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Music Production

Entry requirements


64 UCAS points at A2

64 UCAS points

GCSE/National 4/National 5

5 GCSEs at Grade C/4 or above including Maths and English or equivalent. Equivalent qualifications are Functional Skills Level 2 in Maths and English or Level 3 Key Skills in Maths and Communication.

64 UCAS points at Higher Level subjects

OCR Cambridge Technical Diploma

MM

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma

MPP

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

MM

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

MPP

64 UCAS points

64 UCAS points

UCAS Tariff

64

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Music production

Music composition

Sonic arts

Our Music Production degree offers practical and industry-focused teaching in our professional-level music studios in Manchester. This course will introduce you to everything from composing and arranging, and recording and mixing tracks for a range of different media. You’ll also develop a clear and professional presence for yourself as a music producer. Whatever your preferred style or approach is to making music, our Music Production degree will give you the freedom to explore your skills, expand your knowledge and grow as a producer. You’ll have a portfolio that really shows what you are capable of.
With live industry projects, expert tutors and state-of-the-art music studios available to you, there is no doubt that with a passion for what you’re doing, you can achieve your creative goals during your time here.

**About Spirit Studios**

Spanning over four decades of iconic music history in Manchester, our early days as a commercial recording studio and rehearsal space saw the likes of local legends The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Simply Red and many more passing through our doors.

Spirit Studios then became the first music production and sound engineering school in the UK (formerly known as School of Sound Recording), and since then we’ve continued to nurture the next generation of producers, engineers, artists and business owners.

Our purpose-built facilities, expert insight, professionally active tutors and creative partnerships enable us to offer the most up to date and relevant training, and provide you with real career opportunities.

Modules

YEAR 1:
Composition and Arrangement
Recording Techniques & Technologies
Career Focus 1 – The Online Musician

YEAR 2:
Composition and Production
Recording and Production
Music, Sound, Image
Career Focus 2 – Live Brief

YEAR 3:
Composition and Innovation
Advanced Recording and Production
Major Project – Music and Multimedia
Career Focus 3 – Professional Preparation

Assessment methods

We pride ourselves on providing a variety of assessment methods; these are balanced between industry standards and an academic range that is aimed at varied student profiles and abilities.
Some modules may include on overall portfolio, others may have several varied assessments that encompass practical and written elements. Students may work on a solo project or also have the opportunity to work collaboratively in class or within external partnerships. All portfolios and written material are submitted electronically via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), practical exams are undertaken within studio or venue settings on a live basis. Feedback is delivered electronically directly to the student in a written and matrix format. There is opportunity to discuss your feedback in a one-to-one tutorial.

We use a variety of the following assessment methods:
• Portfolios
• Practical coursework
• Practical Exams
• Presentations
• Written Tests
• Written Reports
• Written Essays
• Professional Discussions
• Viva Voce

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Spirit Studios

Department:

School of Arts and Media

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.

55%
Music production
55%
Music composition
55%
Sonic arts

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

68%
Staff make the subject interesting
72%
Staff are good at explaining things
65%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
66%
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

72%
Library resources
65%
IT resources
59%
Course specific equipment and facilities
45%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
80%
Male students
20%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
D
C

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.

£16,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
44%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

50%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
13%
Other elementary services occupations
6%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£12k

£12k

£18k

£18k

£20k

£20k

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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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here