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Digital Music

Entry requirements


A minimum of 2 A Levels required if studying only A Levels, but can be used in conjunction with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

Access to HE Diploma

M:45,P:15

60 Credits with 45 M Level Credits and 15 P Level Credits

HNC (BTEC)

P-D

HND (BTEC)

P-M

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

28-31

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

D*D

In combination with other qualifications

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D*D

In combination with other qualifications

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DMM

In combination with other qualifications

In combination with other qualifications

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

104-120

From a minimum of 2 A Levels or equivalent qualifications such as BTEC Extended Diploma or OCR Extended Diploma. For detailed information on accepted qualifications, please view our Course Entry Statement (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/documents/course-entry-requirement-statement.pdf) Solent University is a proud champion of widening participation. For further information about our contextual offer, please visit our website (https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/what-next/contextual-offers).

In combination with other qualifications

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music production

**Our music courses ranked 15th out of 66 other UK institutions for student satisfaction (NSS 2019).**

Passionate about digital music production? Want to learn from professional producers/composers and develop a solid foundation for success in the music industry? This innovative, industry-focused course enables you to develop your skills, musical creativity and confidence – providing you with a solid foundation for success within the music and creative industries.

Under the guidance of practising producers, composers, musicians and DJs you’ll study areas including music production/composition, audio engineering, live performance and entrepreneurship. The course caters for a wide variety of contemporary musical styles including various dance music genres, for example, Drum & Bass, House, Hip-Hop, Grime, EDM and Techno.

The course also encourages you to widen your skill-set, and supports you to expand upon the knowledge and proficiencies necessary to succeed within the competitive world of commercial music and sound, bridging the gap between the aspiring music producer and professional digital artist. You will also have the opportunity to study skills in Foley artistry, music/sound design for film, games and other creative mediums.

You will also be supported in establishing, branding, release/distributing and promoting your own original music through the three year course.

Throughout your studies you will have the chance to use a variety of contemporary, industry-standard software and plugins are used within teaching, including Logic Pro X, Ableton Live Suite, Pro Tools and Native Instruments’ Komplete. You will also access our professional recording studios, acoustically treated workstations, DJ equipment and facilities, music labs, instrumental practice rooms and dubbing suites.

Digital music students learn from experienced musicians, DJs and producers with a wealth of first-hand knowledge to share.

**What does this course lead to?**
BA (Hons) Digital Music students go on to enjoy a range of careers and professions. Thanks to the diversity of the course, graduates can apply for a variety of roles within the music and creative industries such as becoming a releasing artist/producer, studio-based third-party production, sound engineering, music/sound creation for film, games and online media, DJing and live performance.

Past graduates have gone on to become releasing producers in their own right, as well as mastering engineers, sound editors, label owners, composers for film and sound designers for games. You will also be well placed for other music-related roles, including post-production sound, sound/music editing, Foley artistry, sound design, ADR recording/editing, sound effects editing and film and TV composition.

**Who is this course for?**
This degree is ideally suited to students who have a genuine desire to progress and succeed within the music industry, as either a producer/composer, or digital creative within the wider creative sectors including film, games, TV, etc.

Modules

YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Digital Music Production and Composition 1
Digital Music Production and Composition 2
Studio Practice
Electronic Music in Context (Historical)
Artist Development 1 - The Music Industries
Digital Music Live 1 - Creation

YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Mixing
Artist Development 2: Branding and Self-Release
Digital Music Live 2: Performance
Electronic Music in Context (Contemporary)
Music and Sound for Film

YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Digital DJing
Music and Sound for Games

YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Digital Music Final Major Project
Artist Development 3: Industry Portfolio
Artist Development 4: Networking and Promotion
Collaborative Project

YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year).
Advanced Mixing and Mastering
Surround Mixing

Assessment methods

This largely practical degree course is mostly assessed through music-related projects with accompanying reports; though also incorporates presentations, live performances, essays and portfolios.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£16,125
per year
International
£16,125
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries

The Uni


Course location:

Solent University (Southampton)

Department:

Department of Art and Music

Read full university profile

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.

66%
Music production

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

72%
Staff make the subject interesting
83%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
63%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
82%
Course specific equipment and facilities
59%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

75%
UK students
25%
International students
78%
Male students
22%
Female students
65%
2:1 or above
9%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

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.

£16,238
med
Average annual salary
98%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

20%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Other elementary services occupations
11%
Business, finance and related associate professionals

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.

£16k

£16k

£19k

£19k

£23k

£23k

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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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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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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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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