Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Music: Popular Music and Recording

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

UCAS Tariff Points 120 with minimum of 2 A Levels to include a Music subject. General Studies not accepted.

AS levels are accepted in combination with Level Three qualifications; including A-levels and BTECs.

Pass Level 3 QAA approved Access Diploma to include music. 120 UCAS tariff points.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

Grade C or 4 (or above) in Maths and English GCSE is required.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

31

To include a grade of 5 (Higher Level) in Music.

120 UCAS tariff points. To include Music subject.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

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

DDM

To include a Music subject.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

Accepted in combination with other Level Three qualifications.

120 UCAS tariff points to include Music.

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

120

Minimum number of A2 subjects or equivalent - 2. To include a Music subject.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music

Serious about a career in the music industry? Ready to join a course that’s produced Mercury Prize nominees, award winning entrepreneurs, and professional film and television composers? If so, our popular music degree is the right choice for you.

When you join this course, you’ll embark upon your personal journey towards professional musicianship, developing your performance, composition and recording skills while deepening your knowledge of how the industry works. You’ll receive musical tuition in the instrument of your choice, get to grips with the essentials of studio recording, and expand your experience of performing in both solo and ensemble settings. Added to all that, you’ll take part in masterclasses led by established professionals, providing you with invaluable insight into what it’s like to work in the music industry.

As an undergraduate music student studying at Salford, you’ll have access to a vibrant local music scene with links to local venues and musical institutions. We’ll be providing you with the chance to regularly contribute to concerts and gigs, as well as to engage with like-minded creative artists.

Our popular music recording degree is well known for producing successful recording artists such as members of the British art rock band Everything Everything (Mercury Prize nominees 2018); recording artist and award-winning entrepreneur Caroline Redman Lusher (Founder and Creator of Rock Choir); Film and television music composer Louis Dodd (Love and Hate Crime, EMMY nominated Strike Back: Retribution, Amazing Hotels and BAFTA winning Long Lost Family), and songwriter/producer Rick Boardman (member of indie dance band Delphic and co-writer of hit singles including ‘Back to You’ performed by Louis Tomlinson and Bebe Rexha; ‘Real Love’ Clean Bandit/Jess Glynne and ‘Love On Me’ Galantis).

**You will:**
- Study on the number one Popular Music and Recording course in the North West, and number two in the UK (Guardian 2021 league tables)

- Be taught by practising music professionals on a course with a reputation for producing graduates in the popular music industry

- Be able to fully explore your creative ideas and passions through specialist portfolio work

- Work on projects in our industry-standard music recording studios

- Graduate with a portfolio of work that can be used for future employment or further study.

**Visit our Popular Music and Recording degree CourseFinder webpage** https://bit.ly/3iCRHIf
**Explore all of our Music courses and read our helpful FAQs** https://bit.ly/391SUG6
**Sign-up to an Open Day or Campus Tour** https://bit.ly/2MchZVA

Modules

**Year one**
- Musicianship Skills
- Popular Music Style and Genre
- Performance Studies
- Applied Composition and Technology
- Interpreting Popular Music

**Year Two**
- Professional Development in the Creative Industries
You will choose three of the following options:
- Advanced Musicianship Skills
- Compositional Practice
- Studio Composition
- Audio for Media
- Studio Recording and Production
- Popular Music and Identity
You will then choose two of the following options:
- Creative Compositions and Arranging
- Advanced Performance Studies
- Advanced Studio Composition
- Music Journalism
- Ethnomusicology
- Advanced Musicology

**Year three**
- Project Scope
- Professional Practice
- Negotiated Major Project

**Visit our Popular Music and Recording degree CourseFinder webpage** https://bit.ly/3iCRHIf

The Uni


Course location:

University of Salford

Department:

School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology

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.

87%
Music

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

91%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
85%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
78%
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

78%
Library resources
80%
IT resources
93%
Course specific equipment and facilities
67%
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?

97%
UK students
3%
International students
69%
Male students
31%
Female students
91%
2:1 or above
12%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
A
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.

£16,494
med
Average annual salary
95%
med
Employed or in further education
33%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Other elementary services occupations
19%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
8%
Teaching and educational 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.

£13k

£13k

£17k

£17k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Share this page

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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