With the OCA, you can study a BA (Hons) degree in our flexible online learning model at approximately one third the cost of a degree at a traditional physical university.

Students study and pay for the course on a unit-by-unit basis, so you only pay for the course as you enrol to each unit.

This course is eligible for a part-time tuition fee loan from Student Finance England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or you can self-fund the course and break down costs even further through the deposit and instalment option.  Find out more about your funding options here.

You will require regular use of a computer or laptop and internet access. Most essential reading materials can be accessed through the digital library services and eBooks.

Students are responsible for sourcing and, where necessary, purchasing any additional software and resources specified. These can be around £400 at Level 1, £500 at Level 2, and £550 at Level 3. Where possible, open or freeware equivalents will be discussed alongside industry standard options.

On this course students will need access to Sibelius or Dorico software.

You may be eligible for any student discounts on computer equipment and software by using your student email, and you can find out more information about student discounts here.

Students wishing to study the Music degree must have ABRSM Grade 5 Theory, or you can take OCA’s Music Foundation which is equivalent. Apart from that all you need is a passion for the arts, and willingness to learn.

All OCA courses require students to be IT literate, have a good internet connection, and have a good standard of English equivalent to CEFR B2. You can review the study requirements here so you’re prepared for online study at higher education.

We accept enrolment for our BA (HONS) courses all year round, so you can start at a time that suits you. You don’t need to wait for a specific intake month, simply complete the online enrolment form and indicate your preferred start date.

When applying for a Student Finance tuition fee loan, this may take 4- 6 weeks to process, so select a start date reflective of this. If you are also applying for Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) and would like this support to be in place before beginning your course, please allow 14 weeks from when you begin your application to your start date.

Our part-time degree courses are completed on average between 6 and 9 years. The degree is structured into three levels (instead of three years) so you’re able manage study around other commitments.

Once enrolled, you’ll have a maximum of 12 years to complete your degree course. There are unit and level timeframes within the overall degree time frame, and you’ll need a minimum of 10 study per week to keep on track. To find out more about course duration and managing your time, click here.

Your course materials are accessible online through the virtual learning environment, OCA Learn, where you’ll also have access to student forums, a subject space, the student handbook and the online library. You’ll work primarily from a set text of course materials and resources, but can also sign up to webinars, workshops and study groups in addition to your core learning.

Once you’ve completed the required assignments within a course unit and received tutor feedback, you’ll submit a portfolio of work to an assessment event. This gives you the opportunity to develop your work before you have it formally assessed to achieve credits towards your degree.

Upon completing the BA (Hons) Music degree at OCA you’ll have the skills you need to work in the music industry. Where you take those skills is up to you, and you’ve got no shortage of options to choose from.

With the skills you’ll have you could be a composer, orchestrator/arranger or musicologist, and will be equipped for a portfolio career as a musician. You could create your own works, collaborate with other musicians and artists, and/or explore many other aspects of the music industry, such as music publishing, music administration, events organisation, become an artist agent or music journalist. The course also provides you will the necessary skills to be eligible for further specialist study at Postgraduate level, including courses in writing music for film and TV, music-related research and much more.

Whatever option you choose, Prospects have some great advice to help you on your way.

The OCA’s New Music Collective (NMC) is an extra-curricular project which focuses on the
development of skills in collaboration, music-making and performances. The group aims to
connect creativity and performance, through practical experience of playing new music,
including student works, improvisation and collaboration.

The NMC’s long-term goal is to develop a network of musicians from the OCA's student
body, who will be able to embark on collaborations with our student composers to allow
them to hear their works played live, as well as engaging in interdisciplinary collaborations
spanning music and the visual arts.

Events so far include workshops covering improvisation, solo performance, graphic score
interpretation and group composition, performer/composer collaborations, recording
sessions of works for solo flute and a long-term cross-disciplinary collaboration project in
the 2018/19 academic year which brings together students from across music and visual
arts subject areas.

The NMC is open to all OCA students with an interest in exploring contemporary music
practice, irrespective of subject specialism or level of study. Events can usually be attended
either in person or online.

The Academic Regulatory Framework (ARF) regulations are applicable to all taught courses offered by the Open College of the Arts (OCA). As of January 2024, this will lead to an undergraduate award of The Open University (OU).

You can review the ARF through the link below:

Academic Regulatory Framework