Popular Music
University of Derby
UCAS Code: W340 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Derby
UCAS Code: W340 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
Pass Access to HE Diploma with 60 credits with 45 at Level 3
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
T Level
Pass (C and above)
UCAS Tariff
We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the A-levels section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.
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About this course
You will explore performance, composition, production and music technology on this accredited BA, with a specific focus on popular music. There will be regular opportunities to perform in public.
WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?
Popular Music is accredited by Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES), a consortium of industry professionals that promote excellence in music education. You will study a wide range of subjects, including popular music performance, composition, improvisation, arrangement, song writing, production, music business and management and studio techniques. Expect to perform in public regularly – at our annual music show, at social and formal events and at venues across the city. These experiences will help you learn and grow.
IS THIS COURSE FOR YOU?
This course is designed for practising musicians who are interested in popular music and who want to understand better, the technical and business aspects of making commercial music.
HOW YOU WILL LEARN
There will be around 10 hours of contact with staff a week, including group based learning activities to develop skills on your chosen instrument. The rest of the time you’ll be undertaking your own ‘directed study’, including regular performances.
OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIENCES.
You will discover a superb range of music making facilities, including recording studios that match those found in industry, rehearsal space, music technology labs and three post-production rooms. We also offer a wide range of instruments, amplifiers and outboard gear, together with a classic 48-channel Neve recording console.
CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY
With a balance between composition, technology, performance and critical practice, Popular Music will give you skills suitable for a variety of roles: performer, composer, producer, educator, promoter, publisher, academic, recording studio engineer and freelance musician.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Derby
Department of Media and Performing Arts
What students say
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
£19k
£22k
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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Higher entry requirements
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Lower entry requirementsThis is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the 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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