Popular Music
University of Huddersfield
UCAS Code: W3W8 | Bachelor of Music (with Honours) - BMus (Hon)
Entry requirements
A level
Access to HE Diploma
112 UCAS tariff points from International Baccalaureate qualifications.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
from a combination of Level 3 qualifications alongside evidence of prior Music or Music Technology experience (which could be offered either through formal qualifications or a portfolio of creative work). ?
You may also need to…
Perform an audition
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
If you're passionate about popular music and want to take your skills as a performer, songwriter, and audio studio professional to the next level, then our Popular Music degree is for you. Popular music is a highly competitive industry, so we’ll do all we can to help you on your way to a career. We’ll give you the opportunity to develop industry-standard practices and techniques, while learning how to break the rules to unleash your creativity.
Why study Popular Music at Huddersfield?
* You will study in the purpose-built Richard Steinitz Building, a state-of-the-art creative hub with many practice rooms, rehearsal spaces, and professional-standard recording studios. You'll also have access to a large instrument collection, all the technical equipment you'll need and two purpose-built on-campus concert halls.
* 100% overall student satisfaction rating (NSS 2020).
* You’ll have the opportunity to work with successful musicians who will develop your abilities as a composer and a producer and take part in masterclasses and workshops given by distinguished visiting performers.
* QS World University Subject Rankings 2020 ranked the University of Huddersfield equal 27th in the world for 'Performing Arts' (https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/university-subject-rankings/2020/performing-arts).
* You’ll choose your own focus, specialising in songwriting, performing, production or a mixture of subjects, whether concentrating on guitar music, pop, electronica or your own new style.
Professional links and accreditations:
This BA(Hons) course is accredited by the Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES - https://www.jamesonline.org.uk/). This means this course has been acknowledged by industry professionals to meet the industry needs.
This accreditation is reviewed on a regular basis.
The University of Huddersfield are corporate members of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM - https://www.ism.org/), the UK's professional body for musicians and a nationally recognised subject association for music.
Scholarships and Bursaries:
For more information about our Music scholarships see our website (https://www.hud.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-finance/undergraduate-scholarships/music-scholarships/).
Modules
Year 1
Core modules:
Performance Skills 1
Songwriting 1
Desktop Music Production 1
Studio Engineering and Mixing Essentials
Introduction to Music Research
Option modules:
Choose one from a list which may include:
Solo Performance 1
Theory and Analysis of Popular Music
Year 2
Core modules:
Songwriting 2
Plus choose one from:
Performance Skills 2
Performance Skills 2 (Major)
Option modules:
Choose at least one from a list which may include:
Critical Approaches to Recorded and Electronic Music
Popular Music Studies
Choose up to three from a list which may include:
Music for the Moving Image B
Desktop Music Production 2
Live Sound (Year 2)
Explorations in World Musics (Year 2)
Inside the Music Business
Solo Performance 2
Music in Educational Contexts
Year 3 - optional placement year
Placement Year
Final year
Core modules:
Final Year Project
Plus choose one from:
Performance Skills 3
Performance Skills 3 (Major)
Option modules:
Choose at least one from a list which may include:
Explorations in World Musics (Final Year)
Applied Music Research: Investigating Culture and Creativity
Music, Gender and Identity
Plus choose up to two from a list which may include:
Solo Performance 3
Composition Practice
Composing Music for Film and Videogames B
Experimental Music (Final Year)
Work and Professional Practice in Music
Assessment methods
Assessment of this course takes various forms including written and oral examinations, dissertations, essays, seminar papers, analyses, practical projects, composition folios, performance recitals, learning journals and peer assessment.
Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Please see our website for more information - http://www.hud.ac.uk/undergraduate/fees-and-finance/undergraduate-scholarships/
The Uni
University of Huddersfield
Department of History English Linguistics and Music (ADHELIM)
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.
Performing arts
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£19k
£21k
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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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:
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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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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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