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Commercial Music

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

For year 2 entry, BBB required including English at C or above

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

including English at Higher Level For year 2 entry, 28 points required including English at Higher Level

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H3,H3,H3

including English

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

MMM

For year 2 entry, DDM in relevant subject required

Scottish Advanced Higher

C,C,C

For entry to Year 2, including Higher English

Scottish HNC

Pass

Entry to Year 2 with one of the following HNC titles: Music; Music Performance; Music Technology; Music Production; Music Business; Sound Production.

Scottish HND

Pass

Entry to Year 3 with B in graded unit in one of the following HND titles: Music; Music Performance; Music Technology; Music Business

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,C

including English

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

102

including English

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Music

**OVERVIEW**
The BA (Hons) Commercial Music will assist you in developing the critical skills to secure a role in the ever-evolving commercial music industries.

Whether you’re interested in music promotion, songwriting, teaching, tour management, research, sound engineering or instrumental performance, you’ll be able to customise the programme to suit your career aspirations. There are three strands of study:  

**Songwriting & Performance**
The songwriting and performance strand is for students who have an interest in developing a career within the creative sectors of the music industries: not just songwriters, musicians and singers, but also community music practitioners in fields including but not limited to: music education, music therapy, and community arts, culture and heritage and theatre.

**Technology**
The technology strand is for students with an interest in the intersections of music, audio and performance. Working in our state-of-the-art studios, students will have the opportunity to develop expertise in the recording of live and studio performances, production, editing, post-production and mastering and the creation and production of music and audio for media. Opportunities for employment may include working for broadcast services, live events and sound companies, recording studios, media outlets and corporate events companies.

**Music Business & Creative Industries**
The business and industries strand is for students who seek to understand the music industries as part of the wider creative and cultural industries. Examining both the theories and practices underpinning the music and creative industries, students will have hands-on opportunities to be involved in real-world music enterprises. To date, students have participated in a series of music industry events, staged within the university environment as well as in the UK, Europe and North America. Employment opportunities include promotion and management companies, digital music firms, media outlets, artist management, as well as various entrepreneurial activities.

The course has been developed in collaboration with music industry professionals, and focuses on contemporary issues in commercial music and the opportunities new media has opened up.

**PRACTICAL FOCUS**
Reinforcing the practical nature of the couse, lecturers are practising music industry professionals and guest speakers have included Shirley Manson and Ricky Ross.

In addition, there are a number of different work-based learning opportunities for Commercial Music students. For example, you will have the opportunity to study and work abroad via work-related learning module, which allows a select group of students to work and study at our partner institution, the Harris Institute in Toronto, Canada.

In addition, students enrolled in the work-based learning module also have the opportunity for work experience more locally and across the UK. In years past, students have worked for prominent companies including: DF Concerts, Soma Records, EmuBands, and the SSE Hydro.  

**PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION**
BA Commercial Music has Joint Audio Media Education Support (JAMES) accreditation. JAMES is a recognised PSRB (Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body) for undergraduate higher education courses reference.

The courses is also identified as an Avid Authorised Training Partner and this provides assurance that you can get quality of training on Avid products and solutions as part of the course.

**CAREER PROSPECTS**
**Jobs**
Graduates work as record company personnel, teachers, promoters, music marketing and PR specialists, tour managers, sound engineers, music lecturers, producers and performing and recording artists.

**Further Study**
Some graduates choose further study, leading to an MA, MSc, PhD or the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) teaching qualification - note additional requirements regarding English and Mathematics qualifications will apply for PGDE study.

Modules

Year 1 introduces you to the theory and practice of music performance, production, business and cultural theory. Your studies offer you the opportunity to broaden your scope and investigate theatres of music you may not previously have considered.

In Year 2, you will focus on your chosen specialism of performance, production, business or theory while developing your understanding of media theory and intellectual property.

In Year 3, you will deepen your engagement with your specialist area of study, completing a major self-directed project. You may also undertake work-related learning within the industry which is an ideal entry point for future employment.

In your final year of study, you will undertake a major research dissertation and undertake a music project where you release a piece of music on a variety of platforms.

Assessment methods

This course offers inspirational and transformative learning within a flexible and personalised curriculum. This is based on a model of research and experiential learning, with a mix of practical, project-based work and critical analysis of contemporary popular music culture and the global music industries.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,250
per year
International
£15,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

Extra funding

Visit www.uws.ac.uk/scholarships

The Uni


Course location:

Ayr Campus

Department:

Business and Creative Industries

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

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

62%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
68%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
58%
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

55%
Library resources
58%
IT resources
60%
Course specific equipment and facilities
42%
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
66%
Male students
34%
Female students
60%
2:1 or above
22%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
B
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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education
47%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

28%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
18%
Welfare and housing associate professionals
18%
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.

£14k

£14k

£18k

£18k

£19k

£19k

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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Nearby University
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Same University
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UCAS Points: 114-144

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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