Bachelor in Licence - Musicologie

Musicologie, or musicology, is the academic study of music, encompassing its history, theory, analysis, and cultural context rather than focusing primarily on performance training. A licence in this field, the standard three-year French bachelor's degree, typically covers music history from early periods through the contemporary era, harmony and music theory, analysis of musical works, and often some grounding in acoustics or the sociology of music. Students learn to read and analyze scores, situate musical works within their historical and cultural context, and develop research and writing skills applied to musical subjects. Depending on the university, some programs also include practical components such as ear training, basic performance, or composition exercises, though the core emphasis remains academic and analytical rather than conservatory-style performance training. This distinguishes musicology from a performance-focused music degree, since the goal is to produce graduates capable of studying and writing about music critically and historically. Career paths associated with musicology include further graduate study toward research or teaching, work in music archives, libraries, and cultural institutions, music journalism and criticism, arts administration, and roles in music publishing or cultural programming. Some graduates also combine their academic training with continued instrumental or vocal study pursued separately. This licence is offered at the Universite de Poitiers, located in Poitiers, France. The program runs over three years, has an inferred start date in September, is taught in French, and carries a yearly tuition of 178 EUR.