Popular Music Production
Solent University (Southampton)
UCAS Code: MP01 | Bachelor of Science (with Honours) - BSc (Hons)
Entry requirements
From a minimum of 2 A Levels
Accepted when studied alongside other Level 3 qualifications
Access to HE Diploma
Pass in Access course with 60 credits overall including 45 Level 3 credits passed with a minimum of Merit.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
HNC (BTEC)
HND (BTEC)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Diploma (QCF)
Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
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)
This qualification is accepted when taken alongside other qualifications.
About this course
**Our music courses ranked 15th out of 66 other UK institutions for student satisfaction (NSS 2019).**
Looking to start a career in music and sound production? Whatever your background, Solent University’s popular music production programme will enable you to deepen your skills in a wide range of areas – preparing you for a fantastic career as a music producer of the future.
The course explores three main areas of study: technical and musical foundations, music and sound production in studio and live settings, and employability in the music industry. These varied subjects enable you to gain a broad understanding of the industry, so when you graduate you’ll be equipped with the right skills and knowledge to kick-start your career.
Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to use a range of facilities including our specialist recording studios – each with top of the range software, facilities and instruments including: Pro Tools Ultimate and Logic digital audio workstations, Microphones by Neumann, AKG and Shure. Analog processing includes Neve, Universal Audio, Focusrite, Empirical Labs, and Portico. Instruments provided included Drums by DW and Mapex, a Moog Synthesiser, Korg Kronos, Marshall, Fender and Vox valve guitar amplifiers. Software includes Native Instruments Komplete, and Plugins by Sonnox, McDSP and Celemony. Live sound mixers include Allen and Heath DLive, Soundcraft Si, and Midas M32.
Thanks to the academic teams close links with industry, you will have the opportunity to attend guest lectures from visiting industry professionals. Speakers have recently included: Mike Moran, composer; Trevor Horn, Grammy award-winning producer; Sam Skirrow, Bass player; Rob Da Bank, DJ and festival organiser; Gary Langhan, sound engineer; and Mark Lawrence, CEO of The Association for Electronic Music.
As a popular music production student you’ll also have the chance to visit the legendary Abbey Road studios, probably the most famous studio in the world, and talk to engineers at the top of the industry during a real recording session.
Solent provides a creative hub where students can meet film makers, animators, game designers, musicians, and video video producers and work on combined projects.
**What does this course lead to?**
Recent graduates have gone on to work in diverse areas such as live sound, game audio, recording studios, film and television sound, and technical support – working at organisations such as Bang Post-Production, Sony Music, Envy Post-Production, Global Documentary, Columbia Records, Metropolis Studios, EMI Music Licensing and Stage Miracles.
**Who is this course for?**
Solent’s music production programme is ideally suited to students who want to combine that unique mix of technical and musical skills, while developing an understanding of the industries that await them. Applicants should previously have studied music technology or a related subject, or be able to demonstrate some music making experience.
Modules
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Principles of Sound
Introduction to Studio Recording 1
Principles of Music
Introduction to Studio Recording 2
Creative Music Industries
Sampling Synthesis and Midi
YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Advanced Studio Recording 1
Advanced Studio Recording 2
Creative Sound Design
Live Music Production
Music Portfolio Careers
YEAR 2 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Advanced Live Music Production
Music and Sound for Games
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Major Project
Advanced Music Production
Live Project Brief
YEAR 3 - OPTIONS (please note that not all options are guaranteed to run each academic year)
Surround Mixing
Live Event Technology
Live Sound Technology
Experimental Music Production
Assessment methods
This course is assessed via recordings, presentations, written assignments, a live event portfolio, a website or blog, and one timed technical assessment. There may also be video presentations or other forms negotiated with your tutor.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
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
Solent University (Southampton)
Department of Art and Music
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.
£16k
£19k
£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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Post-six month graduation stats:
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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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