Popular Music
Entry requirements
A level
Music A-Level preferred A maximum of 4 subjects are considered. These can be other A/S Levels (as long in a different subject) A-Levels or Level 3 equivalents.
Music at Level 3 preferred Considered with a maximum of 3 other Level 3 qualifications (AS Levels must be in different subject to A-Levels) to obtain 96 pts
Pass overall with 60 credits, 45 at Level 3 and 15 at Level 2, including merit or higher in 18 credits at Level 3. Music subject preferred, but will still consider other Access courses, subject to satisfactory audition process. GCSE English Language grade 4 (C) or above or equivalent qualifications must be achieved at enrolment stage.
Must be in a topic related to the degree subject being applied for Considered with a maximum of 3 other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE English Language or English Literature and GCSE Maths at grade C/4 or above. If you do not have these or are not undertaking them, we accept other Level 2 equivalents, or we may ask you to pass BCU's GCSE equivalency tests.
HNC (BTEC)
Pass with 120 credits at Level 4 Must be in a music related pathway May be considered for advanced entry onto the second year of the degree. Subject to satisfactory comparability of modular content at level 4. A transcript will be required and successful audition.
HND (BTEC)
Pass with 120 credits at Level 4 Must be in a music related pathway May be considered for advanced entry onto the second year of the degree. Subject to satisfactory comparability of modular content at level 4. A transcript will be required and successful audition.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Obtain a minimum of 24 points overall For students who do not already hold a GCSE in English Language at Grade C/4 or above Standard Level English Language (not literature) English A - Grade 4 or above or English B - Grade 5 from the IB Diploma will be accepted
Pass the Irish Leaving Certificate with a minimum of 96 tariff points, achieved in five Higher level subjects. This must include English Language taken at either Ordinary Level (minimum grade O1-O4 (or A-C/A1-C3)) or Higher level minimum grade H1/H7 (or A-D / A1-D3 up to and including 2016
See level 3 entry under Irish Leaving Certificate for full details
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
Achieve a minimum of 96 tariff points achieved in either three Advanced Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers. Where three Advanced Highers have been taken achieve a minimum of grades DDD Where a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers have been taken you must achieve (grades of DD in two Advanced Highers plus grades of DD in two Highers).
UCAS Tariff
Please visit: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/offer-making-strategy for more information about contextual offers.
Can be considered alongside other Level 3 qualifications to obtain 96 pts
You may also need to…
Perform an audition
About this course
The Popular Music degree course provides the training and skills necessary for a wide range of careers within the music industry.
You will develop understanding of the global commercial music sector, study musical output and techniques, and improve your creativity, professionalism and practical musicianship to a level needed for graduate employment.
This full three-year Honours degree develops both the practical and transferable skills required to make you industry-ready, and the contextual understanding and academic rigour inherent in high-level study.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
South and City College Birmingham
Birmingham School of Media
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Music
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Music
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Music
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£13k
£17k
£19k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Course location and department:
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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