University of Durham.

At Durham degrees in music by examination were initiated in 1889. They were designed to meet the needs of professional musicians for a test of professional competence rather than an academic course. Whereas music degrees by examination at Oxford, Cambridge and London in the 19th century all required candidates to show competence also in other subjects such as classics and mathematics, Durham degrees demanded high musical ability but only general educational qualifications, and had no residential requirement. Exercises in original composition were required for both the B.Mus. and D.Mus., and later the M.Mus. These degrees proved popular with professional musicians, and by the inter-war period Durham music graduates probably outnumbered those of the other English universities put together.

From the guide to the University of Durham Music Exercises, 1891-1980, (Durham University Library, Archives and Special Collections)

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