow a rolling admissions cycle and information for BU Students Awaiting an Admissions Decision can be found here.
Cost & Financial Considerations
