Subject combination

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.

I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:

Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject

Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

Reply 1

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by leen007

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.
I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:
Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject
Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

Hi @leen007

It can be difficult to pick between your subjects - I found it difficult as I didn't want to make the "wrong" choice and regret my decision, but I really enjoyed my choices in the end.

I think art and design and music could be a good combination, as you have more academic core subjects like sciences and English, it can be nice to have a break from typical exam style subjects and be more creative. I personally chose art and drama when I did my GCSEs, which meant I had a mix of subjects altogether.

Psychology could also be a good choice as it can be a fresh and new subject to delve into, and it still keeps your options open for later down the line for further study options.

At this stage in your education, you want to stay open with your choices as you may change your mind about what you may study later on. So I would advise you to pick the subjects you're most excited by and enjoy the most, as this is your time to explore different subjects and enjoy your passions. You also want to choose subjects you're genuinely interested in as you want to stay motivated to revise later down the line - and revising for something you find boring is never fun!

I hope this helps. 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Reply 2

McGinger

There is little point in taking Chemistry as a random subject. Its a tough A level subject is you are not STEM orientated and any degree requiring it will usually also want another science/maths A level.

Psychology is a useful choice as its an essay based subject, and could lead you to degree subjects like Psychology, Law, Sociology, Teaching etc etc.

Third subject would depend on what a) you enjoy studying and b) what you think you might do with these A levels. Have a look at some Uni websites to check the sort of A level subjects required for the degrees etc that might interest you :
Undergraduate Courses, Degrees : Study : University of Sussex
Our Courses | Falmouth University
Etc etc.

Reply 3

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by leen007

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.
I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:
Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject
Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

I'm going to throw in a few spanners in your way:

•

Most careers in art and design do not legally require any qualifications - you need to be good at your craft, not have a list of diplomas and degrees

•

The only design career that I can think of that do legally require a specific qualification/degree is architecture, and they generally accept A Levels in any subjects

•

For very very picky universities offering art and design degrees which aren't legally required for any career, the only A Level that universities generally ask for is Art and Design which you already have picked

•

A Levels in Art and Music generally don't require the subjects at GCSE, but this depends on the individual college as opposed to the exam boards (they don't ask for anything). If your college is picky (as they really should be for these sort of subjects), they will likely ask for Art and Music A Levels. You will need to check with the individual college to be sure

•

If for any random reason you want to do a music degree, the pickier universities will ask for A Level Music. The others will look for musical talent even if you get an A* grade in the A Level - these same universities will still accept you even if you have an E grade so long you have the talent.

•

Do note, Art as far as I know is a pretty full on subject and can eat up hours of your time. Chemistry at A Level is also very content intensive, so it might be something to bear in mind if you have very intensive and content rich subjects that would eat up a lot of your time. I am not entirely sure about Music, but I am guessing it's similar (you will find out as you do the GCSE)

•

Entry for Chemistry A Level at a number of colleges will depend on what grade you get in your sciences at GCSE (again, exam boards don't have entry requirements for the subject but the individual college can be picky).

Usually those who do creative subjects like Art and Music also go for:

•

Psychology

•

English Literature

•

Biology

•

Sociology

•

A foreign language

•

Drama

•

Law

If you need to pick, I would go for sociology or a foreign language. However, the choice is still yours.

Check the following for job requirements of specific creative careers:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/explore-careers/job-sector/creative-and-design
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/browse-sector/creative-arts-and-design
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/arts-crafts/job-profiles
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/design/job-profiles
https://life-pilot.co.uk/job-sectors/fashion-textiles/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/arts-crafts/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/design/job-profiles
https://www.careerpilot.org.uk/job-sectors/fashion-textiles/job-profiles
https://discovercreative.careers/explore/#/

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 4

GenKun1311

Original post by leen007

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.
I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:
Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject
Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

Unless you really like chemistry and are passionate about it I would say not to take it. You're looking to have a career in art so it's not going to be worth anything but a grade in the end. Psychology however could be a good option as it's a more general interesting subject and can be applied to many aspects of life. Personally I would say stick to creatives and humanities if you're looking to go into art. I'm doing a film degree next year and my alevels are Media Psychology and Classics (classics I never attached myself to and I've found it quite hard because I have a lack of passion for it).

Reply 5

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

Original post by leen007

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.
I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:
Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject
Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

Id look at the course you are interested in on unis websites to see if they specify any particular subjects.
If not, then id choose the subjects you think you will enjoy the most and think you will get the best grades in.

Reply 6

leen007

Original post by BCU Student Rep

Hi @leen007
It can be difficult to pick between your subjects - I found it difficult as I didn't want to make the "wrong" choice and regret my decision, but I really enjoyed my choices in the end.
I think art and design and music could be a good combination, as you have more academic core subjects like sciences and English, it can be nice to have a break from typical exam style subjects and be more creative. I personally chose art and drama when I did my GCSEs, which meant I had a mix of subjects altogether.
Psychology could also be a good choice as it can be a fresh and new subject to delve into, and it still keeps your options open for later down the line for further study options.
At this stage in your education, you want to stay open with your choices as you may change your mind about what you may study later on. So I would advise you to pick the subjects you're most excited by and enjoy the most, as this is your time to explore different subjects and enjoy your passions. You also want to choose subjects you're genuinely interested in as you want to stay motivated to revise later down the line - and revising for something you find boring is never fun!
I hope this helps. 🙂
Emily
Student Rep at BCU

Thank you so much, youv been very helpful

Reply 7

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

Original post by leen007

Hi, my GCSE options are Art and design, Music, French and Geography. I would like to choose Art and Design and Music for my A Levels but I'm not sure what the 3rd subject should be or whether to drop music and do something else. I would like my career to be based around Art and design but not sure exactly what I want to do. I'm also taking English, Maths and combined sciences.
I am thinking about the following combination but not sure:
Art and Design, Music and Chemistry
Art and Design, Music and Psychology
Art and Design, Psychology and another subject
Can anyone advise on a good subject combination please or any advice will be welcome. Thanks

Hi there,

I did biology, chemsitry and english literature for my A-levels. I do not recommend taking chemistry without another science such as physics or biology. My sixth form even restricted students from choosing a core science without taking either maths or another core science (I did mine back in 2019). This is because the subjects compliment each other and a core science subject on its own is very difficult.

When choosing you subjects, this should be guided by the entry requirements of the university you are interested in. This ensures your combination can actually get you somewhere.

I hope this helps!

kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

Reply 8

leen007

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions, youve been very helpful and I really appreciate it.

I think I will pick Art and Desgin and Music as I am quite good at them and getiing grades 7/8 in my mocks. For the 3rd option I will pick one of the following: Psychology, English Literature or Biology.

I will do some more research into universiity entry requirement. None of my predicted GCSE grade are below 6. I defintley want to do something with Art as a career I think.