BA/BS in Music at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada is a bachelor's degree in Music programme. The programme runs for 4 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 37,992 per year (CAD 9,030 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Music
Duration: 4 years
Local tuition: CAD 9,030 / year
International tuition: CAD 37,992 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Music at Dalhousie University is a bachelor-level program offered through the Fountain School of Performing Arts within the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Halifax campus, with intake in September or January and options for Honours, Major, and Minor. The curriculum combines music scholarship with practical training, including one-on-one studio instruction on various instruments and voice alongside seminars and lectures. Coursework progresses from foundational courses in writing about music and performance in first year to advanced topics such as medieval music and nineteenth-century composition in later years. Students can pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Music, combine music with science or other subjects through Honours and double-major options, or complete cooperative degree programs with the University of King's College. All music majors must audition for Applied Study. The program suits aspiring musicians and those interested in music scholarship, preparing graduates for roles such as performer, composer, teacher, conductor, or musicologist, or for further graduate study.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:70.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Domestic applicants complete Grade 12 with a minimum overall average of 70% across five academic Grade 12 courses, including Academic English 12 and four further academic subjects. Every Bachelor of Music/Bachelor of Arts applicant must also audition for Applied Study, performing a prepared piece on their instrument or voice and completing assessments in music theory, aural skills, keyboard and sight-reading; composition applicants may instead submit a portfolio of at least two original compositions (5-7 minutes total) with program notes and a 300-500 word statement of creative goals. The page states no program-specific language-test scores and defers to Dalhousie's general English-language requirement for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, TOEFL iBT 90 overall with no section below 20, Pearson PTE Academic 61 overall with no skill below 50, or Duolingo English Test 120, among other accepted tests and exemptions listed on Dalhousie's international-admissions pages. The program begins in September.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Dalhousie's live Dates and Deadlines page still shows the September 2026 entry cycle as of mid-September 2026, not the 2027 cycle. For that cycle, Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Science (Medical Sciences) and Bachelor of Social Work close February 15, 2026; the Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (Architecture) closes March 1, 2026; and the Health Sciences post-diploma option closes June 15, 2026. All other undergraduate programmes are considered on a rolling, space-available basis for both domestic and international applicants, with no separate international closing date published; May 15, 2026 is only the deposit and English-proficiency deadline, not an application deadline. Dalhousie has not yet published September 2027 entry dates. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
